Nico & Becca With Wycliffe

font design and computer technology

"May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you." Psalm 67:2-3

Please join us in the journey to serve the nations of the world by bringing access to the Word of God in the relevant language and alphabet. Our two full-time jobs - Type designer for Becca and Script engineer for Nico - both contribute essential tools for Bible translation, literacy and linguistic research, to establish a solid and sustainable foundation for many other ministries like evangelism, discipleship and church planting. Unlike other missionaries - or global workers - we are not just focused on one single country or one single unreached people group, but instead we work with many of them across the whole world. We serve the Lord through this work as part of a global team with SIL. After a few years in England and then a few more years in the South of France, we are now based in Texas where we continue to work in the exact same roles and doing the exact same work for the kingdom. We are not "stateside" but we are working as part of a global distributed team serving needs all across the whole world.

Wait, what? Please tell me more...

Millions of people speak one of the over 2100 languages in which the Bible hasn't been translated yet! And many do not know how to read and write! We are most definitely talking about reaching all the way to the ends of the earth here and doing our best not to forget any language community however remote or small. The complexity of many alphabets used in the world is one of the biggest barriers preventing access to the Word of God and understanding of grace and salvation in Jesus-Christ and everything that comes with it like better access to education, being lifted out of poverty and violence and flourishing as part of a community of believers and worshipers. We want to join in God's mission to establish true worship where there wasn't any before, doing everything to the glory of His own name.

Many alphabets don't work properly on computers so their users are effectively shut out and suffer from crushing discrimination. This is an injustice and nobody in all the nations should be required to have to learn the "big" languages to get access to the Gospel for themselves. See the mind-blowing statistics for yourself. There is also a correlation with the 10/40 window where most harder-to-reach and persecuted nations are located. This also happens to be where many of the alphabets still in need of development are primarily used.

Our work in font design and computer technologies - as full-time members seconded to Wycliffe's key historic partner SIL - contributes to establishing Bible translation, literacy and linguistic research in many languages in order to make the Gospel of Jesus-Christ accessible in everyone's own language and alphabet. This is a key foundational service that enables the rest of the worldwide Bible Translation movement. Many missions organizations like the ones in the Wycliffe Global Allliance - and yes, that does includes SeedCompany - as well as secular NGOs and educational institutions, depend on the availability of the fonts and related software we produce and distribute.

How can you study a language if you cannot write it down? How can you translate the Word of God if you have to write down the translation draft and then do all the publishing by hand? How can you prepare and send sermon notes, worship or discipleship materials if you cannot type them up and they do not display on anyone's device properly, and too many people you want to reach never had a chance to learn to read, much less write? How can churches grow and be deeply rooted in God when many activities have to be done in a neighboring or colonial language, one that most people would rather not speak at home or, given a choice, in any other setting.

Making computerized use of an alphabet possible requires a variety of different roles, each with their own gifts, skills and experience working together. Don't miss this video presenting the work of our team (SIL's WSTech, Writing Systems Technology): "I Can Write My Language on My Phone":

How are you funded? Are you selling your products and expertise? But how are you putting food on the table?

Like all those who work long-term as Wycliffe members, we do not receive a regular salary but the budget set for us by Wycliffe to cover our daily needs is directly dependent upon the generous support of faithful friends and churches who have a heart for long-term missions (short-term summer mission trips can be awesome in many ways, but there is so much more in the wider world of missions, things usually take time and sustained effort to bring lasting fruit).

The tools and expertise we provide are designed to be available to everyone at no costs - starting with the unreached and poorest of the world of course - and with no strings attached, the "end-users" of our "products" do not pay us. But others who truly believe in long-term missions generously fund this work through letting go of (or rather investing) some of the surplus of what God has given them, so others like us can, in turn, give enough sustained time and focus to the mission task. We are not in this for our own fame and fortune! And, Praise God, we haven't starved just yet!

Please consider joining us to play a part in this worldwide mission effort by coming alongside us. You can pray for our work and our family and you can also join our Wycliffe financial team by making a one-off gift or by pledging to give regularly (smaller monthly gifts are better than larger one-off ones because they help us plan how best to make ends meet).

(Gifts usually allow for charitable tax deduction in the country where you are resident). Thank you for your participation. May God bless you abundantly!

Keeping in touch, getting our newsletter

We regularly send out a ministry update newsletter to everyone who would like to know what we're up to and how our work is going in order to lift us up in prayer and help us in practical ways. Sign up right here or let us know directly if you would like to receive it:

Let us know if and when you want to make some space in your activities for more worldwide missions! We will gladly come and share about the impact and the challenges of this ministry at a meeting in your church, lifegroup, homegroup, study group, Sunday meeting, etc. Every church community with a focus on both local and international missions is a growing and vibrant church that is looking ahead and not just inwards. It's a great opportunity to get involved in what the Lord is doing across the world!

Thanks for your interest and support! Thank you for your part in helping the beautiful name of Jesus to be proclaimed "in the scripts and languages of all the peoples" like in Esther 8:9.

We hope to talk to you in person soon!