Touched by God’s Word
Long shunned as “untouchables” by those around them, this South Asian language group now feel God’s love in abundance.For generations, this particular people group of South Asia have been leather workers. This would be an acceptable trade just about anywhere else....
Accelerating Bible Translation
The need is urgent, as mother-tongue Bible translators are ready to translate the Scriptures for those who have been waiting for generations to have the Bible in their own language. “They’re more than ready,” says Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe...
Under Attack
An 18-year old Bible translator’s home in Papua New Guinea was burned to the ground while she attended her first MAST workshop. But then she helped facilitate the next MAST and her grandfather’s home and coffee business were utterly destroyed. She prayed that her...
Obituary for Samuel Banks
Please continue to pray for our family as we all continue to walk with grief because of the passing of Samuel Banks (Mark's step-father). Here is his obituary.June 23, 1933 – Oct. 15, 2018Samuel A. Banks, 85, passed away at his home in Hancock on Oct. 15, 2018, with...
I Want To Help!
Who We Are
“Is the Bible really God’s Word? If it is, then it must impact me: every decision and every part of me: my words, my desires, my thoughts, my finances, my time… We must share God’s Word and give his same hope and truth to all people. ‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul.’ ” (Matthew 16:26a)
These thoughts burned in our hearts as we wondered what our purpose was in life. We knew life was more than keeping up with the Jones’. Our life is based on Hope, on Jesus. Millions of people around the world still wait to have the Scriptures in their heart languages. They do not know Hope. They don’t know Jesus. We want this same hope for everyone!
We have served with Wycliffe Associates (WA) Bible translation ministry since 2005 helping to reach the 2,758 language groups around the world who do not have any portion of the Bible in their mother-tongue. We use ourGod given skills to serve in full-time ministry. We don’t know other languages. We just want to share Jesus with the world using the skills he has given Mark with technology and me with administration.
After serving in Florida at the WA headquarters for nine years, we moved back to the northeast in 2016 where we continue to serve WA remotely. Mark has an office at Faith Baptist Church in Rexford, NY. We are also involved in Faith Baptist Church ministries. Mark is an Elder and I quilt with Comfort Quilts.
Through partners that pray and give financially on our behalf, we are able to live near family in the northeast while serving the world. We have three daughters and currently three grandchildren: Marissa Mancuso and Nick (Faith, Calvin, Hudson), Emily Kelly and Chris, and Maggie Hancock. My parents, Hal and Darlene Miller, also live nearby. Since we moved back to New York I was diagnosed with a serious blood disorder that affects my immune system. We are glad the Lord moved us back home to be close to family as we face this challenge.
Mark serves full-time as the Tech Advance Strategic Manager. Tech Advance exists to provide technology solutions that empower churches in their Bible translation initiatives worldwide. To learn more about these initiatives please visit www.bibleineverylanguage.org.
These initiatives include WA’s current Bible Translation methods:
MAST– Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation is a methodology enabling the church to quickly learn, implement and own translation process.
DOT – Deaf Owned Translation is a translation program using a methodology for literate deaf people to translate written scripture into a known sign language.
SAIL– Sensory Adaptive Immersion Literacy is a program designed to reach the millions of deaf who are uneducated, illiterate, and don’t even know a sign language.
Using my gift of administration, I serve part-time as the Advocate Team Leader where I manage a small team that processes volunteers/ staff and manages the recruiting software data. I have the blessing of encouraging and praying for those who are new to missions and providing support to the WA Operations Team.
Bible translation strategies and technologies are accelerating Bible translation in ways the founders of WA could have never imagined when the organization was first established in 1967. Yet millions of people around the world still wait to have the Scriptures in their heart languages. Stemming from its organizational principles, WA desires to be a training tool and catalyst for the translation efforts of a language group’s local churches and church networks. This means that WA affirms that each language group inherently holds both, the ownershipof their translation and the means of its completion.
We are committed to the idea that national translators understand their languages in a way that no outside speaker can. As Christians who want God’s Word in their heart language, they have a moral and spiritual obligation to bring the truth of God’s Word to their people.
