Happy 2024! I have some exciting news to share with you. I now have a regular full-time assignment with Wycliffe USA! Here are the details.
I joined Wycliffe Bible Translators USA in September 2022. My first task was to build a team of prayer and financial partners to sustain me in my Wycliffe ministry. Through most of 2023, my team of partners grew slowly. But by the end of my first year as a Wycliffe missionary, monthly contributions from my financial partners were still far short of what I needed to take on a full-time Wycliffe assignment. But in October, God moved a key financial partner to commit to contributing the rest of my monthly ministry budget. In November 2023, Wycliffe USA approved me to take up a full-time ministry assignment. But what would my new ministry be?
During 2023, I had been teaching part-time at Dallas International University (DIU), which is a key center in the U.S. for training Bible translators and also workers for other types of cross-cultural Christian ministries. Many DIU students are members of Wycliffe USA. I loved teaching courses at DIU, so I approached the administration about a full-time position. After much prayer and several meetings with DIU, I was offered a full-time post as an Assistant Professor in the Applied Anthropology Department. My Wycliffe supervisor agreed to the appointment, and I began my new assignment in January 2024. What a thrill for me to be teaching full-time at DIU!
There was just one issue still to be resolved. My wife, Paula, and I make our home in the Oklahoma City area, but DIU is located in Dallas, Texas. At first, the DIU administration told me that to teach full-time I would have to move to Dallas. We didn’t want even to think about moving. We have family here in the OKC area, and the cost of such a move would be prohibitive.
But as He always does, God had a plan. I talked with the DIU administration and I pointed out that while I was teaching part-time, I had taught all my courses over the internet from my home office in Oklahoma. During that time, most of my students did not live in Dallas, but in various states of the U.S. and several countries around the world. This Spring 2024 semester, my students live in three different countries, so I will have to teach my classes over the Internet, no matter where I live. The DIU administration has a vision for more of our students to come from around the globe. After praying and considering the options, they agreed that I could become a full-time professor and continue to live and teach from my home in Oklahoma. Praise the Lord!
As you can see, the last months of 2023 and the first month of 2024 have brought many answers to prayer! Among them is the way God has provided for my ministry budget through my faithful team of prayer and financial partners. Your commitment to lift me up in prayer and give monthly to my Wycliffe ministry makes it possible for me to serve in the place God has called me to. Thank you so much, and may God give you a blessed 2024.
DIU Welcomes Highest Enrollment Ever
DIU is growing! In our Fall, 2023 semester, we had the highest enrollment for a single term ever! About 25 percent of those enrolled were new students, and these included our our largest freshman class ever. Now, in 2024, our enrollment continues to stay strong.
We are excited to expand our efforts to prepare global leaders in cross-cultural ministry and to partner with local communities around the world. We are also excited to discover how these new students will enrich our DIU community. If you would like to learn more about Dallas International University, check out our website at DIU.edu.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all things”
In 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, the apostle Paul gives the Thessalonians—and us—these instructions: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? It is God’s will for us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. So, for the first quarter of 2024, I want to share with you 1) an answer to prayer, so you can rejoice with me, 2) a prayer request, which you can lift up to God with me, and 3) a reason for us all to give thanks to God together.
- Rejoice that Dallas International University is growing and that many new students are learning how to better serve God in cross-cultural contexts here in the U.S. and around the world!
- Give thanks that the translation for Colombian Sign Language (CSL), the official sign language for Deaf people in Colombia, is progressing well. More than 554,000 people use CSL for their communication needs.
For more about how you can pray for the ministry of Wycliffe Bible Translators, go to Wycliffe.org/prayer - Pray that God will raise up translation teams and finances to begin Bible translation projects in the 1,336 languages, spoken by 99.8 million people, who still have no part of the Bible in their language.
Co-Workers in God’s Service
In 1 Corinthians, Paul teaches a fundamental principle of building God’s Kingdom. He writes, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow … The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose. … For we are co-workers in God’s service” (1 Corinthians 3:6, 8-9 NIV).
That’s what you and I are: Co-workers in God’s service! I work daily at Dallas International University, training current and future cross-cultural Christian workers to make sense of the new cultures they will serve. And you work hard every day at your job, doing it for God’s glory, so that you can support your local church and so that you can partner with me in the ministry of Wycliffe Bible Translators. And that makes us co-workers with each other and with God. What an amazing privilege we have to serve God together!
As your co-worker, I invite you to partner with my Wycliffe ministry through prayer and regular giving. If you are ready to do this, please go to Wycliffe.org/partner/philtroutman and click “PRAY AND STAY CONNECTED” to become a prayer partner, and click “GIVE” to become a financial partner. Together, we can make God’s Word available to all peoples!
MissioPhil 