My Testimony

I was raised in a wonderful, God-honoring home by missionary parents in Australia, Steve and Jan Wivell. My grandparents, Claude and Anna Mary Wivell, were also missionaries for many years in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Maine, USA. But this godly heritage did not give me any head start on heaven; I was a lost sinner, deserving of hell (Romans 3:23). At the age of 5, I trusted in Christ alone for my salvation (Acts 4:12). Within the next year or so, I began to have my own private devotions and was baptized.

When I was about 8 years old, God used the story of pioneer missionary Mary Slessor to burden my heart for missionary service in Africa. Throughout my childhood years, my burden for Africa continued. In 1999, during my first summer break from Bible college, I developed a love for the Hebrew language through one of my dad's computer programs. I continued to study Hebrew, but more as a hobby than as a primary focus of future ministry. In 2002, God used a missions trip to Zambia, Africa, to help me realize that God was leading me to join Bibles International as a translation consultant. He has given me a passion for Bible translation work, and I am eager to serve Him in this very needy and essential ministry.