For Anne Spragg, the humid air of Darwin is a long way from regional New South Wales where she grew up. As the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, her childhood was spent in various churches, where her faith was nurtured and strengthened. It was in these early years that a fascination with the global church began to take root, sparked by Sunday school books and stories from a family friend who served as a Bible translator in Papua New Guinea.
Today, Anne is no longer just a listener of those stories. As a Bible translation advisor in the Northern Territory, she is helping to ensure that the Scriptures are accessible to some of Australia’s most remote communities.
A year of space
While Anne’s interest in missions has been lifelong, the bridge between her childhood curiosity and her professional calling was built during her PYNSW Lead for Life (L4L) internship in 2015. At the time, she was a first-year university student beginning a Bachelor of Linguistics, a degree she chose specifically with Bible translation in mind.
The L4L internship provided a necessary space to process this goal. “I saw the internship as a chance to develop my knowledge of God and intentionally reflect on His purpose and direction for my life,” Anne explains.
The program’s structure, which combined a week-long intensive at Summer Camp with regular mentorship, offered a unique balance of community and introspection. For Anne, the intensive was a highlight, providing an opportunity to build deep friendships with other young people who were also wrestling with big questions about their future. However, it was the requirement for regular, one-on-one mentorship with an older woman from her church that proved the most formative. These meetings pushed her beyond the “doing” of university and church life. “It encouraged me to think more intentionally and with more introspection about the ministry I was already involved in,” Anne says.
From Ancient Israel to Modern Darwin
The clarity Anne gained during her internship propelled her through her linguistics degree and eventually into three years of specialised study at Sydney Missionary & Bible College. She found that the theological foundations laid during her internship, particularly in exegesis and Old Testament study, gave her a valuable head start in her formal training.
Now based in Darwin and working with Wycliffe Bible Translators, Anne’s role is both technical and deeply relational. She serves as an advisor to Indigenous translation teams, working with language groups such as the Mawng people of Goulburn Island.
Her work is a meticulous team effort. The Indigenous translators are the primary experts; as native speakers, they best understand how to communicate the heart of the scripture to their own people. Anne brings her knowledge of the original biblical languages to the table, reviewing their drafts against the Greek and Hebrew texts to ensure accuracy. Together, they navigate the complexities of translation – balancing respectful, formal language with the way people actually speak – with the ultimate goal of producing scriptures that are “highly understandable”.
Anne explains that for smaller language groups, seeing the Bible in their own tongue is a validation of their identity and culture. “Having the Bible in their own language is not just a wonderful tool for understanding, but it also communicates to them that God sees them and that their language, and they themselves, are valuable to God, as much as people from larger language groups,” Anne explains.
The L4L internship provided the reflective space Anne needed to commit to, and now sustain a demanding, cross-cultural vocation. By investing in a year of intentionality a decade ago, she has been able to transition from a student with an interest in missions to a specialist serving the global church.
Sharing her story
We were delighted to welcome Anne to PY Summer Camp to share about her work with the campers. Watch below!
