Alvina Federwitz
 Alvina Federwitz |
Alvina Federwitz and her late husband, Rev. Dale Federwitz, began their missionary career with LBT in 1971. After completing linguistic and seminary training they were assigned to Bible translation with the Mandingo people of Liberia. In 1980 they received a new assignment to supervise the Kuwah translation and literacy project. The New Testament in Kuwah was completed in 1988.
Alvina and Dale served as mentors and advisors to the Liberians who formed LIBTRALO (Liberian Translation and Literacy Organization) in 1995. They continued serving as LBT coordinators and translation and literacy consultants to languages in Liberia and Cameroon.
Dale was diagnosed with cancer and entered the gates of heaven in July 2002. Although Alvina lost her dearest companion and partner in ministry, she did not lose her passion for making God's Word accessible to African people. Realizing that Scripture engagement is equally as important as translation, Alvina pursued advanced training in literacy and literature development at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in Dallas, Texas.
Alvina now works with 16 language groups in Liberia and is advisor to the church literacy programs in Ghana. Facilitation of mother tongue language education into Liberia's formal education program has also prompted her to receive further training in multilingual education.
Alvina, from Wall, South Dakota, graduated from Concordia College and the Lutheran Lay Training Institute in Milwaukee. Her early linguistic training was through the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of North Dakota. Alvina and Dale were blessed with four children, two were born in Liberia. Now grown, all her children are committed to the mission of Bible translation. Jonathan and Carrie and family serve in mission aviation in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Danny and Rebecca DeLoach and family serve in literacy and Scripture engagement in PNG. David and Valerie and family serve in Ghana, West Africa, in literacy and Scripture engagement. Paul and Ali are also serving in Ghana, Paul as a computer consultant and technician and Ali as educational consultant to home schooling missionary parents.
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