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VISSER, Bert and Wilma Americas Bert and Wilma, from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, married in 1983. They lived in PEI, where Bert practiced law and Wilma focused on their three children. Having had an interest in Wycliffe since Bert attended Urbana in 1981, they joined in 1996. In 1999, the Visser family of five moved to Cameroon, Africa. Bert served in public relations and partnerships, director of church relations, and as general director. Wilma was involved in health care for the missionaries and in human resources (HR). Bert and Wilma returned to live in Halifax, NS in April 2018, working remotely for Wycliffe. Wilma is HR systems administrator for SIL Africa Area, a Wycliffe partner doing Bible translation. The purpose of this job is to assist, train and mentor human resources staff in many African countries to use a database program. Bert is VP Spiritual Vitality and Special Advisor to Wycliffe Canada’s leadership team. The Special Advisor is to provide expert guidance and prayerful and strategic counsel to Wycliffe Canada’s president and leadership team. The Spiritual Vitality team is dedicated to nurturing the spiritual well-being of the staff. By fostering a culture of prayer and reflection, this team helps to strengthen the spiritual foundation of the organization. The Vissers’ three married children live in Germany, Manitoba and Halifax. Bert and Wilma have been blessed with nine grandchildren. GIVE NOW https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E341555QE&id=166 Previous Next

Brazil workshop equips consultants October 30, 2018 Samuel Ko A recent workshop in Brazil for translation consultants-in-training drew 50 participants from nine countries. The week-long workshop, which kicked off Sept. 27, drew trainees from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico, and the United States. It’s hoped the skills they gained will help meet the considerable demand for capable consultants* throughout the Bible translation world. As part of the workshop, participants received training in the use of Paratext, a translation software program that enables translators to evaluate the accuracy and consistency of a translation draft. * A consultant thoroughly goes over the translation with the team, checking for accuracy, clarity and naturalness, and looking for omissions, extraneous thoughts or possible misconceptions. Previous Posted in Next

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CARLETON, Neil Global Neil and Val, both from Western Canada, joined Wycliffe Canada in 1982-83 because they believed that all people need the Word of God in the languages they value most. They lived in West Asia from 1985 to 2004, doing dialect survey, leading the team of Wycliffe workers, and working alongside a small national translation organization. After that, they transferred to Eurasia Area staff and over the next 10 years gave administrative leadership to teams across that vast region stretching from Europe to the Mediterranean and across Central Asia. Val provided HR services for Eurasia’s staff till the end of June 2022, when she retired from Wycliffe. Neil continues as part of the Spiritual Life Team for SIL International, Wycliffe’s main field partner, and he also helps in Wycliffe Canada’s prayer department. Neil and Val are settled in the small town of Carstairs just north of Calgary. GIVE NOW https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E341555QE&id=47 Previous Next

LOCKHART, Doug Americas Since 1998, Doug has served as an advocate for Bible translation through communications. He helps publicize Wycliffe’s work through writing, editing and proofreading a variety of print and digital publications, including In Other Words newsletter, Prayer Alive email updates, global project updates and Wycliffe Canada’s blog, Word Alive Now. Doug and his wife Barbara both grew up in Calgary. They met in 1976 when they were students at Berean Bible College. Following their marriage in 1978, Doug and Barbara served on the staff of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in B.C. and Alberta, and at YWAM’s University of the Nations in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Now living in Calgary, the Lockharts have been blessed with three adult children, seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. GIVE NOW MEMBER NEWSLETTER https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E341555QE&id=107 Previous Next

Southern Thai Oral Bible Storying Southeast Asia For language groups with oral cultures, chronological oral Bible stories are an effective way for people to engage with God’s Word. Through the Southern Thai Oral Bible Storying initiative, believers are equipped to share Bible stories in their churches and with their neighbours. In this region, the Southern Thai dialect is spoken by more than 4 million people. Christians make up a small minority in the region. The project is located in a district where there is no local church. The team has had to move forward without many church partnerships. Evangelism is also difficult to do in the region. With such a small community of local believers in Southern Thailand, evangelistic outreach is a challenge. The oral Bible stories are tools that any believer can use to reach out to their neighbours. This work started in 2012, when a native Southern Thai speaker named Wassana began crafting and testing oral stories in her language. She began by forming a short set of 16 stories from the Bible, and now her team adds to them. By the end of the project, 47 stories will form a full panoramic view of the Bible! The pandemic slowed progress. Nearly all workshops and gatherings were put on hold in 2021 as the pandemic hit Thailand. However, newly translated Bible stories are being crafted and tested in the community. There are also active online storying groups and one-on-one opportunities visits taking place, where the Scriptures are shared. You can help share God’s Word with Southern Thai speakers, in their own language and help build capacity for local believers to further this work . YOUR PARTNERSHIP IS KEY With your help, believers in Southern Thailand can provide their people with a complete panorama set of 47 oral Bible stories. Guided by an experienced translation consultant, they will develop and approve a full overview of the Bible to increase access to Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation, based on the perspective of Southern Thai language speakers. Your involvement will also provide training so local Christians can share oral Bible stories with others in their community. Once completed, the full set of Bible stories will be posted on social media platforms and on the Wycliffe Thai Foundation website. RECENT HIGHLIGHTS People are encountering Christ. An increasing number of southern Thai speaking individuals are coming to or growing in faith through exposure to Southern Thai Bible stories and the world of missions! A local church could be planted soon. There are a number of small groups in the project location which were created to test the oral Bible stories. As participants come to faith, Christian team members hope to see a church planted in the project location soon, and train its members to reach out to the wider community with oral Bible stories. The church could then use the stories in Sunday school, enabling youth to become future storytellers. The project is generating curiosity. A local judge met the project leader and explained he’d had a dream: “I was dead and went to hell. There I saw many people being judged. There was a big book with the lists of the names of people. I woke up and I wanted to know more about the truth.” The project leader told the man about Jesus Christ, and the Book of Life described in the Bible. He was curious about what led her to convert to Christianity. After hearing the gospel, the man expressed that he wanted to seriously consider accepting Christ as his Saviour. Praise God! Shortly after that conversation the judge prayed to receive Jesus! PRAY FOR SOUTHERN THAI Receive a simple monthly update with stories and prayer points OUR COMMITMENT Visit the project regularly to monitor progress, address challenges and help ensure good stewardship of resources. Send you regular updates to keep you informed of progress, financial need and prayer requests. Send you an annual tax receipt for your donations. Story: Finding a “Market” for Oral Bible Stories How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” (Isaiah 52:7) Oral Bible Storying discussion group share a meal together A storying workshop Southern Thai baptism Team prayer Previous Next $0 $0 Remaining Need: of $43,960 Current phase: 2022-2025 2024-25 | $43,960 The current phase of this project is fully funded. Additional gifts to this project will help ensure a smooth transition into the next phase of funding. GIVE NOW Your gift will help: Capacity Building Engagement with Scripture Literacy

SURAM Cameroon Region Download the latest update: Summer 2024 Why are some Bibles left closed, gathering dust, while others transform individuals, communities and generations? Scripture Use Research and Ministry (SURAM) will help uncover this important mystery. It does so by surveying 28 language groups in Cameroon to identify best practices in, and obstacles to, the use of Scripture. SURAM was initially conducted in Papua New Guinea in 2017. Now, SURAM Cameroon can help confirm findings, and explore how results differ in a different context. The research will not only identify how to best engage in Bible translation in Central Africa, but will help determine what principles might be true in all language programs! If a translated Scripture sits on a shelf, it is of no use. Through this initiative, we hope to determine the best ways to foster engagement with and ownership of the Scriptures among minority language speakers. Beyond this, SURAM Cameroon will assess the cost and impact of different Scripture Engagement activities, to determine which to prioritize going forward. With your help, Bible translation projects can more effectively engage communities with the Scriptures every time, leading to lives transformed for eternity. YOUR PARTNERSHIP IS KEY Keeping up with the pace of translation. As Bible translation accelerates around the world, we ask: How can we ensure translated Scriptures are actually being used? This initiative helps identify and strengthen existing Scripture use activities that are the most effective. Re-engaging communities with underutilized translated Scriptures. Through this initiative, newer forms of Scripture distribution will be tested to help communities with translated Scripture discover approaches to study the Bible and apply it to their lives. Strengthening partnerships and best practices amongst Bible translation organizations. SURAM Cameroon brings together multiple stakeholders in the Bible translation movement to research and establish best practices in Bible translation across the Wycliffe Global Alliance (our network of organizations) and its partners. Our prayer is that the initiative will strengthen collaboration between translation partners! This will be the largest research project of its kind. The resulting indicators will ensure that translated Scripture is used in fostering sustained transformation in communities in Cameroon—and beyond. RECENT HIGHLIGHTS All surveys and Scripture Engagement activities have now been completed. The data entry into the evaluation system has been completed. PRAYER POINTS Pray for clarity on sharing SURAM survey results with Bible translation partners around the world. OUR COMMITMENT Visit the project periodically to monitor progress, address challenges and help ensure good stewardship of resources Send you regular updates to keep you informed of SURAM Cameroon’s progress, financial needs, and prayer requests Send you an annual tax receipt for your donations Previous Next $0 $0 Remaining Need: of $43,960 Current phase: 2022-2025 2024-25 | $43,960 GIVE NOW Your gift will help:

The Bible Translator’s Assistant Global Download the latest update: Summer 2024 Imagine if we could translate Scriptures faster , for less cost , and then end up with a better quality translation. That’s what The Bible Translator’s Assistant (TBTA) software has been shown to accomplish. TBTA is an exciting new natural language-generating software that significantly reduces drafting time for Bible translations. Wycliffe Canada, its partner OneBook, and several other Bible translation organizations are collaborating to see TBTA completed and ready for widespread use by 2025. This initiative could impact millions within a decade. As TBTA is being developed, different language groups are using the software in its current form through pilot projects, with great results. In the Gichuka language project of Kenya (see photo), reviewers found that grammatical mistakes in the TBTA-generated draft were minimal and easy to deal with—even though it was the first time the translators had seen an initial draft generated by the TBTA software. “Today alone,” reported the project leader, “we edited Chapter 1 of Ruth and half of the second chapter. I am hopeful that tomorrow, we will have dealt with the entire book!” How it works First, specially designed digital templates are created for each book of the Bible. Templates are developed to accurately capture the original meaning of the source text: the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. These templates are produced once and will work with any analyzed language! Second, translators analyze the target language and enter information into TBTA. Important grammatical information is gathered, such as sentence structure and parts of speech, as well as the lexicon of all the words that are found in the Bible. This information is entered into TBTA and applied to the templates to create the draft of each book of the Bible. Templates are then created for other important resources, such as materials to encourage engagement with the translated Scriptures, literacy primers, booklets that address health care, disaster relief and much more. YOUR PARTNERSHIP IS KEY No existing software can achieve what TBTA can. You can help minority language groups benefit from the software in the following ways: TBTA speeds translation process by up to 40% without sacrificing either quality or accuracy. Stalled Bible translation projects gain new life. For many language groups, translating the entire Bible is a daunting task. TBTA significantly reduces the entire translation project life cycle. Bottlenecks are overcome. The biggest challenge for remaining language groups that need Bible translation is a lack of qualified consultants. In recent field trials, TBTA has been shown to significantly reduce a consultant’s workload. Better translations are produced. The software presents the meaning of the original texts in a consistent and simple way, and in the language of the national translation team. This enables the team to focus on editing the text to make it sound clear and natural. Local translators take ownership. When the initial exegesis (critical explanation or interpretation of Scripture texts) is facilitated by a computer, the education required to engage in translation work is reduced, making participation possible among more marginalized populations. PRAYER POINTS Pray for the effective promotion of TBTA, and that many more language groups would be able to benefit from this tool. OUR COMMITMENT Send you regular updates to keep you informed about progress, financial need, and prayer requests Send you an annual tax receipt for your donations Photo essay: Bible Bytes – TBTA software accelerates translation in Kenya and beyond Previous Next $0 $0 Remaining Need: of $550,470 Current phase: 2024-2027 2024-25 | $171,770 2025-26 | $303,400 2026-27 | $75,300 GIVE NOW Your gift will help: Bible Translation