Working with Super Small Languages

I went to a mission's committee meeting and some questions were brought up about the size of the language group that we're going to work with. There was some concern pertaining to whether or not a small language group was worth the financial investment.
Now, I really hate these questions.
Because I don't really have a good answer for them.
Because I've never struggled with this issue.
I have really never been put off by the sizes of Papuan Language groups and wondered if they were too small to merit my attention. And why spend time formulating an answer to a question I've never had? Well, because other people, potential supporters, are now asking these questions and I should be able to respond in a way slightly more reassuring than gaping. So it's time to come up with something a bit more polished. And this is what I have:

Before we begin looking at my well formulated response, let's provide you with some numbers to orient yourself with. PNG has 800 languages and 7 million people. This inevitably results in some small language groups. Most languages have less than 3000 speakers. Only 8 have more than 50,000. African languages are way bigger. Jacob was going to work with a people group of 100,000 and that was considered on the smaller side.


All the languages we work with are small languages 
Bible Translation has been going on for a really long time. And our predecessors were super intelligent people who understood that translations into a larger language would have a greater impact globally. This is why we have the Bible in English and approximately 400 other languages. With these translations completed, 95% of the world can read the Bible in their heart language!
Which means that the remaining 5% people are divided among 6,700 languages.
At this point in the game, every language still needing a translation is a small language.

Now, one could point out that we should continue in the pattern of the translators who went before us, going to the largest languages groups first and working our way down, but allow me to tell you about the Within Our Reach Campaign. This is an inter-organizational effort committed to getting a translation project started in every language in the world by 2050. That is not that far away! Which means that which language project gets started first is negligible. (And I do know people who are looking at working with the aforementioned African language.)

So why should I be the one to work with a tiny language group?

1. I feel called to Papua New Guinea. 
   This is where God told me to be. And it has super small language groups. So I will probably work with a super small language. 
2. I don't have a problem working with a super small language group
   If future translators do struggle with the idea of investing a couple decades of their life to a super small language group, then I am glad that I left some small language groups for them to work with, as I don't have such a struggle. 
3. I like the idea of working with a super small language group. 
   As in, not only do I not mind, but if given a choice either way, I may even choose to work with a super small language. 
1. It makes my job easier. 
   When you have to develop a writing system for an entire people group or translate the Bible, there can be some differences in thought among the people group. Some people will have various preferences for alphabet choices or biblical key terms. Some preferences will be so strong that to ignore them will estrange some people from the work that we're doing. A smaller language group means fewer people to have problems with and an easier time sorting out the best way to proceed. (The language Jacob was looking at was actually larger when you considered the population in other countries. But the Bible has been translated for the speakers in Burkina Faso and the people of Togo refuse to use it. Now a whole new translation project must be started! Lame.)
2. Better discipleship
   When dealing with fewer people, you're better able to interact and build relationships throughout the people group. We'll be able to visit the various villages of the language group and have relationships with the church leaders, coaching them on how to study and apply the Scriptures and how to share that knowledge with the whole village. 

We know the parables that Jesus told of a shepherd leaving 99 of his sheep to find the one that wandered off. We don't know what Jesus would do should he have 7,000,000,000 sheep and 3000 went off in one direction while 100,000 went off in another direction, but I believe that I was pointed off to follow those 3000 and I'm going to trust that Jesus has a plan for the rest of the sheep.