2015 Annual Report - Wycliffe Associates uses your gifts to Wycliffe Associates to speed Bible translation in some of the most dangerous and hostile regions of the world via technology

2015

Annual Report

2015 will long be a year we look back on in wonder. You were there as God opened doors for us: To help national translators reach places where mission organizations cannot;

areas thought off-limits to Bible translation efforts due to persecution or isolation To facilitate MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation) workshops within

safe countries, in close proximity to closed countries, launching new Bible translations To come alongside the church in parts of the world we cannot even name, for the safety

of those we assist, helping to translate the Scriptures into their own heart languages To reach and assist translation work going on in some of the most spiritually

dark corners of the world—in Boko Haram territory, in ISIS strongholds—where God’s light is dawning!

A WORD FROM BRUCE

Bruce A. Smithpresident⁄ceowycliffe associates

Your commitment to answer the Lord’s call, To the Ends of the Earth, through your giving and prayers made the tremendous progress we’ve seen in 2015 possible. THANK YOU!I’m not surprised. We’ve been looking forward to this for hundreds of years. In my 30 years in international missions, I’ve heard it said over and over, “There will be a day when the Church will be able to lead missions.” When is that day?

This is that day! The local church is His instrument in the world. And MAST and Bible translation technologies are God-given vehicles through which we’re able to come alongside the church, where people still wait for God’s Word in their heart language.

As you look through this annual report, rejoice with me: God is at work! Realize, too, that you have helped fuel incredible breakthroughs in Bible translation this past year.

Look forward with me. As our translation efforts continue in 2016, to reach all who wait for God’s Word—To the Ends of the Earth—I invite you to stay involved. Your time, talents, and treasures, invested in God’s kingdom make a difference for all eternity.

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 2

Bible Translation Acceleration Kits (BTAKs)

Institute of Languages and Linguistics in South Asia

Scriptures for New Frontiers (Sensitive Countries)

Operation Timothy (Digital Scriptures)

Pilatus PC-6 Airplane

DRC National Bible Translation Training Center

Angola Translation Project

South Sudan Bible Translation

Nepal Translation Project

Pacific Advance

Southeast Asia Translation Projects

Print On Demand

Nigeria Translation Office Expansion

Operation Clean Water

Maroua Translation Training Center

MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation)

Open Bible Stories

translationStudio Android App

TNT (Tablets for National Translators)

Airstrip Repair Project (PNG)

Alotau Translation Training Center

Bamenda Translation Center

In 2015, supporters like you helped advance Bible translation in 75 countries around the world. Here are just some of the projects your generosity funded:

Together . . . To the Ends

of the Earth!


5 MAST: Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation

7 Bible Translation Technologies

10 Scriptures for New Frontiers

11 Africa

14 South Asia

16 Pacific

18 Mobilizing God’s People

19 Financial Update: Statement of Activities

20 Financial Update: Statement of Financial Position

21 Looking Ahead: To the Ends of the Earth!

22 Board of Trustees

2015

Ministry Highlights


MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation) is a collaborative, rapid translation method, allowing us to come alongside and assist the local church and national translators, wherever people still wait for God’s Word in their own heart language.

The results are both astounding and accurate!

In 2015, groups of national translators working together in parallel, translated books of the Bible more quickly than ever before—maintaining the highest levels of accuracy and quality—getting the Word of God into the hands of their people.

Your continued support of Wycliffe Associates will help us equip, train, and provide more teams of translators with tools to speed Bible translation . . . from years to just months.

Accomplishing Bible Translation faster than ever before!

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 5MAST: MoBilized ASSiSTAnce SupporTing TrAnSlATion

“ MAST reaches into places where missionaries cannot, areas off limits to Bible translation organizations, assisting translation efforts in some of the spiritually darkest corners of the world.”

— Bruce A. Smith, President/CEO

BY THE NUMBERS

2015 — 235 MAST Workshops — 66 New Language

Translations Started

— 169 Existing Translations Accelerated

2016 GOAL: — 500 New Language

Translations Started

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 6MAST: MoBilized ASSiSTAnce SupporTing TrAnSlATion

God uses your gifts to Wycliffe Associates to speed Bible translation in some of the most dangerous and hostile regions of the world via technology. Here’s how:

Bible Translation Acceleration Kits (BTAKs) can include a small laptop computer, satellite communication terminal, and power supply, allowing national Bible translators in remote locations to communicate and collaborate through a satellite connection.

Technology and God’s people advancing Bible translation

Wycliffe Associates team members set up equipment for local translators.

We have distributed:

509 BTAKs12 POD systems139 TNTs

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 7BiBle TrAnSlATion TechnologieS

Print On Demand (POD) technology allows local translation teams to print and bind books of the Bible as they are completed—getting the Word of God immediately into people’s hands.





Tablets for National Translators (TNTs), computer tablets loaded with the latest translation software, allow translators to hide their translation work in plain sight, enabling them to work at any time and in any place, even in countries hostile to the gospel.




“ There’s a specific language group in an area that’s 98% Islamic. Local people throw rocks at the church roof when they are worshiping. They are asking for prayers for safety. So we pray. And we partner.”

—Russ Perry, Wycliffe Associates, Ethiopia


Where reading God’s Word can get you killed . . .They put the Bible translation on a flash drive. One passenger leaves it on the back seat of a taxicab as he exits. The next passenger gets in, picks it up, and takes it home. This is how you circulate Scripture in a region where Christians fall prey to violent persecution.Brothers and sisters in Christ may be beaten, arrested, jailed . . . sometimes martyred.

Throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, Christians are under fire. Yet God is raising up believers who risk their lives to reach the people in their own nations through Bible translation, evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

Mohammad*, a national Bible translator, shared with a MAST workshop trainer that one day he was walking through a Muslim holy site and singing Scripture in his heart language. With tears in his eyes, he said, “Forty-three people are now believers after hearing only one chapter of the Gospel of Luke.”

Your support of Scriptures for New Frontiers makes a difference, speeding translation efforts, encouraging and empowering persecuted believers, and leading people to Jesus Christ! “ Many who heard me singing Scripture that day

became followers of Jesus Christ,” Mohammad said.

*Mohammad not pictured

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 10ScripTureS for new fronTierS

Ravaged by civil war, natural disasters, and deadly disease, people throughout Africa are hungry for the Word of God. Through these obstacles and despite the devastating realities of this continent, you have helped accelerate Bible translation—great progress is being made through MAST and translation technology. God’s Word does not return empty!

Let the people tell you . . .

God’s Word in their language. God’s light in their lives!

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 11AfricA

“ I used to live as a wild beast with no understanding and I told myself that it was true life. But today I understand the good and true life revolves around the Word of God.”

— Gilbert, on the Yambetta language committee, Cameroon

“ Now I feel peace in my heart. I will stop doing incantations and whenever I’m asked for them, I will use only my Bible to help people.”

— Batoumbek, a local witch doctor converted to Christ, Kenya

“ We thought it would take ten years to complete our New Testament. But now we believe it can be done in three and a half years. I can still be here then!”

— Baboko, an elderly gentlemen thankful his community will soon have God’s Word, Ethiopia


“ If with this program of MAST, we can translate the Bible in 40 weeks, I think by God’s help, we’ll have more Bibles translated in our places. I thank God and I love this program.” —A national translator in the Boko Haram area of Cameroon

God has opened many doors in Africa, yet many obstacles—and some very dangerous adversaries—try to stand in the way. We cannot let up. We must press on. Your continued prayer and financial support is vital. You are making an eternal impact for generations to come.


Although a heavily persecuted area of the world, great progress is being made in Bible translation in South Asia—particularly in India.

God’s Love in Every Language

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 14SouTh ASiA

At a MAST workshop in North India, at the Institute of Languages and Linguistics, the Khirwar language group completed drafts of 16 books of the New Testament in just two weeks! They expect to complete the entire New Testament within a year.

Another language group recorded oral translations of several New Testament books—a tremendous step forward for oral only languages.

Despite living under the threat of persecution, the local church in South Asia is leading Bible translation efforts for millions of people. Hunger for God’s Word is growing!

As you are reading this, pages of written translations and MP3s of audio portions of the Scriptures are getting to spiritually hungry people who have never seen or heard the Bible in their heart language! Your prayers and financial support are making it possible.

“ Yes there is much persecution of believers in my area, but I see the persecution now with a different eye—persecution is a part of ministry, and I am never bothered about it now.”

—A national translator from India

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 15SouTh ASiA

In this challenging region of the world, God continues to move miraculously! Local members of the body of Christ, through Bible translation, church planting, and discipleship, are reaching their neighbors. Your prayers and support are making it possible.

Bible Translations . . . Life Transformations

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 16pAcific

In Papua New Guinea (PNG)The island is home to many isolated language groups, each hard to reach and slow to communicate with outsiders. But your support is overcoming barriers of isolation by starting MAST translation projects, providing air support, and putting resources right into the hands of national translators! Your gifts are making a huge difference—progress as never seen before.

In IndonesiaYour support is advancing “cluster projects” which will bring God's Word to not just one language, but many. These projects are being led by local church networks—people who live there, speak and pray in these languages, and are motivated to get the Scriptures translated and into the hands of family, friends, and neighbors.

Lives are being touched . . .

“ Oh God, today You have placed Your Word into my hands just like You promised. You have placed it here in our land. And for all this, Oh God, we give You praise!”

— An Indonesian pastor

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 17pAcific

Together, Answering God’s Call . . . to GO!Wycliffe Associates facilitates the spreading of the gospel and brings hope to the nations by mobilizing God’s people to “Go!”

Empowering national translators to charge ahead on translation efforts for their own people groups

Joining the local church to help accelerate Bible translation so Bibleless people will be able to hear God’s Word in their own heart language—sooner

Providing volunteers for high-priority positions that support Bible translation and encourage translators

YOU play an essential role in these life-transforming efforts, by coming alongside, helping to train and equip local believers to speed Bible translation efforts, and empowering churches to reach the people in their communities.

As YOU use your time, your talents, and your treasures, you answer God’s call and take His life-transforming Word . . . To the Ends of the Earth!

“ You may never know the eternal impact you have made on individuals . . . until you see them in heaven.”—Bruce Smith, President/CEO

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 18MoBilizing god’S people

Wycliffe Associate’s volunteers provide labor and other services for various ministry activities. Contributed services meeting the criteria for revenue recognition in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States amounted to approximately $5,752,000 and are included in the Statement of Activities as “contributed services and facilities usage” revenue. Volunteer services during the year ended September 30, 2015, not meeting the criteria for recognition in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, have been estimated by management to be approximately $7,435,000 (unaudited). Although these services have a significant impact on making the ministry effective, the estimated value of such services is not reflected in the financial statements.

Where Our Support Comes From:

Contributions

Contributions—San Clemente Senior Housing, Inc.

Contributed services and facilities usage

Interest and other revenue Total contributions and other revenue and

net assets released from restrictions

$22,715,830

$10,266,603

$ 6,404,054

$ 1,689,437

$ 41,075,924

Where Your Support Goes:

Bible translation ministry programs

Supporting services

Fundraising

Management and general

Total expenses Change in net assets

$27,648,650

$ 5,436,785

$ 2,148,096

$ 35,233,531

$ 5,842,393

Fiscal Year 2015

2015 Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2015 | Statement of Activities

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 19finAnciAl updATe: STATeMenT of AcTiviTieS

Assets: Fiscal Year 2015

Current assets

Long-term assets

Property and equipment, net

Other assets

Total assets

$ 475,463

$ 36,968,733

$ 886,651

$ 1,584,454

$ 39,915,301

Complete audited statements as audited by Batts, Morrison, Wales & Lee, P.A. are available upon request.

Liabilities and Non-Current Liabilities:

Current liabilities

Other liabilities

Total liabilities

$ 945,989

$ 0

$ 945,989

Net Assets:

Unrestricted net assets

Temporarily restricted net assets

Total net assets

$ 34,658,699

$ 4,310,613

$ 38,969,312

$ 39,915,301 Total liabilities and net assets

2015 Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2015 | Statement of Financial Position

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 20finAnciAl updATe: STATeMenT of finAnciAl poSiTion

In 2015, God moved in unprecedented ways—and you were there.

. . . with Tablets for National Translators, allowing them to work “under the radar” in some of the most hostile and dangerous regions of the world.

. . . providing the means through BTAKs for translation work to continue in remote areas of the world, where electricity and Internet connections are unreliable.

. . . through Print On Demand technology, enabling translators to quickly turn their work into printed materials—quite literally putting the Word of God into people’s hands.

. . . equipping local churches and national translators with MAST training, and the resources to speed Bible translation in ways never before imagined.

. . . standing with, and breathing encouragement into, lives and hearts around the world, passionate to see their people receive God’s Word in their own heart language.

Look at what God has done! Look at what we’ve been able, by His grace, to accomplish together!

In 2016, God calls us To the Ends of the Earth—our path begins with a goal to launch 500 new MAST translations!

Never before has there been more passion, more opportunity, and more need to accelerate Bible translation! Never before has your continued prayer and support been so important.

Please stand with us in 2016. Take a moment to pray about what God would have you do to support Bible translation. Whether you commit to pray, give, volunteer—or all of the above—know God will use your commitment to impact eternity.

AFRICA AMERICAS EURASIA PACIFIC ASIA

To find out more about Wycliffe Associates and Bible translation efforts around the world, please visit our website at www.wycliffeassociates.org.

To the Ends of the Earth!

2015 ANNUAL REPORT | 21looking AheAd: To The endS of The eArTh!

Alex Abraham Neurologist

Ken Axt—Vice Chair Business Owner

Jacob George Chairman, Wycliffe India

Joe Gervais Technology Marketing Executive

Walt Hamilton Retired Development Officer

Chip Hull Chief Financial Officer,Jacob Stearn & Sons, Inc.

2016 | Board of Trustees

Souleymane Kouyate PACTEC – SENEGAL, Africa Area Director

Kris Rinne—Chair Retired Senior Vice President of Network Technologies, AT&T

Rebecca Smith—Treasurer Business Owner

George Sunarjo YABN Chairman

Eric Watt—Secretary Pastor

11450 Translation Way | P.O. Box 620143 | Orlando, FL 32862 1-800-THE WORD (1-800-843-9673)www.wycliffeassociates.org

Documents

2015 Annual Report - Wycliffe Associates uses your gifts to Wycliffe Associates to speed Bible translation in some of the most dangerous and hostile regions of the world via technology