Elizabeth Leora Miller was born on November 3, 1923, in Edmonton, Alberta, into a Christian home. Her father read missionary books to the family, and thus her interest in missions was kindled at an early age. At thirteen she made a personal decision to commit her life to the Lord Jesus. Later she attended Prairie Bible Institute, graduating in April 1945. Betty then spent two years of study with Wycliffe Bible Translator, in Mexico. In December of 1949, she was accepted as a missionary with the SIM.
She arrived in Sudan (now South Sudan) on April 15, 1951 where she spent the next four years living and working in Doro. Betty studied both the Mabaan and Arabic languages. It was soon evident that she was gifted in linguistics when she managed to attain high marks and accomplished both of the courses in far less time than usually deemed necessary.
Betty worked in Doro with the Mabaan people until 1964, when the government of Sudan expelled all missionaries working in the southern part of the country. Between April 1966 and May 1969, she worked in Djougou, Benin.
Betty had to go on an early furlough due to her mother’s passing. She went to her home in Victoria, British Columbia, and worked for the BC provincial government as a secretary while caring for her elderly father. Even in her absence from Sudan, she did ‘back-translation’ (from Mabaan to English) for the New Testament and assisted in producing Mabaan scriptures on tape.
After her father died, Betty returned to Sudan in 1989, She returned to Khartoum working tirelessly again with the Mabaan translation with her informant and other members of the team. It was her great joy of being in Sudan when the first Mabaan New Testament arrived from the printers.
She always aimed for excellence in everything she did, and especially with her translation work. She showed much patience and perseverance in searching out the meanings and use of Mabaan words and became an expert in her field. Always conscious of the importance of sound theology, Betty was known to argue the use of a more specific word when she felt it better reflected the true meaning of the text.
Up until her retirement, she meticulously worked on the first Mabaan dictionary and helped another unwritten language group, the Jumjum, to start work on their alphabet and basic language information.
Many were amazed at Betty’s knowledge about many different subjects (nature, animals, history, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.). Her ability to convey information about them in a meaningful way was quite phenomenal. A gifted teacher, both verbally and orally, she loved to teach. She was known for her kind, gentle and generous spirit.
Betty’s love for God and her concern for both the salvation and discipleship of believers kept her committed to her God-given task. Now she has reached her heavenly home. If there is a section for the Mabaan-speaking people in heaven – you will find Betty there!
Condolences and shared memories may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
http://www.mccallgardens.com
-
Philemon Tom
-
Valla During the years she lived at Amica Douglas House, I was blessed to know Betty and some of her amazing history… And she was always such a good sport 🙂 especially for my New Years’ Eve resident parties where I cajoled her into playing piano for some of the games I came up with! I remember particularly the little ceramic bouquets of flowers she made, and admiring her attention to detail. She was such a lovely, gentle woman, and truly lived her faith.
-
Irene “Grace” Bayly I have many fond memories of Auntie Betty and how kind she was to me when I was growing up. She took me on hikes and other excursions (which was very special) when she visited our family in Drain.
She was athletic, very energetic (loved to be active) ~ and loved puzzles. I remember her phenomenal memory.
I also remember her loving to collect agates at the beach (Oregon).Auntie Betty killed several spitting cobras with a stick (whacking their head) while she was in Africa. We had one of those snakes in our home (stuffed?) and I loved chasing my younger brother with it; my younger sister would run behind me (smart~ avoiding me chasing her).
I have many other memories of Auntie Betty; most importantly, her dedication to serving/sharing the LORD and her kindness/caring about others.
Just a little family history!
-
Lori My husband and I met Betty when my mother-in-law moved into Amica Douglas House. As it was our regular routine to visit we got to know Betty. I especially got to enjoy her company in the library where she got me hooked on doing puzzles! We had some good laughs and she helped us through a difficult time in our lives. It was especially nice to see her picture with the little shawl I made her to keep her warm….
Our condolences to her family.Lori and Mark
Betty work among Mabaan people has been a blessing to us. Today many Mabaan can read and understand the gospel message in our own language because of her tirelessly work for scripture to be translated in our language. As Mabaan, we want to see Betty memorial school will be build in Doro to remember her work among Mabaan people.
May her Soul Rest In Peace until we meet again in Heaven
Philemon Tom