Smiling boy

Annual Report
2020

Help bring God’s Word to language groups still waiting.

Dr. John Chesnut

Dear Friends,

As we began 2020, none of us had any idea that our world would be turned upside down by a global pandemic. These unprecedented circumstances have brought a unique set of challenges to the work of Bible translation. We have seen some of our teams displaced from their countries of assignment and relocated as they were faced with uncertainties.

Yet these events have not caught God by surprise, nor have they prevented him from accomplishing all that he wants to accomplish.

Wycliffe Bible Translators USA remains committed to ensuring that every person has access to Scripture in a language and format they can clearly understand. Even in this challenging season, communities are still receiving God’s Word for the first time and are being transformed. We have witnessed a tremendous outpouring of God’s Spirit around the world: reports of people accepting Christ in record numbers, translations moving forward in ways that were not planned just a few months ago, and God’s continued financial provision over our staff and projects.

We rejoice in the opportunity to join God in all he is doing to draw individuals, communities and nations to himself. And we are deeply grateful for your partnership and prayers as we work toward the day where every language community will experience the hope of Scripture in their language.

Until all the nations worship,

Dr. John Chesnut
President/CEO
Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA

Two Peruvian men celebrate receiving scripture

Wycliffe Bible Translators USA remains committed to ensuring that every person has access to Scripture in a language and format they can clearly understand.

At least 7,000 languages
are spoken or signed around the world.

More than 2,000 languages
still need a Bible translation started.

Work is being done in more than
2,700 languages worldwide
and at least
2,100 of these projects
involve Wycliffe Global Alliance partners.

Source: Wycliffe Global Alliance, October 2020.

Vision

For people from every language to understand the Bible and be transformed.

Mission

Serve with the global body of Christ to advance Bible translation and work together so people can encounter God through his Word.

woman with her two kids

Approximately
1.5 billion people
do not have the full Bible in their first language.

3,361
Wycliffe USA staff serving in
56
countries.

88
Scriptures published.*

*Consists of full Bibles, New Testaments, Old Testaments and Scripture portions. These Scriptures were published with the involvement of multiple Bible translation agencies.

Number of Languages Waiting for Bible Translation by Region of the World
Americas: 120, Africa: 597, Europe: 60, Asia: 836, Pacific: 401

God Knows
American Sign Language

Deaf can now engage with the full Bible in their language.

Everyone deserves to have the gospel in a language and format they clearly understand. This year, a historic milestone was achieved — the completion of the first full sign language Bible*!

Nearly four decades in the making, the American Sign Language Version (ASLV) is now published! Now, an estimated 3 million Deaf people in the United States can freely access the ASLV on the internet and via video apps, such as the Deaf Missions Video app and the Deaf Bible app!

ASLV Final Filming

The ASL team celebrates the final filming!

God Knows American Sign Language

The introduction of the ASLV translation changes everything for the Deaf community, and its impact is deeply personal. A young Deaf girl confided in her Bible study group that she couldn’t pray because, “God doesn’t know sign language.” She assumed that since her own dad couldn’t communicate with her in American Sign Language, that had to be true of her heavenly Father as well.

The girl’s Bible study leader, aware of the efforts to translate the Scriptures into sign language, quickly consoled — and uplifted — her. “God does know ASL,” the leader signed. “He wants to communicate with us!”

Many more Deaf, just like this young girl, are now able to discover that the God of creation yearns to connect and communicate with them through his Word.

ASL Woman Signing

The Fruit of Partnership

This particular translation began in 1982, and it took 22 years to complete the ASLV New Testament. The process picked up steam in 2017 when multiple Bible translation organizations united behind a common vision — to accelerate the translation of the Bible into ASL and distribute it to Deaf Americans so they could engage with and be transformed by the gospel.

Fifty-three different translators, most of whom are Deaf, worked on the ASLV Bible. They drew from the Bible’s original languages — Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek — to accurately translate the Bible. As with spoken and written languages, each sign language has its own distinct syntax, vocabulary and grammar.

The ASLV is comprised of videos, broken up by Bible chapters or Scripture passages, with someone signing the biblical text. More than 350 sign languages exist around the world, and the ASLV will serve as a resource “text” for other sign language Bible translations.

We praise God for the completion of the ASLV and the diverse partnership of organizations who worked together to bring the light and hope of Christ to Deaf people in the United States.

*This is based on the translation standards established by the Forum of Bible Agencies International. The American Sign Language Bible was completed by Deaf Missions in collaboration with partners like American Bible Society, Seed Company, DOOR International, Deaf Bible Society, Pioneer Bible Translators and Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.

Thank You!

“We’re grateful for your prayers and partnership in the work of sign language Bible translation. You have helped Deaf people throughout the U.S. gain access to God’s Word in a language and format that impacts their hearts.”

— Dr. John Chesnut

President/CEO
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA

A translator films the book
                of Deuteronomy

Seeing God at Work in the Unexpected

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28, NLT).

This verse from Romans is often memorized, quoted and stitched onto throw pillows by believers. But rarely have we had more opportunity to trust this truth than in 2020. In a year when every aspect of our lives underwent change, we needed to believe in God’s good plans and purposes more than ever.

In late-February 2020, Wycliffe missionary Wayne Edwards* was working remotely from the U.S. to help translate the New Testament for a language in West Asia. The translation team was nearing the finish line of the project. Their distribution plan was ready, and they were looking forward to getting the completed text to the printer.

When COVID-19 accelerated in mid-March, Eurasia-based members of the translation team needed to return to their homes for safety. Wayne said, “It was clear that we were going to need to close our field translation offices to protect our local translators from exposure to [COVID-19]. A number of project staff that actually live at these translation offices had to make hasty travel arrangements to get to their own homes in other provinces. And they were able to do so just one day before any kind of in-country travel became impossible. So everyone began working from home.”

Wayne moved his home workspace three times as family members arrived to shelter in place. First he and his wife welcomed home their college freshman daughter and her roommate because their university classes went online. Then their oldest daughter and her family, who normally work as Bible translators elsewhere in Asia, found themselves stateside and in need of a place to stay. Finally, their middle daughter joined them when she was evacuated from West Africa by her mission agency.

As Wayne and his family settled into a very full house, he struggled with what he expected to be a loss in momentum for the translation project. But God was at work. “As the COVID-19 crisis worsened and we began cancelling all of our in-person translation events for 2020, we wondered how we’d ever get through all of our production commitments,” Wayne said. “But with all parties involved — in Asia, Europe or the United States — scarcely leaving their houses for so many weeks, we made great progress. Bible translation had almost no competition for anyone’s time and energy. We got through major books of the Old and New Testament that I thought would take far, far longer.”

As the translation team worked together remotely from their homes around the world, it became clear that their strategy for how to distribute the New Testament to speakers of the language was also in for a change. But God was at work. Wayne said, “We also had to cancel all of our printing plans and instead accelerate plans to release these translations on mobile phone apps. All that extra computer work was made possible by COVID-19. As providence would have it, my stranded Bible translator son-in-law [used to be] an app developer. So [he was] coding night and day right there at our house.”

Wayne and the translation team had plans to get God’s Word out, but God’s plan proved far better. The result was that thousands more speakers of the language had access to the Word of God in a way that easily integrated into their daily lives and made sharing Scripture easy and safe.

Wayne explained, “We can’t believe that we thought printing first was a good idea. The thousand copies that we wanted to print would have probably only gone to the people that we and the local believers already had a personal relationship with. But now this can go to anyone, anywhere, without any hindrance from lockdown or travel restrictions. And people all over the world have more time for reading right now than they usually do and greater spiritual interest as well.”

When Wayne reflected on the spring and summer of 2020, he remembered the promise in Romans 8:28. Now he looks forward to how God will continue bringing good out of very challenging circumstances. He said, “God is at work in the most unlikely of places.”

*Name changed.

Village in mountains

God's Word is Coming Home to Hearts in Nigeria

As several Ndokwa people walked down the streets of their community in Nigeria, they heard an unfamiliar sound.

A man was reading aloud from John 1:1. The voice captured their attention. They recognized his words as Scripture, but something was different. Normally they heard the Bible read in another language that’s spoken in the region. But this man was reading in Ndokwa, their own language.

Curious, the people stopped to find out what was going on. An Ndokwa Bible translator was reading a draft of the Gospel of John to a group of people and asked for feedback. He wanted to ensure the meaning of the text was understood clearly by Ndokwa speakers. As he read, the Scripture attracted others who joined the discussion.

Some children who were listening began to ask the translator questions about what he was reading. Meanwhile the adults were delighted to discover that God’s Word was being translated into their language. “When will it be finished?” they asked.

Others have also responded with joy. On a different occasion, a young woman’s eyes lit up as she listened to a portion of the Gospel of Luke in her language.

“Is this in the Bible?” she asked. The Ndokwa translator who was reading Scripture to the woman and her daughter nodded.

The woman couldn’t remember hearing the story before. Although she was familiar with Scripture, this was the first time she was hearing it in her language. It seemed as if the Bible was coming home to her heart. After listening to the portions of God’s Word in Ndokwa, both mother and daughter decided to follow Christ!

As God’s Word is made available in Ndokwa, many people — including this woman and her daughter — are discovering the joy of the Lord for the first time.

Girl

A young woman's eyes lit up as she listened to a portion of the Gospel of Luke in her language.

No Longer Bibleless:
The Joy of the Huaylas Quechua People

“May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world” (Psalm 67:3-4, NLT).

People clapped their hands to the beat of the marching band as they streamed through the mountain city of Huaraz, Peru. As hymns like “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” played, little children ate ice cream cones, families held hands and mothers carried babies in tied blankets on their backs. One 70-year-old woman raised her hands, a Bible clutched in one of them, for the entire two‑mile parade.

The women’s ministry of a local organization called Alli Willaqui (AWI) led the crowd through the city streets and proudly held a banner with the words of Isaiah 40:8: “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever” (NLT). This was a day to celebrate something new and eternal: the complete Word of God in the Huaylas Quechua language.

Soon the parade arrived at the city’s coliseum. Two thousand attendees from several churches and denominations took their seats inside for the main event: the dedication of the complete Bible. The four-hour celebration included Bible readings, musical presentations and preaching.

Two llamas entered the auditorium with boxes of the newly printed Huaylas Quechua Bibles on their backs.

The crowd fell silent, and the program’s emcees were emotional as the boxes were opened on stage and the Bibles were removed. Then applause broke out as the people on stage held the Bibles high in the air.

Kushi kushi kome was a phrase repeated often by people throughout the day. It means, “I’m so happy.” The musical groups who performed at the dedication played lively, high-pitched melodies on pan flutes, harps, trumpets and guitars. A woman named Nancy led the attendees in song alongside other women from AWI.

After the program, Nancy’s eyes filled with tears as she shared, “My grandparents were the ones who shared the gospel with me, and all four were believers. But they’re with the Lord now.” Nancy’s grandparents loved God and embraced the Good News but never got to hold the Huaylas Quechua Bible in their hands. “Today I’m celebrating their legacy,” Nancy said. “Thank you for sharing in our joy!”

The next morning at a church in a mountain village, Huaylas Quechua families filed inside and sat on wooden pews — women on one side of the aisle, men on the other. The walls of the church were painted with Scriptures. A woman and her daughter brought fresh flowers and presented them at the altar. Young children bounced into the aisle and moved around throughout the worship songs and sermon.

And together the church, no longer Bibleless, read Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever” (NLT).

Huaylas Quechua speakers celebrate receiving the Huaylas Quechua Bible for the first time!

"8 qorapis tsakirinmi y wetapis shushurinmi. Teyta diosnint sikpa palabranqa imeyaqpis kekanqam"

Isaiah 40:8 in the Huaylas Quechua language.

2020 Combined Financials*

Statement of Financial Position
(in thousands of dollars)

Assets 2020 2019
Cash and cash equivalents $37,926 $19,159
Investments 72,738 69,243
Contributions receivable - net 5,025 0
Bequests receivable 97 606
Amounts due from related entities 154 191
Other assets 4,835 6,052
Investments related to fiduciary agreements 24,259 24,267
Property and equipment — net of accumulated depreciation 32,634 35,881
Total Assets $177,668 $155,399
Liabilities 2020 2019
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $4,724 $2,815
Medical claims payable 1,192 1,221
Amounts due to related entities 105 222
Accrued compensation 8,175 8,086
Fiduciary agreements 9,994 10,772
Total Liabilities $24,190 $23,116
Net Assets 2020 2019
Without donor restrictions $99,775 $89,625
With donor restrictions 53,703 42,658
Total Net Assets $153,478 $132,283
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $177,668 $155,399

Statement of Activities
(in thousands of dollars)

Operating Support and Revenue 2020 2019
Contribution income $224,220 $204,283
Service income 2,472 2,723
Interest and dividend income 1,065 1,465
Other income (17) 98
Total Operating Support and Revenue $227,740 $208,569
Operating Expenses 2020 2019
Program services:
Bible translation and related programs $176,738 $175,283
Supporting services:
General and administrative 19,493 17,803
Fundraising 16,947 19,783
Total Operating Expenses $213,178 $212,869
Non-Operating Income/(Expenses) 2020 2019
Net realized/unrealized gain/(loss) on investments $6,232 $1,852
Change in value of fiduciary agreements 401 (897)
Total Non-Operating Income/(Expenses) $6,633 $955
Net Assets 2020 2019
Change in net assets $21,195 $(3,345)
Net assets — beginning of year 132,283 135,628
Net Assets — End of Year $153,478 $132,283
Income: Contribution Income: 98%, Other Income: 2%. Expenses: Program Services: 83%, General and Administrative: 9%, Fundraising: 8%

*The fiscal year for Wycliffe USA is from October 1 through September 30.

*Combined financials include the consolidated entities of Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc., Wycliffe Foundation and Seed Company.

2020 Board of Directors

Paul D. Brown

President

First Midstate Incorporated

Bishop Fidencio Burgueño

Administrative Bishop for the South Central Hispanic Region

Church of God

Dan Butler

Representative

SIL Eurasia

Larry Cheng

Wycliffe USA Board Chair

Managing Partner

Volition Capital LLC

Dr. Julian Dangerfield

Executive Director

Shalom Outreach

Grace Mathews

Program Director

India Mobile Congress

Patricia K. Miersma RN, M.N., C.S.

Global Trauma Healing Consultant

Wycliffe Bible Translators USA

Bonnie Nystrom

Linguistics/Translation Worker - Aitape West

SIL International

Lindsay Olesberg

Wycliffe USA Board Vice Chair

Senior Consultant

Clarity for Christian Leaders

Brian Russell

Executive Director

YouVersion

Julie Shimer, Ph.D.

President and CEO, retired

Welch Allyn

Mark Taber

Global Partnerships Facilitator for Indonesia

Wycliffe USA / SIL International

Florence Wamae

Bible Translation Advocate

Wycliffe Global Alliance

Daniel Watters

Director of Engagement, Local Brand

SIL International

Juanita Watters, Ph.D.

Literacy and Language Development Consultant

SIL Mexico, Asia & Americas Areas

Key Partnerships

Wycliffe USA recognizes that the need for Bible translation is so great that we can’t do it alone and that collaboration with God’s people accelerates the process with excellence. So we work in partnership with churches and organizations worldwide to effectively and efficiently accomplish Bible translation. Our full partner list is too long to include here, but we are incredibly grateful for everyone working to spread God’s Word.

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