Shared Staff

God has long used Wycliffe USA to help provide "people" to serve in Bible translation. (This part can be a little puzzling!) They are "members" of Wycliffe USA, but someone else supervises their "work" tasks. They become "Shared Staff" with other organizations who desire to see Scripture for every heart, everywhere.

With the increase of remote work and the growing involvement of the global church, more and more Shared Staff are living in the U.S., rather than out of the country. The U.S. Shared Staff Engagement team exists to care for and celebrate all U.S.-based Shared Staff and to assist in connecting them with the people and services available through Wycliffe USA. Our prayer is that the Shared Staff will feel valued and encouraged to continue serving well.

The U.S. Shared Staff Engagement team (don't you wish we had an acronym?) is expanding. As a part of that team, I get to answer all kinds of questions and/or redirect folks to others who can help. If the questions are about finance things, it is providential that I can answer them, rather than forward the member elsewhere for assistance. It's fun to reconnect with many I met during my Orlando time -- all those who came through Equip and Connection programs. (You prayed for them, years back. Thank you!) Pray that the Lord will send the right colleagues to join our team to serve others well.

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• Our new finance team member plans to join us in August.
• We will test the new finance software in June.
• The Jr High Bible reading celebration time went really well.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Pray for effective testing and timely implementation of the new finance software, June 15-26.
• Pray for clear strategies and more team members for the Shared Staff Engagement team.
• Pray that people everywhere will continue to be transformed by God’s Word.

Thank you for your faithfulness on this journey!

God's Word for All People

In the first three months of 2026, translation of 710 books of the Bible have been completed. Through your prayers and gifts for my Wycliffe ministry, you are helping provide God’s Word for all people! Here's one example of the impact of the Scriptures as people receive them:

In September 2023, the Simbari New Testament in Papua New Guinea was dedicated! God’s power was evident in every aspect of the dedication ceremony. The translation team was so encouraged to hear the crowds’ audible responses and applause as God’s Word was read aloud. Jesus’ name was lifted up, and many in the crowd heard the gospel for the first time clearly.

One Simbari speaker talked about how the cover of their new Bible is similar in color to the traditional bark cape that they carry everywhere and use to cover themselves. He talked about the importance of the Simbari people taking God’s Word with them everywhere they go and emphasized that its truths should cover every area of their lives.

The Simbari New Testament - facebook.com/share/p/18LcqbJ56U/

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• There is a potential new finance team member who hopes to begin in the summer. Thanks for praying!!
• We should have access to the new finance software in May.
• In May, we will celebrate seven Jr High students who have completed their three-year full-Bible reading plan.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Pray for effective testing and timely implementation of the new finance software.
• Pray for clear strategies and more team members for the Shared Staff Care team. (More on that next month!)
• Pray that the Simbari people will continue to be transformed by God’s Word.

I'm so grateful for you. How may I pray with you?

Easter Week

As we reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection this week, may we be truly grateful for the gift of God’s Word in a language and form we can understand.

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• I've turned a good corner learning my new tasks.
• My schedule is back to a healthy, sustainable level.
• I'm grateful for a positive report from my routine medical check-up.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Our Member Finance team recently saw another retirement; pray for the right person to fill this vacancy quickly.
• The pending buyer for the campus has withdrawn. Since commercial sales can take years, pray for God to bring the right buyer(s) in His timing.
• Pray that God’s Word would move powerfully in the world’s most challenging regions.

I am grateful for your faithful partnership. How may I pray on your behalf?

Blessed Easter to you!

The Big Impossible Idea

From February 16–20, I was in Orlando for Staff Summit 2026. It was a joy to reconnect in person with my immediate team and the wider Wycliffe USA staff as we celebrated God’s ongoing work through Bible translation.

There is a video highlighting Bible translation progress in the last 25 years. While it is longer than my usual updates (14:54), it provides a powerful overview of what God has accomplished. Because of your prayers and gifts for my Wycliffe ministry over the last 16 years, you are a vital part of this story as people around the world receive and understand his Word.

The Big Impossible Idea - youtu.be/rNCOyghrtMA?si=vcaXNv_eRfE1hQ5I (14:54)

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• My time in Florida provided encouragement and renewal.
• I’m making steady progress in learning new skills.
• Praise God for the 2,000+ Bible translation projects currently underway worldwide.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Pray for the 500+ language groups that still have no translation work started.
• Our team’s new software remains delayed; pray for wisdom to resolve these technical hurdles.
• Pray for the Finance team as we seek to fill several open positions.

Thank you for your faithful partnership! How may I pray on your behalf?

Signs of Transformation

For the 2.5 million deaf people living in Ethiopia, mental and emotional isolation are common. Loneliness and community prejudice are hurdles they face every day. They become like outcasts.

Wycliffe Canada hosted workshops that were attended by members of the Ethiopian Sign Language translation team. There, the team learned essential skills for translation. The lead translator, Abel, could easily have given up, but he persevered. He dreams of completing a translation of the whole Bible in his lifetime.

Thanks to the Lord and Abel’s dedicated team, a growing number of people in the Ethiopian Deaf community are finding purpose in Jesus.

Signs of Transformation - youtu.be/Uo8sTvzjhxc?si=rVrPv7vfnGeWB-H7 (4:42)

Recent Highlights -- Answers to Prayer:

• I am making progress learning my new tasks.
• January was an especially busy month. Praise God for the wisdom and strength to finish things.
• I had a round of Covid this month, but it was mild and I have recovered well.

Looking Ahead -- Items for Prayer:

• Pray for Abel and the team and for completion of the Ethiopian Sign Language Bible.
• The new software project for our team has been delayed.
• Continue to pray that I can fully learn the new tasks.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and gifts – you are impacting Bible translation around the world.

How may I pray with you?