Discovering new passions

ABOVE PHOTO BY MARK EWELL

I once thought linguistics was not my thing. I failed badly in Indonesian when I was in school and the sciences excited me more. But God changed my mind.

Through a couple of service opportunities I was called on to interpret and translate programs into Indonesian. I discovered a new passion – connecting with the people that I went to serve. Language enabled me to do that.

Two years ago, I was seeking people to partner with me. I was a new member of Wycliffe Australia and needed prayer partners and sponsors to join me before I started working with the organisation. I was working for the Plain English Foundation at the time, and it gave me a range of useful experience in the information and communication technology (ICT) field to bring to Wycliffe Australia.

Though partnership development started very slowly, it somehow accelerated just in time to meet the time frame that Wycliffe and we had prayed for. It was clearly God’s doing and his timing.

I started serving at Wycliffe Australia’s National Centre about a year ago, seeking to improve the ICT systems to help my colleagues do their work. It’s a blessing to see how this helps to communicate the Bible in the languages of many people groups more smoothly. Even though I am not a linguist, I am able to contribute to this communication channel that I have become passionate about.

About the Author: John Tan, IT Manager, Wycliffe National Centre (Australia). Find out more