2024 WAS AN EVENTFUL YEAR, and with the blink of an eye, December has arrived!

This year, I had the opportunity to attend the Wycliffe Global Gathering, a gathering of all Alliance Organizations held once every four years. This time it was in South Africa. There were participants representing more than 60 nations at this gathering. It was a wonderful experience worshipping together in different tongues, and hearing encouraging stories of what God is doing across the globe. Some of these countries are in the midst of wars, natural disasters, and political turmoil. Yet the organisations in these places continue to flourish as God continue to directs and provides. Truly our God is mighty in His ways!

As we reflect on our journey through the months of 2024, we too have much to thank God for even though not all our plans took off. God is sovereign!

Prior to 2019, we were only involved in recruiting and sending missionaries to the field. We had a good look at our own backyard and saw that out of the eighteen indigenous groups in West Malaysia, only six had some form Scripture in their heart language. This prompted us to take a leap of faith to also manage local Bible Translation projects. To date, we have added four more languages to that number.

We praise God that all four of the Jesus Film translation projects in four indigenous language communities that we undertook in September 2022 were completed this year, and are now available on the jesusfilm.org website. For one of the four groups, it was the first time for the community to hear Jesus speaks in their language. What a joy it was for them as they watched the film, some with tears rolling down their cheeks.

For the past 30 years, we had only been engaging with the English and Mandarin-speaking churches. But this year, as we started the Tamil Bible Storying Project, the door opened for us to engage with Tamil speaking community. God brought to us two young sisters who were willing to commit and serve two years in the project. It was not easy for them as they had to relocate from their hometown to the project base. We praise God that they have settled in well in the new environment and had opportunities to use the stories crafted with the community.

We also thank God for an Oral Translation Strategy Workshop where we had participants from nine different countries. It was a rich learning experience for both our team and the participants as they could also experience cross-cultural communal living. One participant commented that he had never sat in a car driven by a female driver, and also took a picture of himself washing dishes as it was not the cultural norm in his country for males to wash dishes!

Praise God also that our church engagement team was able to run mission awareness programs with the youth in different churches. We pray that as we plant the seeds in the hearts of these young people, it will grow in good soil and we can see more young people step forward to serve in missions, in years to come.

Looking back on our turning points this year, we have seen God’s provision in countless ways for our members as well as for our projects. Your partnerships with us through your faithful prayers and financial gifts make an eternal impact in Gods kingdom, and we trust that, just as God has faithfully provided in so many ways in the past, He will continue to do so in the year to come.

As the Christmas season draws near, our hearts once again turn to the humble manger where the newborn King was laid. He came to us but many did not recognise him. While we await his return, may we continue to persevere and serve Him wholeheartedly, pointing others to the Saviour they have yet to know.

Finally, may the knowledge of His coming fill you and your loved ones with His love, joy, peace, and the hope that only comes from knowing Christ.

Tan Lay Leng
Executive Director

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
2 Corinthians 9:15

Blessed Christmas