Wycliffe-Frontlines-Fall-2024 - Flipbook - Page 4
Givers and Goers
Susan and David Ryder knew the Lord wanted them to
share the gospel with the nations. But the path God
had planned wasn’t what they’d envisioned.
Like many who are drawn to missionary work, the
Ryders hoped to serve in the field. They yearned to
share Jesus’ love with people who didn’t know Him.
When Susan had a severe reaction to the
immunizations that missionaries require, they knew
serving overseas was no longer an option. They felt
God was leading them to support the Great
Commission with their finances instead of labor.
Since they were both working, they decided to give
Susan’s entire salary to mission work and live solely
on David’s income. “In nearly 48 years of marriage, we
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WORDSEARCH
Susan and David Ryder
never regretted that God’s plan for us was to be ‘givers’
rather than ‘goers’,” she said.
The Lord was gracious to the Ryders; they always had
enough financially. Though David developed cancer and
went to be with Christ in 2013, Susan continues their
shared work.
For nearly 40 years, Susan’s income resourced Wycliffe’s
Bible translation efforts. Through this partnership, the
couple developed friendships with translation staff,
gained insight into language communities and learned
about the challenges of the mission field. They became a
critical part of those ministries.
“Often a person comes to Christ as a result of a series of
experiences,” Susan said. “I’m just grateful that we’ve had
this road and this opportunity to be a link, [a] part of the
chain that helps people know the Lord.”
Because of the Ryders’ giving, people groups around the
world are experiencing Scripture in languages and
formats that speak to their hearts. And as Susan gets
stories of communities celebrating God’s Word in their
languages, she praises Christ for enabling her to be a link
in His Kingdom’s work.
A Community Endeavor
When translating Scripture, every word must be
carefully considered.
better word choice than
their original selection.
As the Sanmad team worked on the story of Jesus’
birth in the Gospel of Luke, they asked themselves
what term best represented the word “manger” in
the Sanmad language? Following some discussion,
they used the same word that appeared in the Bible
translation written in the area’s common language.
As a non-Christian
woman read a portion of
Luke, she became excited. “The Bible really is true!” she
told the translation team. Other participants were filled
with joy as they encountered Scripture in their language
for the first time.
But this question was revisited when the team checked
their drafts with other Sanmad speakers.
Afterward the team members reflected on the experience:
“We believe that the Word will grow in the hearts of the
people who had the opportunity to interact with it.”
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During one checking session, an attendee proposed
a different word for manger — one that was unique to
the Sanmad language. The team members considered
the woman’s suggestion and agreed that it was a