HARMAN, Derek and Kristie

Derek and Kristie’s desire to serve the Lord was nurtured from childhood, having been blessed with Christian parents. Derek grew up in Temiskaming Shores and Timmins, Ont., while Kristie grew up near Brantford, Ont.

On a mission trip to Ukraine in 1998, Derek decided that Bible translation was how he wanted to serve God. Derek and Kristie met in 1995 at a Christian youth camp and they were married in August 2000.  Kristie got her first experience of overseas missions on a trip to Kyrgyzstan shortly after they were married. This trip solidified the desire to help and love people globally.

The Harmans both completed linguistic training at the Canada Institute of Linguistics (CanIL) in Langley, B.C. Derek and Kristie became members of Wycliffe in 2002. That same year,  they were blessed with their first son, Jayden. Then in 2005, their second son, Cedric, was born.

In December 2005, the Harmans moved to Asia to work in Bible translation. They eventually began the role of helping a minority language group of 8,000 to 12,000 people to translate the Bible into their own language.

In August 2016, the Gospel of Mark was printed and distributed. In March 2017, a collection of 50 Bible stories was published on the Internet. Video files of the Bible stories are also available for cellphones and in DVD format. In 2020, Genesis was printed and distribution began. In 2022, the translation team completed a church liturgy for nine church services including 73 Scripture verses from various books of the Bible.

In 2020, the Harmans moved back to Canada so Jayden and Cedric could finish their education here. Jayden is currently in his fourth year of studying Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University. Cedric has joined the Navy and is currently training for his role.

In 2021, Derek was approved as a translation consultant and continues to serve languages in Asia in this capacity. In 2025, Kristie began serving in Wycliffe as a Staff Care Advisor.