January 2020

Dear Friends,
That fleeting moment for getting Christmas cards out in a timely, or untimely manner, passed me by. But we now write in hope of catching the fleeting moment that bridges the years, old and new. 2020, wow. We remember well when we thought the year 2000 was momentous, and here we are 20 years later?! But then, every year is momentous and every moment a gift of grace from the God who sustains us.
2019 brought many blessings. The one that first comes to mind came on September 25 in the person of Chloe Mae Roberts, born to Kate and Jordan and welcomed by her three siblings and the rest of us. The whole family enjoyed surprising my parents on Christmas Day, arriving for a few days’ visit to enjoy the holidays with us and introduce Chloe to my mom and dad (Tom and I had the privilege of meeting her earlier, the day she was born, in New York.). We are grateful the Roberts clan is doing well, though often dealing with the ups and downs of cold, coughs, and the other trials of kid-life.  Josh and Heather and their girls are also doing well. We had the privilege of visiting them in Colorado over Thanksgiving and were able to take in Grandparents’ Day at the girls’ school.
My parents continue to enjoy life next door to us (in an attached apartment) and are in good health for their late 80s. Mother has been doing some sewing and enjoys puzzles and reading. Daddy enjoys reading as well (we found some good sea stories for him!) and he contributes greatly to the well-being of our yard when weather allows. They are also very happy in their church and participated in some of the holiday events there.
Tom and I are busy as always…or actually, busier. In addition to his Wycliffe role (more on that in a moment) he has taken on a second job to help us keep a roof over our heads! As some of you may recall, we purchased a larger house almost two years ago so my parents could live with us. Some of you gave us extra help financially at that time (thank you again!) which enabled us to make the down payment and get moved. Our other house (which was fully paid for) sold and with those funds and our retirement funds we were able to get into this house. But my parents’ house in Tennessee still has not sold and that was the other part of the funding equation. Mortgage payments, increased taxes and higher utility bills make it impossible to get by on our regular support.  So…in October, Tom took a part-time (20+ hours a week) job at Starbucks. And now, in January he will be switching jobs to work part-time for a friend from church. It has been quite an adventure! Tom can tell you more.
Hi, Tom here.  Starbucks has been an adventure and a financial lifesaver given our housing costs, the junction of our Medicare switch with its upfront costs, plus our usual end of summer lower income had us really struggling. I did not know if Starbucks would hire an old guy, but they did, and I have enjoyed the interactions with my co-workers and the customers.  One major thing I learned is how hard the work is. There is no down time; it is constant motion to keep things going. My schedule has been very erratic as well, which makes it hard to get into a rhythm. When I shared with our church small group that I had started at Starbucks, one of the guys expressed interest in having me work for him instead, in his rental property maintenance company.  That type of work is what I had thought of doing first, but did not know how to get started. So in a week I will wind down my Starbucks job and start organizing my tools for a new venture with better pay and fewer, more predictable hours.
I am also still working full-time for Wycliffe, and am grateful for flexible hours. I will be transitioning from running the Global Alliance website (the new site is supposed to launch January 16, I am involved in closing down the old systems). I am moving to work with the Americas section of the Global Alliance, helping with several technical projects, including a WordPress community training website and a reporting system. After 12 years on the Alliance site, a change will probably be good.
Susan here again. I continue in my role with the Wycliffe Global Alliance leadership team and at this time my main focus is on finishing my doctoral studies! (which is why Christmas cards just didn’t happen). It’s just a few months before my thesis and all its accompaniments have to be completed!  It has been a joy and a privilege to do these studies and I look forward to how God may use this work to His glory. The goal has been to explore how a journey concept can be a better, more theologically and missiologically sound, approach to strategic thinking and planning. Much of what I am working on is already applied in our Wycliffe Global Alliance team, so it is exciting to watch it develop further. In a few weeks, Tom and I will be going to meetings in Mexico City. Tom will have the opportunity to meet with others from the team he’s now joined and I will be helping the Americas Area leadership think through a new approach to their strategic thinking. It’s great to be working on academics that have real-life applications!
Our ministry with the Alliance is informed and enriched by ongoing consideration of God’s mission. As we grow in our understanding of what it means to participate with God in His mission, rather than thinking “we” have a mission, or a “task,” to accomplish for God, so much changes in our attitudes, thinking, and behavior. As we see more and more people in the Alliance and in churches reflecting on what it means to be part of God’s mission, one of the things I enjoy most is seeing how people start taking notice of what God has done and is doing, rather than primarily focusing on what they think needs doing! We want to acknowledge a need (the world does need Jesus!), however, it is easy to get stuck in certain thought patterns, activities and programs. But we have seen many changes and we are certainly seeing God at work growing and teaching the Church worldwide.
One of those “stuck” thought patterns comes from forgetting, or not knowing, how God is working through His people all over the world. You’ve probably heard the idea that missions is not “the West to the rest” but “everyone to everywhere” (all of God’s people living and proclaiming the Gospel wherever they are). This is possible because of the growth of the worldwide Church. 
Perhaps you’ve already made some of these transitions, but see if any of these ideas might help you, your family, and church as you pray for the spreading of God’s Word and your involvement in His mission.

·         When you pray for people in countries primarily under the influence of other major religions, pray for the ministry of the Church already in that country. Example: Although Christians are a minority in Indonesia, they are still 20-30 MILLION strong. There are 12 Indonesian organizations in the Wycliffe Global Alliance working to bring God’s Word to their minority language communities. Pray for the Indonesian church and their tremendous impact in all areas of ministry, including Bible translation, and for their impact on their nation as a whole.

·         When you pray for people to be called to share the Gospel, remember every believer is called. Example: John 17

·         When you pray for missionaries, remember they are coming from all over the globe and going all over the globe.   Example: Brazil, South Korea, and India are among the top SENDING nations. (and some of them are sent to reach people in the U.S.). All nations can be both senders and receivers of those who live and proclaim the Gospel.

·         God has scattered the nations. Sharing the Gospel isn’t about crossing borders, it’s about sharing the Gospel. Example: There may be people from a “difficult access” country now living in your neighborhood.

Watch and listen to discover what God is doing. Pray, read God’s Word, and reflect on how He wants you to participate with Him. Our God is amazing, all-powerful, all-knowing, and totally in control.
We appreciate your support, your ongoing prayers, and your friendship. We especially appreciate your prayers as Tom is working this second job. We want our faith (and Tom’s stamina!) to increase and we seek to discern what God is doing in our lives and want to respond in ways that honor and glorify Him. And, as always, we cherish your prayers for all our family and for the ongoing ministry of Bible translation.  May you sense God’s presence and strength as we move together into 2020! 

Josh and Heather with Wynnie and Aurélie

Kate and Jordan Roberts with Noah, Winslow, Jude and Chloe

Susan with Chloe Mae Roberts  September 25, 2019

August 2019

Dear Friends,
We are writing to thank you. We enjoy updating you on what’s happening in the world of Bible translation and our related ministry. But as we consider that we’ve been serving with Wycliffe for 33 years (and, Lord willing, aren’t done yet!), the two primary things that come to mind are God’s faithfulness and the faithfulness of our friends and family who support us through encouragement, prayers and giving. Some of you have supported us in prayer and encouragement even before we joined Wycliffe. A few of you may remember our early years with Audio Scripture Ministries (formerly PRM) and our time in India and Africa. And, following that there were about two years of training and preparation for joining Wycliffe.

As we reflect on God’s goodness and provision through His people, we thought it would be good to heed Moses’ words to the Israelites, “Remember how the Lord led you all the way…” Our personal testimony may not live from generation to generation, but it is still part of that bigger story that tells of God’s goodness. “This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.” Psalm 102:18.  We are all part of the Psalmist’s “generation to come”, those “people not yet created.”  And now in our time, we have no less responsibility and no greater joy as we recount what God has done.

In addition to the individuals who support our ministry, there are also churches and even one business. There are always new people coming into these churches and this workplace and we want to introduce ourselves to them as well and thank them for being a part of your congregation or staff. Your ministry reaches far beyond our family and we are just privileged to be a small part. Thank you!

We are all a part of an amazing era! In the past 30+ years we’ve seen tremendous growth of God’s Church around the world, much of it in places we would consider the least likely, most dangerous, seemingly “impossible.” With the growth of the Church worldwide, missions has moved from being “the west to the rest” to “everyone to everywhere.” When we started with Wycliffe, most of those involved were from North America and Europe. There were approx. 40 Wycliffe organizations. Today there are more than 100 organizations, and most are not western. These include church denominations, networks and movements, as well as “classic” mission organizations. And the people in each of these organizations have a passion and commitment to see people around the world able to access God’s Word in the languages and format they can best use.
 
It’s not the beginning of a year, nor the end, but it seemed like a good time to give you a bit of a report on how God has provided for us, in every possible way, over the years. We hope this will also be an encouragement to others, to all of you, to trust God with all you have and are—knowing it is truly His!  We are including a timeline of our involvement to recount how we (and that includes you, our team members!) have seen God lead and provide. We are also including some brief stats on worldwide Bible translation and also on our personal financial status. We occasionally get questions about both, and we want to be accountable to you.

First and foremost, it’s all about God’s glory. Secondly, it’s about people; people loved by God, people called according to His purpose and people still in need of His Word. Whether you know us well, or are just hearing about us for the first time, please join with us in praising our great God and praying for the Bible translation movements worldwide.

When we first began serving with Wycliffe, translation statistics were primarily provided by SIL and Wycliffe. Today there are so many partners and so many people involved, we no longer track by organization. Nor is there is way to fully report on all that is happening through Bible translation movements worldwide. It’s bigger than anything we can count! And, so much of what is involved in Bible translation ministry isn’t about numbers. It’s about lives and communities transformed by God through His Word and His people.  However, many people still ask for statistics and they are one way of noting progress. The following statistics were adapted from:  “progress.Bible™. SNAPSHOT. May 2019."

Translation Need Categories  (of 7,108 languages)

• Work in Progress: 2,781  language communities where needs are in the process of being met.
• Potential Need: 1,563 language communities about which more information is needed to determine actual translation need.
• Expressed Need: 249 language communities for which the local church or representatives of the language community have expressed a need for translation or requested help with translation.
• No Known Need: 2,515  language communities reflecting diverse language situations (many are multilingual); some warrant further exploration concerning needs, some prefer using another (often more commonly used language), some are losing vitality as a language community (adopting other languages).
• Because there is still much work to be done researching the world’s sign languages, not all are included in the internationally recognized list of languages (ISO). The following is a separate list of translation needs among sign languages:  

Sign Languages

• Language Count: 387 (includes 143 ISO and 244 Non-ISO Recognized Sign Languages, the 143 are included in the language count of 7,108 above. The others are in addition to that number.) 
• Languages with Scripture: 34 (there are no sign languages with a complete Bible at this time)
• Remaining Translation Needs: 281

December 2018

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s Strength and Consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King, Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne. Charles Wesley 1744

I’ve been reflecting on this classic Christmas hymn, relating it to world events and to my own context. And I’m thinking there isn’t much these words shouldn’t, couldn’t or can’t apply to. I invite you to try it out, too! On any given day or in any given moment, every line of this hymn shines bright and offers encouragement. It’s also a challenge. Am I finding my rest in Him? Is He the joy of my longing heart? Is He the only ruler of my heart? Such questions lead me to further pondering. Do I spend my days, hours, moments living as if He rules? Because He does!

Fall zoomed right by us, before we ever got a letter written to you! How does that happen? And now, with Christmas coming, I don’t want to go on for long, lest we end up unread on the bottom of the Christmas letter pile or languishing in your email inbox. But we do want you to know how much we appreciate you and we want to wish you a blessed Christmas season!

Tom continues to keep wycliffe.net up and running. With our global team hard at work, he’s on call from early morning until late at night. I continue to serve on the Alliance Global Leadership Team, but my responsibilities with the team have tapered off to allow me to fully pursue the study program to which I’m assigned. It’s been a big change to cut back on travel, etc. but to wake up in the morning and know you get to study all day…that’s a lovely thing! And the change in schedule has also allowed me to spend time with my parents and with family and friends who have come visiting. But it is an ongoing challenge to organize my time well! My advising professor from South Africa is on a research sabbatical at Princeton, so I was able to visit him in October. It was a very encouraging visit and he gave me some good direction. After the first of the year, I’ll share more with you about a research-related survey I conducted over the past few months. I’m learning so much from the participants’ input!

God is working in Bible translation movements around the world. There is so much going on, it is hard to know what to share here. We will send you a fuller report early next year. But for this Christmas season, I’ll just share this link so you can see how one nation, Kenya, is responding, in unity and community, to the need for God’s Word in the languages of the people. TVC NATIONAL BT FUNDRAISING INITIATIVE  It is a good reminder that God’s Church, worldwide, is participating in His mission!

We do want to especially thank you for your prayers and support this year. It has been an unusual year! After just a year and half in Hampton, VA, we moved again this past spring. It was a short distance move, right in our same neighborhood, but a major leap of faith. We took on a bigger house and a mortgage, so my parents could come be with us. God provided this home with a two-bedroom apartment for my parents and a home for us that can also accommodate family and friends when they come to visit. Do come visit! We were able to sell our other house, though we did have to take a loss (even with all our home improvements!). My parents’ house in Tennessee still hasn’t sold. This continues to stretch our faith and budget, but it is a good thing to rely on the Lord. We can be lulled into thinking we’ve got things all “under control” when our budget is “manageable.” But, in truth, He’s in charge of all resources!

Our family is doing well. My parents are well settled here and enjoying it more than they expected! They celebrated their 66th anniversary in November. We have only seen Josh and Heather and the girls once this year, so that’s been hard. But we are grateful for Skype and hoping they can come out here this next year. Last night the girls and I decorated our tree together via Skype!  Wynnie (7) and Aurélie (4) have adjusted beautifully to school. They attend a Montessori school not far from their home. Wynnie is in first grade and loves everything. Aurélie is in preschool and loves coloring and being silly. Not sure there is a class in that, but I’m sure she excels nonetheless! Kate and her New York family are thriving as well. Our son-in-law, Jordan, was ordained a few months ago, so they are deeply involved in their church there in the Bronx. Winslow (4), Jude (3) and Noah (1) keep things lively and interesting!  We appreciate your ongoing prayers for our family!

May God truly rule in all our hearts,


Tom and Susan

www.wycliffe.net
www.wycliffe.org/partner/vanwynens

Marlene and Jerry Roach

Aurélie and Wynnie

Noah

Winslow

Jude

June 2018

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

I’m writing this on my last night here in Kenya. I’ve just spent a week right outside Nairobi, meeting with our Wycliffe Global Alliance Leadership Community, at the BTL Conference Centre in Ruiru. BTL (Bible Translation and Literacy, East Africa) is the Kenyan Wycliffe organization.  We have a Leadership Team, but when we meet as a ”Leadership Community,” it means others have been invited in to share in the fellowship and discussions, to broaden their vision and to enrich our team. This time, several Kenya colleagues were included, plus the Communication leadership from Asia, Africa, Americas and Europe. So it was good to be with my longtime Communication friends. I was happy to change roles from Communication to Strategy after 30+ years of Communication service, but I do miss my friends!

It’s also been good to catch up with what’s happening in Kenya. Since 2008, BTL has sponsored a Run for the Bibleless to raise awareness about their mission of facilitating Bible translation and sustainable literacy among the many smaller language groups in Kenya. Funds are also raised through registration for the event. I remember some of the first discussions when they were starting the event. It has certainly grown since then! This year’s Run had more than 12,000 participants! Among those participating were the Deputy President of Kenya, senators, Members of Parliament and other officials. https://www.rftbkenya.org/rftb-2018

“We have already made a firm commitment that we will assist BTL and other like-minded organizations…We are here today to put a stamp that we stand behind you and will walk all the way until every community in Kenya will read the Bible in their Mother tongue.”   His Excellency Hon. William Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic. 

This year, translation and literacy work continues in many Kenyan language communities, and Rendille and Ilwana communities will have the New Testament and the Tharaka and Giryama will finally have the entire Bible. It is a year of great celebration here in Kenya! We were privileged to spend time with our Kenyan colleagues who oversee this work and the Board of BTL which includes pastors, professors, and other Kenyan leaders.    

For Tom and me, connections to Kenya go back to our pre-Wycliffe days. We lived here (2- year-old Josh, too!) for eight months in 1984 when we were serving with Audio Scriptures Ministries (previously known as PRM). We left Kenya just two short weeks before Kate made her early arrival.  The words above from Hebrews and the quote from the Deputy President reminded me of your faithfulness, endurance and commitment to the ministry in which we’ve been involved and to our family. You truly stand behind us and walk with us!

Not only do we continue in ministry because of the Lord’s goodness and provision through your prayers and gifts, but we also continue through the transitions of family life with your help. We have moved to the new house that has an apartment for my parents (and plenty of room for friends and other family!). The gifts we received covered our closing and moving costs. And your prayers smoothed the way for safe moves (unless you count damaged bookcases) and good transitions for Tom and me and for my parents. We have years of house projects ahead, but are pleased that the projects at the old house should end soon! Lord willing, we close on our old house July 7. We are sorry to have to take a loss on it after all we put into it, but we trust God’s provision and hope the new owners are blessed by our improvements. Please continue to pray that my parents’ house sells, too. No prospects so far! We really need both houses sold to make the new mortgage manageable. Thanks again for all your prayers and support! We look forward to having good times with my parents now “next door” and trust the Lord to help us love them well and serve them well as needed. At this point, Daddy is making major improvements to our yard, so the serving aspects are certainly not all on our part!

Tom continues to be busy with house projects. In the past few weeks, he’s done a ton of work to get the old house ready to sell. And there are projects at the new house. Plus work, of course! The Wycliffe.net website is due for some major changes soon, which may mean changes in Tom’s role as well. But for now it’s mostly maintenance and helping colleagues around the world in their postings, etc.

I’m trying to find a new balance between home activities (house projects, company, etc.) and my study program. I’ve attached a note from our Executive Director that may help you understand why I’m doing what I’m doing these days!

We’ve also enjoyed family time with the kids. We saw Josh and Heather and the girls in April in Colorado when we went west for a missions conference. And we were able to see Kate and Jordan and crew recently, too. We had the privilege of attending Jordan’s graduation from Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia a few weeks ago. Congratulations, Jordan! And Kate! Four years of marriage, three kids and seminary…definitely a team effort! I also spent almost a week with them in NY on my way to Kenya. It took them three months to find an apartment, but God certainly blessed. It is a spacious three-bedroom, with laundry facilities, first floor, and walking distance to a park. No small achievements in NY! Unfortunately, the whole apartment was painted a somber very dark grey. They had already redone the kids’ bedrooms and I got a living room wall and the kitchen bulkhead painted and greatly lightened up when I was there. On my next visit I’ll tackle the whole dining room! Good to have a focus on someone else’s projects besides just our own long list!

As it says in Hebrews, may we follow Christ’s example “for the joy set before Him”, keeping our focus on God while we continue our life and work here on earth. And may we run with endurance…together, for His glory.

Susan and Tom Van Wynen

Christmas 2017

Last year, during meetings in Italy, we had the privilege of seeing the very “full” traditional Italian nativities. Each is a village scene with everyone from bakers (some with pizza ovens) to washerwomen, to children and dogs joining the shepherds and wisemen. The whole community celebrates the birth of the King!

T

hankful and Grateful—We are grateful for all that God has done and for who He is. And we rejoice in expressing our thanks to Him and to you.   So many undeserved blessings!

Dictionary.com defines the suffix “ful” as:  meaning “full of” or “characterized by”. So I write on this Thanksgiving weekend, looking toward Christmas and I wonder…am I thankful again at this holiday season? Or am I filled with the same gratitude I was filled with last Christmas? Is this a repeat performance or a static state of being? I’m thinking it shouldn’t be either! 

I’m thinking I should be increasing in capacity. I should be “fuller” this year than last, because as the years pass I have more knowledge and experience of God’s goodness. I can count and recount more of His blessings. But I should also be fuller of thanks and gratitude because there is a little less of myself to get in the way. I should be more full of Him and less full of myself. That means I should be less concerned for my own well-being and happiness. It means grace replaces greed, worship replaces worry, and His peace replaces my fears.  So this coming year, I truly want to increase capacity for His fullness in my life.

I hope this letter finds you experiencing His fullness and enjoying the holiday season.  We do want to express our thanks to you for your ongoing commitment to God’s mission and the ministry of Bible translation. Neither you, nor we, work directly in Scripture translation…but the ministry is so much bigger than even that very critical component! There is a great need for the Church to have a growing understanding of what God is doing and how they can participate. Together, as the body, we serve so God’s people can take part in seeing individuals and communities around the world have God’s Word in a language and format they understand so they, too, can experience His fullness. 

Statistics are only a part of the picture of Bible translation progress, but they offer an encouraging and challenging glimpse. New stats are now available at http://www.wycliffe.net/en/statistics. We’ve also included some of them with this letter. As you celebrate this Christmas, celebrate with those who may be reading or hearing of Christ’s birth for the very first time! And continue praying with us for the approximately 1600 language communities that may still need Scripture translation to begin. 

God is at work! You can explore more of wycliffe.net to get a glimpse of good news around the world. Tom is still hard at work on the day-to-day maintenance and ever changing needs of this website. Working in a global context means some long hours and strange hours as he connects with colleagues around the world.

My role has changed, again! As you may remember, last January, I moved out of Communication and into a Strategy role with the Wycliffe Global Alliance Leadership Team. Well, I’m still focusing on strategy and am still part of the team, but I’ve been given permission by our Executive Director and have been accepted by the University of Pretoria to pursue a PhD on behalf of the Alliance. I’ll be focusing on the concept of journey as a potentially more missiological and theological approach to strategic thinking. It’s what we’ve already been working on in the Alliance and now I’ll be able to do some substantial research and writing that, I hope, will serve Wycliffe and others well. It’s a privilege to be able to do this. This idea has been in the works for about three years, so it’s not a sudden decision, but it does seem to be the Lord’s timing to pursue this now. Because it is a research degree, it actually means I’ll be doing less travel for a bit and doing most of my reading and writing at home. Please pray with me! I’ll be sharing more about just what it entails in the near future.

Other changes may be coming. My parents are hoping to move out here and are in the process of trying to sell their house in Tennessee.  We’d appreciate your prayers for them and for us as we look at the options for the future. We will keep you posted!   In the meantime, they are in good health, particularly considering Mother just turned 86 and Daddy is 85!  

Our children and their families are doing well, too. Kate’s husband, Jordan, is finishing up his four years at seminary. He just has a two-unit independent study to do and will graduate next summer. They hope to move back to the Bronx after the first of the year. They will be ministering at the Bronx Household of Faith, the church they were both involved in prior to marriage, seminary and three children! We are in much prayer for their housing and financial situation and look forward to seeing how God provides. Josh and Heather and the girls will be with us for Christmas, so we are excited about that. And we are scrambling to get some of our house projects done in time!    

Life is full! And we are truly thankful and grateful…but ever wanting to continue to expand our capacity. As God brings more changes our way, we pray that we will meet them with grace and peace. And again, we thank you for your part in our lives and ministry. May you, too, find great capacity for enjoying and trusting in Christ and all the fullness He brings. Our hope is in Him.


Susan and Tom Van Wynen

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust His Holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone… Psalm 33:20-22 (NLT) 

September 2017

Dear Friends, Family, Teammates, Encouragers, Supporters in prayer and finance and in so many other ways,

I’m writing this from the airport in Mexico City. I spend a lot of time in airports and try to make it productive when possible! Tom is keeping things going at home, the never-ending Web work, plus his vegetable garden and house projects as time allows. 

Mapping the Americas Bible Translation Movement Journey was the theme of our small, informal meeting these past few days. It was a privilege to sit with some of our Americas leaders, past and present, and review how God has led over these past years. So much has changed since the time we served in Brazil in the 1990s. And it is nothing anyone could have planned. Only God can orchestrate in such amazing ways, on such a large scale and in such detail! At the time we were serving in the Americas, there was only one national Bible translation organization, ALEM, the Brazilian organization that served alongside SIL. Today there is an entire network of organizations in Brazil that serve as a part of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.

Celebrating with UNTI,
the Mexican Bible translation organization
of indigenous translators

And it’s not just Brazil by any means (did you know Brazil is the second largest missionary-sending country in the world?). There are now more than 40 organizations, networks and denominations in the Americas that are part of the Wycliffe Global Alliance.  That represents many thousands of people who are leading in Bible translation programs, training, sending, praying, providing funds and other resources. Many of these organizations are indigenous movements. That means the people we were once trying to “reach” are now the primary players in translation and other facets of the Bible translation movement. Translation used to feel rather like producing a product, even though there were many good outcomes and God used His Word to transform lives. But today we are seeing more people involved, relationships built, ongoing discipleship, church growth and changed lives and communities that are beyond what we could have imagined.

Another key shift is the role of the church. In times past there were often no local churches, or where there were churches, mission efforts were left to mission agencies. Today the church leads much of the Bible translation effort. And, together, we are the worldwide Church!

My part in the meetings we had this past week was to walk the team through their journey.   The goal was to document it in a way that would help them discern goals for the future and help other areas of the world as they seek to move forward on their journeys as well. We are taking a different approach from the standard strategic planning model and so far it seems to be helpful. Do keep praying as we continue to explore and discover together as we seek to follow God in His mission and as I find my way in this new role of facilitating strategy in the Alliance.

As we heard the stories of how God has been at work in the Americas, Psalm 40:5 kept coming to my mind. We read it several times during the meetings and it is oh, so true!

“Many, LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done,  
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;   
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,  
 they would be too many to declare.”

We have a busy fall coming up with guests, meetings at our house, three more overseas trips for me (UK/South Africa, Singapore, Germany), and trips for both Tom and me to Michigan and Texas. And then there is all the work to be done inbetween! No wonder our house projects are behind schedule. A number of Tom’s tools were stolen from our shed a few weeks ago, so that was sad and a set-back, too.

Our family is doing well. My parents have settled into yet another house. They are still in Tennessee, renting near where they’d been living and trying to sell the other house. So please pray! Kate’s husband, Jordan, has started his last semester of seminary. Kate’s been blessed to have a number of editing and proofreading jobs. Their children continue to grow and are a great challenge and a great blessing! Winslow is now three, Jude almost two and Noah is almost seven months. They will be moving back to the Bronx when Jordan finishes school and would appreciate your prayers regarding the transition, housing, new ministry, etc.

Josh and Heather and the girls are also doing well. Éowyn (Wynnie) at six, is becoming quite the young lady.  I love hearing her practice her reading when we talk on Skype and, a few weeks ago, I watched this very determined child work at threading a needle for more than 15 minutes. She did it! Wynnie goes to classes one day a week and they are home schooling the rest of the week. Aurélie turns three this month and is a bounce-off-the-walls, very bright, self-proclaimed goofball. She often changes her clothes four or five times during the course of my Skype calls with Wynnie. Aurélie rarely settles down for conversation or our book reading but will dash, dance and spin through the room in her tutu, princess dress, bathing suit, etc. combos. Great fun. We were able to see all the family in their respective homes this summer, and Kate and crew also spent a few days at our house in August.

We can’t even begin to thank you for your prayers and support. I hope you find some of the news we share as encouraging as we do. You are a part of the team, a great blessing to us and we want you to know how much that means. Thank you! Let us know how we can be praying for you.

Susan and Tom Van Wynen

P.S.  from Tom.

I wanted to share with you all a recent experience that reminded me that God is working in many ways in our lives and ministries, not just in the ways we are focused on.

In Bolivia, where I grew up from infancy until leaving for college, my parents were part of a Bible translation team focused on the various indigenous language groups of Bolivia. To operate the center where they lived and enable all the translation teams to focus on their work instead of survival, they hired many local people to do maintenance jobs.  Those people became partners in the work, even though many were not believers when they came.  Over the many years of living and working together, deep relationships developed.  Many of the expatriate people provided ongoing technical training and Bible studies to these friends and co-workers. Many of these colleagues became believers. 

When the translation and linguistic work was finished and the expats moved on to new projects in other countries, our local friends moved into new cycles of life as well. I had the privilege of seeing two of them, Ricardo and Anna, this past week, as they came to visit their daughter who lives in Washington, DC.  It had been many years since we’d been together!  It was very humbling to listen to their stories of how God has walked with them over the years.  They were married the year I left Bolivia for college; now, 44 years later, they have 10 children, 30 grandchildren and have been heavily involved in the evangelical church movement in Bolivia.  For many years, Ricardo was pastor of the church in the community that formed on the old translation center. Anna has worked closely with the women’s groups in various churches in the area.  Ricardo is now part of the Obra Evangelica Nacional – a nation-wide evangelical organization.  Some of their children are pastors in the local city and beyond. This couple is just one example of how God has continued to bless relationships begun many years ago. And He has done far beyond what anyone imagined. 

May 2017

Dear Friends, Family, Teammates, Encouragers, Supporters in prayer and finance and in so many other ways,
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19

We are already a third of the way through 2017. It’s a challenge to make the most of our time when it goes so quickly! We are blessed to have full and busy lives, but also want to take opportunities to reflect, be grateful, and notice what God is doing along the way.

As I mentioned in our last newsletter, I began a new job in the new year. Having turned the Communication Director role over to the capable hands of Phil Prior, I’ve begun my new role as Director for Strategy for the Wycliffe Global Alliance. I’m still part of the same leadership team, so there are many things that haven’t changed. But I’m needing to look at and think about things with a fresh perspective. It’s a great joy and humbling experience to take on this new role. Tom continues as Webmaster for the Alliance site, www.wycliffe.net. Phil is his new supervisor and together they are making plans for some major website changes. Pray for Tom as he tackles yet another site overhaul! He’s also in dialogue with the team at the Digital Bible Society to partner on some data sharing regarding Bible translation progress and needs.

As usual, travels are a major part of our story. Our story is really all about people and relationships, but the travels are what allow us to connect (along with email, Skype, etc.!) Here’s a brief overview of the year so far:
Johannesburg, South Africa—In-depth dialogue with our Alliance Missiologist, Stephen Coertze, was a good start for my new role. It’s important that our Alliance strategies have a strong missiological and theological foundation. I spent a week at the Coertze’s in January. Stephen’s wife, Lezelle and their two young adult kids were still on school break, so I had a fun time with the family and a profitable time workwise.

Bangkok, Tokyo, Singapore—Tom and I traveled together for three weeks in February. The Alliance Communication team met in Bangkok. It was a long-wished-for and long-awaited gathering of the whole globally dispersed team (20+ people from at least 10 countries) and a good chance for lots of creative thinking, Phil’s “coronation” as I jokingly referred to the handoff, and my farewells. I’ll see some, but probably not all, of the team again. So many blessings, seeing the team God put together and allowed me to oversee during the past eight years. It was also the end of serving in a Communication-related role with Wycliffe for more than 30 years!

One of the highlights of our time in Bangkok was when another hotel guest approached Florence, a colleague from Kenya and asked if we were a “church group.” She explained who we were and asked why he thought we were a “church group.” He responded, “Only a church group could have this sort of diversity all working together.”  This is just a small example of the testimony we can have as believers, God’s people living and serving in community, in diversity and unity.

Tom and I also had the privilege of spending almost a week with Fukudasan and Aiko, colleagues in Japan. Fukudasan is our Alliance “Spiritual Ambassador” and also very active in ministry in Japan. He is the former Wycliffe Asia Pacific Director. He has a loose reporting relationship to me, but it is all very collegial. I have great respect for Fukudasan and was glad to spend some time with him and Aiko. Among other things, Fukudasan had been doing a bit of research on my behalf to learn more about how different cultures perceive the idea of “journey.” This is going to be important to our Alliance strategy as we are basing it on a journey model or concept rather than strictly following a traditional strategic planning model.  While in Tokyo we also visited the Wycliffe Japan office and interacted with the small team there. In addition, we attended the Fukuda’s church and spoke and participated in a prayer meeting. Tom also had the opportunity of sharing flutes with their musically talented pastor.

From Tokyo we backtracked to Singapore for our Alliance Leadership Community retreat. It was a good time of catching up with the other Directors, Consultants and spouses. We particularly value the time we spend sharing and praying for each regarding personal and work-related concerns and blessings. These times help us stay connected as we work as a virtual team scattered worldwide most of the year.

Philadelphia—Welcome Noah Keith Roberts! Born February 13, while we were in Japan. Kate, Jordan, Winslow and Jude welcomed their new little one in our absence, but we arrived back in Philadelphia not quite two weeks later. Tom stayed a few days and then headed home. I stayed about a week and half to help out and to help unpack. God blessed the family with a wonderful big, old house to rent this year while Jordan finishes seminary! Noah is thriving and Kate and Jordan could still use a couple months backlog of sleep. But all are doing well!

Germany—In March, I had the privilege of attending the Wycliffe Global Alliance consultation on Global Leadership in Community. There were 42 Participants from 27 countries! Discussions included understanding the mission of God, making space for the next generation to flourish, humility, serving as community, serving in unity, friendship as an attribute of God and example to us, vulnerability, ambiguity and messiness, intentionality…There is an almost indescribable richness when you get such a wide range of God’s people sharing their hearts and experiences and contexts, being open to hearing and understanding each other, and together seeking God’s best.

Israel—We never imagined being able to visit Israel, but in April, Tom and I attended the annual meetings of the Forum of Bible Agencies, International. This year they were held in Jerusalem! We enjoyed three days of fellowship and meeting with leaders of the other Forum organizations and particularly appreciated the tours included in our meetings. We stayed a few additional days, over the weekend, along with our Executive Director, Kirk Franklin and his wife Christine, and another colleague, Bryan Harmelink. All of our time was in Jerusalem, so it was just a taste of Israel. But although we didn’t wander widely, we wandered deep!  We explored several levels of the ancient city, including Hezekiah’s tunnels. It would take an additional newsletter to even begin to share our thoughts and experiences. But one of our major reflections was on just how very human Jesus had to become to live and die for us. The dust, the crowds, the chaos and complexity of cultures and politics. We saw enough to imagine more. We were there the week before Easter, so also found ourselves all the more grateful that our faith is based on a relationship with a living Savior, not a place or a ritual, but a Person. He is risen! Indeed!

The day after we returned from Israel we had the joy of hosting Kate and Jordan and family, Josh and Heather and family, and my parents! Our little house was very full! Josh and crew stayed for the week, the others for about four days. It was great fun to have all the little cousins together. Not everyone had met Jude (now almost one-and-a-half and no one had met Noah (born in February). We also got to introduce Josh’s girls to their first ocean experience! They loved it. That made them and their beach born and bred Grandma very happy. One of these days I want them to see and experience the “proper” ocean (the Pacific ;-)), but our Chesapeake Bay setting is ideal for little ones. Small waves and shallow waters a good way out from shore. We also fit in a Williamsburg outing.

Now we are catching up on work and hoping to somehow get some yard and house projects underway again, as well. Tom is at ASM Board meetings in Michigan as I write this. I leave next Saturday for Alliance Board meetings in Puerto Rico and then on to Germany for Europe Area meetings.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement!                  

Susan and Tom Van Wynen