Bryan & Rachel Smith
HOPAC/ East Africa - Tanzania / Language Translators
C/O SIL International, P.O. Box 60368
Dar ex Salaam
Tanzania, East Africa
brian_smith@sil.org
Bryan and Rachel are serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Tanzania. Wycliffe Bible Translators' mission is to translate the Bible into every language and we want to have a Bible Translation started in every language that needs it by the year 2025. Right now, Bryan is teaching at HOPAC, a Christian International school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He's providing quality education to students of missionaries so they can focus on their jobs and not worry about the safety and education of their children. Local Trnazanians send their children there, as do other expats who are living in Tanzania on business. It is an opportunity to reach out to the Muslim community, as well as children of missioanries.
But really we're here to translate the Bible. Bryan was able to fill the need for a History/Geography teacher since he has his MA in teaching. Their real passion is for training Tanzanians to translate the Scriptures into their Mother Tongue, so we can leave a lasting impact, and they can understand the Bible in their heart language. After 2011-2012 school year ends, Bryan will work with mother tongue speakers and help them translate the Bible, using his Bible training and exegentical knowledge of the Scriptures.
Bryan grew up near Chicago and attended FBCG and Rachel grew up near Portland, OR. They met at the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Eugene, OR, in 2000. They were married in 2003. Their son Caleb was born January 27, 2009 and Nathaniel was born February 27, 2011.
