Additional News for February 2026

Seminary Second Semester

We began the second semester of this school year in early January. I have 25 Greek students and 9 Hebrew students, so they keep me busy! I have a good relationship with the students, and most evenings, there are at least half a dozen students hanging around my front porch: using the internet, doing homework, asking to use my printer, organizing payments for books they have ordered, and more! It makes my evenings busy, but happy!

 Library Work

I am the coordinator for the seminary library. Our library is divided into two sections: the French section and the English section. Several years ago we organized all the books in the French section, assigning Dewey decimal codes to all of them and training the student librarian on how to keep the books organized. It really made a difference, and it is much easier for the students to find the books they need in the French section.

However, we had never done much to organize the English section. Although there are many more books in this section, most of our students don't know much English, so these books don't get used as much. But in the interests of having a fully organized library, the seminary administrative counsel asked me to finish the inventory and organization of the English section. It's a big job, but I now have finished a full inventory (over 2000 books in the English section). As I find time, I've been adding Dewey codes to the books and getting them in order. 

As I took inventory of the books, I found many of them were in poor shape. Heat, dust, and termites don't do any good for books! Thankfully, it is possible to rebind the books quite cheaply using locally available materials. One of our current students, Tychique (pronounced tee-sheek), has been helping us to do the rebinding of the books, so that we can keep them available longer for our students. Thanks, Tychique!

Additional News: Starlink Connection Installed

 In October, I was able to install a Starlink internet connection, to replace my traditional satellite internet connection. The improved bandwidth has been amazing! For the first time since I've been in Chad, I have access to truly high-speed internet. I am very thankful for this new blessing!

Additional Prayer Request: Challenge with Visa

 For many years, we missionaries have had no difficulty renewing our visas in Chad. We have to renew them every year, but it is not difficult or very expensive. Current politics have created a significant problem, as the government is now refusing to renew visas on American passports. Fortunately, I am a dual citizen (American and Australian), which means I carry two different passports, but unfortunately it isn't just a simple matter of just switching out passports. My current Chadian visa expires next month, so I don't have much time to work it out. I am working on this option, I am optimistic it will ultimately work, but I certainly need your prayers.

Some Additional Prayer Requests for February 2025

Here are a few prayer requests that didn't fit into my most recent prayer letter: 

• For many decades, visas for Chad have been very affordable, costing around $50, though it must be renewed every year. But now there are changes being made to the immigration laws in Chad that would force every foreign missionary in Chad to pay for an expensive work permit costing around $900, which would need to be renewed every year. Previously religious workers have been exempt from this, but this change would mean we would no longer be exempt and would need to pay the additional $900 a year for the work permit (in addition to the $50 a year for the visa). Pray for the Lord's will to be done in this matter.
  
  
• Besides the two language groups that have finished their whole Bible, another language, the Ngamh, is preparing to print a trial edition of the book of Exodus. Pray we can get this trial edition ready to print in the coming months.
  
  
• Pray for the Sara Kaba Naa translation, which is still working on quality checking on their Bible and hope to print in the next couple years or so.
  
  
• This year we have adopted a new translation project: the Mbum-Nzakambay, a large language group which is spoken in Chad, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic. Pray for us as we prepare to give the translators and local committees the needed training so they can begin the translation work.

June 2024 Prayer Letter

Dear Prayer Supporters,

What if your adult Sunday school class or Bible study group was faced with the task of reading the entire Bible aloud together, from Genesis to Revelation? How long do you think it would take your group to do it, allowing for breaks for rest and meals? This is what the Sara Kaba Dem are doing as I write. If this sounds like a daunting task, you’re right! But it is the last major task which the team must accomplish before printing!

Sara Kaba Dem Begins Final Read-Through!

The Sara Kaba Dem translation committee has begun the huge task of reading through their entire Bible translation, as a final preparation step before publication. As they began this task in early June, they were overwhelmed by the volume of material they needed to read, but after a few days, they got into a good rhythm and were very much encouraged as they saw the work progressing well. After two weeks, they were already more than halfway through the Bible, and they are likely to finish well ahead of schedule! Pray for them as they continue this important task. Pray also for the Sara Madjingay team, that they will also be able to begin their read-through soon. They are nearly ready!

Graduation of 14 Bible college students

On May 18, fourteen students graduated from the Bible institute and theological seminary of Balimba. Because the cool rains of the early rainy season had not yet arrived, the weather was very hot at over 40°C (104°F), which made the ceremony exhausting, but God gave strength and we all rejoiced with the new graduates in spite of the heat.

The Bible institute will seek to recruit more students this year. Pray for Chadian men to answer God’s call to the harvest field!

Sara Kaba Naa and Ngamh Bibles

Although the Sara Kaba Dem and Sara Madjingay Bibles are nearly ready for publication, two other projects that I work with still have a ways to go. The Sara Kaba Naa are working on quality checking, but we have plenty left to do.

The Ngamh are still checking the main content of their Old Testament. We still need to check most of the prophetic books, some of the poetic books, and some other scattered sections of the Old Testament. Some of these books are among the most difficult ones to translate, so pray for this team.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

February 2024 Prayer Letter

Dear Prayer Supporters,

In the last couple months, two ministries I am involved in have hit significant milestones. First, two translation projects have completed a major stage on the road to printing the whole Bible in their language. Second, our school of theology has begun a new master’s program. Praise the Lord with us for the progress of these ministries!

Two Bible Translation Projects Hit a Milestone

For the last few years, we have been working on quality checking for the Sara Madjingay and Sara Kaba Dem Bibles (quality checks are a series of rigorous checks to ensure the consistency and quality of the entire Bible translation). In our workshops in January and February, we finally reached the end of all the quality checks we needed to do. We aren’t quite ready to print just yet, but the finish line is in sight, and we are excited!

The next task is to make final preparations to submit the text of the translation for approval by the team at the BI headquarters in Grand Rapids. For the past few weeks, I’ve been working hard on polishing up many technical details, such as checking the consistency of paragraph breaks, punctuation, and formatting of cross-references. Once the text is submitted and approved, the translation teams will need to read the entire Bible through to check they are satisfied with the translation. After that, the translation text will be formatted, as it will appear on the printed Bible. Then the team will check the translation one final time, and finally, we will be able to send it to be printed!

Please pray for us as we finish these exciting final stages of these two translation projects!

The Baptist School of Theology in Balimba Becomes a Seminary

For many years, there were no Baptist Bible schools in Chad that offer higher than a bachelor’s degree, our Baptist pastors who want higher levels of theological training had to travel to a seminary in neighboring Cameroon to study. The expense of traveling such a long way to study has prevented many academically capable Chadians from being able to seek a higher degree. So for the past several years, the Baptist School of Theology here in Balimba has been working on developing a masters’ degree program here in Chad. That vision was finally realized this month, as the first masters’ module was held with nine students, officially transforming our Bible school into a seminary. The courses will be taught as modules, allowing the students who take masters’ degree to continue their pastoral ministries while they study.

Since there are not enough Chadian men qualified to teach at the graduate level, the seminary in Cameroon has agreed to help out our new seminary by sending some of their professors to Chad several times a year to help teach the module classes. I am continuing to teach Greek and Hebrew at the undergraduate level, but I am excited to see this growth in our little Bible school here in Balimba!

One important need for the masters’ degree students is for books for their studies, but since most of them pastor churches outside the Sarh area, they do not have regular access to the school library, so they will need to get their own books. If you would like to help students to purchase books for their studies, please send your gift to Baptist Mid-Missions marked for the fund Chad Shepherd’s Bag.

Please pray with us for the teachers and the students of this new ministry endeavor.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

Update on Funding Need for the Sara Kaba Dem Bible

In my November 2023 prayer letter, I mentioned the need for $86,000 to print the Sara Kaba Dem Bible. Praise the Lord with us that this need has been met.

Can You Donate a Used Computer to a Seminary Student?

The students in our new masters’ degree program will need computers in order to write their research papers and send them via email to their professors. Of the nine master’s degree students, six do not own computers. Would you be willing to donate a used (but functioning) computer to a seminary or Bible college student?

Obviously, a computer cannot be mailed to Chad, but we have guests who visit us several times a year, and they are usually able to bring important items with them. If you have a computer you would be willing to donate, please let me know and we will find out who would be the next person from the US available to bring it with them.

November 2023 Prayer Letter

November 2023

Dear Prayer Supporters,

In my last prayer letter, I wrote from Australia where I was enjoying a short furlough. I'm now back in Chad, and I'm as busy as ever! Thank you for praying and for your support and encouragement!

Furlough in Australia

I successfully completed my short furlough in Australia at the end of August. God blessed my furlough abundantly. I originally planned to visit four supporting churches. I ended up visiting seven churches and speaking at three ladies' meetings. In each place, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of God's people and encouraged by the warm welcome I received. I returned from my short furlough feeling refreshed and encouraged – which was good, since as soon as I got back to my home in the village of Balimba, I hit the ground running!

Bible Translation

As I write, two Bible translation projects (the Sara Madjingay and Sara Kaba Dem) have reached a crucial stage. Both teams are in the process finishing the last of their quality checks – the series of rigorous tests which each Bible project undergoes near the end of the translation process. We are cleaning up some final issues and doing our best to find any mistakes we might still have missed. Once everyone is satisfied, the teams must read through the entire Bible from cover to cover, which is a huge task, as you might imagine! After that, the text will be formatted in preparation for printing. Please pray for me and for these two translation teams as we finish these crucial tasks.

As these two teams draw near to printing, there will be a need for funds to print these Bibles. The need is especially great for the Sara Kaba Dem Bible. $86,000 is still needed to be able to print this Bible. If you are able to contribute to this need, you may go to our website, www.biblesint.org, and click the “GIVE” button to designate your gifts. Choose “BI Languages” (under "Fund") and then scroll to the “Sara Kaba Dem Project" (under "Sub Fund").

In early November, we had a special guest: the manager of Bibles International's new Scripture Engagement Department. This department's goal is to help people to use God's Word as He intends us to. We don't only want people to have the Bible in their language; we also want them to use it effectively! We are really excited about what God will do through the Scripture Engagement ministry! Praise the Lord for an encouraging start and pray for God's continued blessing on this ministry.

Support Update

On advice from Baptist Mid-Missions' financial department, I have recently updated the estimate of my monthly support needs, in order to keep up with inflation. The new estimate indicates I am in need of about $437 per month additional support in order to cover all my regular financial needs. Thank you for praying about this need.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

August 2023 Prayer Letter

August 2023

Dear Prayer Supporters,

G’day from Australia! I’m about half-way through my two-month furlough to the country of my birth. The last couple months have been busy as ever, with plenty going on in two different continents: Australia and Africa!

June Guests

In June, I welcomed three American guests into my home – three single ladies who are serving the Lord. One has been the director of Bibles International’s linguistics department for some years. Another is a new B.I. coworker who has recently begun raising support to become a full-time translation consultant with B.I. The third is a student at Bob Jones University who had the opportunity to do her internship in Chad. Between the three of them, they helped analyze linguistic data for the Sara Kaba Naa and Ngamh languages, and assisted in translation workshops for the Sara Kaba Dem and Ngamh Bibles.

Why is it important to analyze linguistic data? Some of the information gleaned in these linguistic workshops is crucial in helping the nationals to write their own language consistently and correctly. For example, would you write the following compound words or phrases as one word, two words separated by a space, or two words separated by a hyphen? Healthcare, health care, or health-care? Jetlag, jet lag, or jet-lag? Levelheaded, level headed, or level-headed? Nonprofit, non profit, or non-profit? Even in English, we could probably argue about which of these is correct! But what do you do when you are writing a compound word or phrase for the first time ever in a language, and you have to decide where to put the spaces and hyphens? Without some objective, straightforward rules, you can end up with three or more different ways to write each compound word! This was exactly the case with the Sara Kaba Naa language: their language contains many compound words and phrases, and they didn’t always agree about where to put the spaces. With the help of our guests, they now have some specific rules that will help them to be more consistent in writing their own language.

Bread of Life Christian Bookstore

By God’s grace, the bookstore building was completed and had its opening day shortly before I left Chad for my short furlough. I was glad to turn over some aspects of the book ministry to my Chadian partners, especially the book sales. I will continue to help with finances, ordering books, and with the Shepherd’s Bag ministry which assists pastors and Bible college students to buy the books they need for their ministries. Pray for this ministry as it continues to grow.

July Travels

As the month of June drew to a close, I flew from Chad to Melbourne, Australia, for a two-month furlough. In the past four weeks, I have taken time off for sightseeing, visited three supporting churches, and studied for the Greek and Hebrew classes that I will be teaching in Chad this next school year. In the month of August, I will visit three more supporting churches, speak at two ladies’ meetings, continue my class preparation, and finally return to Chad at the end of August. It’s been a great visit so far, but I will be glad to get back to the ministry in Chad. Thank you for praying for me during this short furlough!

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

June 2023 prayer letter

Dear Prayer Supporters,

“Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.” (Eccl. 7:8) These past few months have seen several important ministry projects drawing near a conclusion! Two Bible translation projects are approaching the final stages, the bookstore project is nearly finished, and five men have just finished their studies and graduated from the theological school. We continue to look forward to what God will do through these ministries.

Bible Translation

Two of the Bible translation projects I work with, the Sara Kaba Dem and Sara Madjingay, are getting close enough to the end of the translation process that we are seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Among our remaining tasks are finishing a topical index and a glossary for each project, finishing spelling checks, and some general “clean-up” tasks. After these tasks are finished, the language committees will read through the entire Bible to check that they are satisfied with everything. The next step after that will be to send it to the page formatter to prepare it for printing! Please keep praying for us, as these final stages are critical, and although it is exciting to be nearing the end of these projects at last, the translation teams are all tired after so many years of hard work. Pray that they will not become discouraged.

Bread of Life Christian Bookstore

We are also getting close to finishing this project! The bookstore building itself is finished, but we are still building proper housing for the bookstore manager. This should be finished by July, so it shouldn’t be long before the bookstore can be opened for business! The book ministry has definitely outgrown my house (I have boxes of books in nearly every room of my house!), so I’m looking forward to seeing the ministry be able to grow and reach more people. Thank you for your continued prayers for this ministry.

Bible School

On May 20, we completed another school year with the graduation of five students from the theological school of Balimba. We will miss them here in Balimba, but we look forward to seeing God use them in ministry in the years to come. Please pray for these young men as they begin their ministries.

New Guests

As I write, I am hosting three American guests: one is an experienced linguistics consultant from Bibles International, one is a new translation consultant who is still in training, and the third is an intern. Please pray for their ministries while they are here in Chad, and for God’s leading in the future ministries of the new consultant and the intern.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

February Prayer Letter

Dear Prayer Supporters,

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Ps. 12:6) Why take such meticulous care in translating the Bible? Because it is God’s Word, a treasure far greater than any amount of earthly silver!

Translation Update

How do you go about running spelling checks on the entire Bible, with no automatic spell-checker, and no dictionary? This is the challenge we face when we need to check spelling on our Bible translations! The word processing software on your computer has an internal dictionary that the software developers built into the program, but regular software programs have no internal dictionary for languages such as Sara Madjingay, which have very little written material available. So how do we check spelling, especially in a book as large as the Bible?

The software tools we use to check spelling are somewhat similar to the spell checker on your computer, but it is a much more manual process. We first have to “tell” the dictionary which spellings are correct or incorrect, by going through a list of all the words in the entire translation and marking each word “valid” or “invalid”. As we do this, we can make global changes to correct the wrong spellings. Our software has other powerful tools that allow us to run additional checks, such as comparing several words with similar spellings. It’s very tedious work! Each of the three translation projects I am working with has undergone rigorous spelling checks within the last several months. I am thankful for the translators’ faithfulness in working cheerfully through these difficult tasks!

Short Furlough Plans

Plans for my short furlough to Australia are moving ahead well. I have plane tickets! I will arrive in Australia on 1 July and return to Chad on 31 August. I am scheduled to visit four churches while I’m there. I also hope to see some of my old friends again, so if you are in the Melbourne area during that time and would like to get together, I’d love to arrange something with you.

Shepherd's Bag Ministry

After many months of searching, praying, and preparation, we have finally begun building the bookstore building! Please pray that this bookstore will be a blessing to many people, helping to provide Chadians with resources to better study God’s Word.

Update on the Unrest

Thankfully, the unrest from last October has since calmed down, though the situation is not truly resolved and there is still some tension. But things are quiet for now.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell