Grace and Provision | Wycliffe Bible Translators
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Grace and Provision

  • May 30, 2017

Over the last 75 years as an organization, Wycliffe has seen lives transformed when people receive the Word of God in the language they understand best. The following is a brief bio of Nard Pugyao, originally shared at a Wycliffe event. In it, he details how his encounter with the Bible in his own language led to a dramatic journey of faith.

Nard and his siblings
Nard (center) and his siblings.

Nard Pugyao traces the hand of God on his life through the work of Bible translation. In 1956, Wycliffe Bible translator Dick Roe arrived in Nard’s mountain village of Dibagat in the Philippines. Nard watched Dick learn his Isnag language and begin to translate the Gospel of Mark.

Nard with translator Dick Roe
Nard with translator Dick Roe.

Curious about a God who had power over the spirit world, Nard began to study the booklet. He was shocked to read about an all-powerful God who allowed his son to be killed. Nard shook his fist at God and demanded to know why he hadn’t protected his son. God answered him, “Nard, I did that for you.”

Reading the rest of the booklet, Nard encountered a risen Christ who had victory over sin and death, and he gave his heart to Jesus. Before long, Nard felt God’s call to Bible translation and aviation. In a dramatic story of God’s grace and provision, Nard came to the United States, where he studied Bible and aviation.

After years of service with Wycliffe Bible Translators and aviation training to become a JAARS pilot/mechanic, Nard’s dream was fulfilled on June 24, 1982, when he landed in Dibagat with the first 500 copies of the Isnag New Testament and placed them in the hands of his people.

Praise God for the way that he worked in Nard’s life and continues to work in the lives of people all around the world through Bible translation. Read more stories just like Nard’s about the hope and life transformation that happens when people understand God's Word in their own language.