From David Tan, Executive Director
2020 started on fairly normal note for Wycliffe Singapore. However, with COVID-19, things have been rather disrupted. The first to go were the events in the earlier part of the year. The Culture Meets Scripture workshop planned for March, which had over 30 people signed up, had to be cancelled, to the disappointment of many who were looking forward to it. Next to go was the annual Camp Wycliffe in Thailand which is usually held in May. Several trips to meetings and workshops overseas were also cancelled. It seems fairly certain that events and trips in the second half of the year will likewise be affected.
Secondly, with flights being reduced and borders closing, quite a number of our members who were based overseas had to leave the field hurriedly. Most managed to return to Singapore smoothly and safely. One family that was heading to Europe had to face a separation as one member who was holding a different passport was prevented by the airline from boarding the flight. He served the 14-day Stay-Home Notice in Singapore, and has now been reunited with the rest of his family in Europe. There are several members who are still overseas; we pray for God’s protection over them, and that they will be a blessing where they are.
On the home front, we had to make some changes. The 1-metre separation rule meant that we had to restructure how we worked and the staff had to take it in turn to work from home. Now during the "circuit breaker" period, we are all working from home and holding our meetings online.
All of the above have been rather disruptive. We hope that with God’s grace and some creativity, we will still be able to continue our ministry to mobilize more workers and resources to transform the world through the translated word. Do keep us in prayer.