Our Story  

Michael's Story

I was raised in church. At the age of seven, I went to my pastor and said a prayer with him.  I do not remember what I prayed or even what lead up to this decision, yet I had been raised in church and exposed to my need for a Savior. During  my teenage years, I began to doubt whether my decision as a young child was sincere. In April 1978, I was in a church service struggling with this matter. I was wondering what people were going to think about me doubting my decision as a child. But that evening I made Jesus Christ the Savior and Lord of my life.

At the age of 16, I sensed that God was calling me into the ministry, and I responsed with a "yes." Since that time I have been involved in church and para-church ministries.  While in college I become aware of the needs in overseas missions.  During the ensuing years I also became interested in the work of Wycliffe Bible Translators.

In 2004-05 my wife and I (and our two sons) served with Wycliffe as boarding home parents in Yaoundé, Cameroon (Africa). My motivation to serve in missions, and Wycliffe in particular, comes from knowing that Christians have been commanded to go to the ends of the earth and make disciples. I believe that Bible translation is a key part of making disciples. When someone has God's Word in the language he understands best, he has a greater chance of understanding the deeper concepts about God, and hopefully would come to realize his need for Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord.

Faith's Story

I was raised in a Christian home, and my dad has been a pastor most of my life. Although I was raised hearing about Jesus and about his death on the cross to pay for our sins, I had to come to a point where I realized that I had to personally ask Jesus to forgive me of my sins and be my Savior.

When I was in college, I became interested in learning Spanish and spent two summers with missionaries in Mexico. My Spanish did improve, but most of all, I realized that I enjoyed missionary work. I am thankful that I have had several opportunities over the years to participate in mission trips.

I have realized how important it is for people around the world to have the opportunity to hear about the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. I know how important God’s Word has been in my life, and I want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to have God’s Word in their own languages. I feel that by serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators, I can have a part in providing many more people with the opportunity to read and hear God’s Word in their heart languages.