Alan's Journey to Missions

DeEtte and I walking in Cameroon in 1999

How it all Started

On a Saturday afternoon on the campus of George Fox College in Oregon, Wycliffe Bible Translators staff shared about their work - talking about languages, linguistics, literacy, Bible translation, anthropology and mission aviation.

For the first time I heard there were people in the world who didn't have the Bible in their own language. My heart was captured as I realized that I could help people have God's Word in their language!

From junior high through College

I was a junior high boy on that Saturday that God put Bible translation on my heart. He led me from there through my college studies to prepare to be a Bible translator.

I joined Wycliffe Bible Translators the summer after graduating from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in linguistics (1985). After serving in my home church for a year, I departed for France in July 1987 to study French in order to serve in French-speaking Africa. I arrived in Cameroon in January 1989 and served the rest of my first four-year term there as a single man doing language survey.

**In France in my French language studies on my way to Cameroon (1988)**

French-speaking Africa

I've been blessed to serve with Wycliffe for forty years now - 18 years of working in Cameroon, and now 18 years in Indiana with a few years in between. God has always been faithful and I am thankful to continue to serve in French-speaking Africa!

The Journey Continues

My long-term goal, with your prayers and support, is to serve with Wycliffe until I am 70 years old (October 2033) or the Lord leads differently.