Wes & Nancy March 2021 Prayer Requests

Greetings from North Carolina. I rode my bike yesterday, which shows not only we had pretty good weather, but my ankle is doing well post-surgery. I am walking without a limp.

A number of the Collins’ most recent students are now missionaries in rural Venezuela. Venezuela is a country in upheaval and, of course, the poor are the most affected. On top of the nation’s mismanagement and hyperinflation lurks the pandemic.

*Pray for the churches. Pray that the outreach to the needy would be multi-layered and effective.

*Pray for God’s mercy on this once wealthy nation.

Thanks,

Wes

Wes & Nancy February 2021 Prayer Requests

Praise God that Wes’s ankle replacement surgery was successful. There is another month of physical therapy involved, but the cast and the boot are gone and leisurely walking is prescribed. Pray for continued healing.

Collins Family: 2020 in Retrospect

 Here’s our Retrospect for 2020.

Best,

Wes and Nancy Collins

Wes & Nancy January 2021 Prayer Requests

*Pray for the people of Guatemala and Honduras who are dealing with the loss of homes and crops in the recent hurricanes. The winds last only hours, but the aftermath and loss affect people and communities for a long time. May God have mercy.

*Wes had his first PT session. His ankle is coming along well. It has been 7 weeks since surgery. He is starting to feel that he could reach his goal—hiking with Nancy with no pain. Pray for perseverance in physical therapy and for continued good healing for Wes' ankle.

Wes & Nancy December 2020 Prayer Requests

*Pray for Christmas season virtual programs among the Mam people and among minority groups and others around the world who have been thrust into the digital age. A year ago, “Who’d a thunk it?" The Scriptures in the “heart language" are new for many people groups. Pray that Christmas is a great time of encouragement.

*Praise God Wes is  three weeks out from his surgery and feeling pretty well. Just a little aching, and minimal aspirin for pain. Swelling is down and he is sleeping well. Pray for contiued healing for Wes' ankle.

Wes & Nancy November 2020 Prayer Requests

* Pray for Byron and Samuel who are heading up the Old Testament read-through. They head up a team of seven. May God help them to catch errors and to continue with love, joy, and clarity.

* Thank God that Wes' ankle surgery went well. Please pray that he will heal without complications.

Wes & Nancy October 2020 Prayer Requests

* Pray for Wes who is having ankle replacement surgery on October 28. Pray that he will heal well and quickly.

* Pray also for his sister-in-law, Regina, who has bladder cancer.

* Wes continues to work on his book about the history of Mam writing. Pray that this document will encourage the people to respect and delve into the meaning, fluidity, and comfort of reading the Scriptures in their native language.

Wes & Nancy September 2020 Prayer Requests

Pray for Byron, a man of many talents and deep faith. His radio program is considered “essential service” in his home town and outlying areas. He has been a fount of information about the coronavirus and about news throughout the area while providing daily Scripture reading and comments.

He says his voice is about shot and his doctor has asked him to take it easy. Pray for a good solution. People depend on him for news and Christin encouragement. The radio program is funded by the local Mam churches and friends.

Wes & Nancy August 2020 Prayer Requests

*Literacy classes and Old Testament editing are moving full steam ahead in hope of completing the publication of the Central Mam Bible this year. Workers are still in lockdown but learning rapidly.

Collins Family July 2020 Update

Nancy and I joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1977, two years into our 45-years-and-counting marriage. We studied linguistics and cross-cultural ministry, and then traveled to Guatemala in 1979 when Nancy was 7 months pregnant with Elisa, our firstborn. Eventually Amalia and Isaac joined the family, all three kids born in Guatemala. We lived in a Maya-Mam Indian village for most of the next 19 years, concentrating on learning the Mam language and translating the New Testament into Mam, which was dedicated in 1999.

During our time in Guatemala, Nancy home-schooled the kids, and also established a rural clinic. In 2000 I entered the ivied walls of the Linguistics Department at the Ohio State University. I received my PhD in 2005, and several months later, Nancy and I traveled to Ricardo Palma University in Lima, Peru, where I taught linguistics and “culture engagement” courses for the next 13 years. During this time, I had over 300 students, mostly Latino, but also Indigenous. The majority of these former students are now involved in cross-cultural ministry, especially Bible translation and literacy, around the world.

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