What are you truly grateful for? If you’re like many of us, it’s easy to go to the big things: good health, a job, family and friends.

But what about the smaller blessings that we can so easily take for granted? Blessings like a breeze that cools you on your run, the smell of freshly cut grass, the pleasure of sitting down in a comfy seat, or the laughter you share with someone you love. It can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and lose sight of the opportunities all around us for gratitude.

In 1897, Johnson Oatman Jr. wrote the lyrics to a hymn called “Count Your Blessings”:

• Count your blessings, name them one by one;


• Count your blessings, see what God hath done;


• Count your blessings, name them one by one,


• And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

This song’s request might seem easy, but have you actually tried to count your blessings, naming them one by one? It requires a level of concentration and specificity, yet it opens our eyes to see the thousand ways God blesses us each and every day.

God Sightings Among the Nations: Counting Our Blessings, One By One

Psalm 103:1-2 says, “Let all that I am praise the Lᴏʀᴅ; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lᴏʀᴅ; may I never forget the good things he does for me” (NLT).

In the spirit of this, we want to take a minute to name just a few of the blessings we’ve experienced recently! At Wycliffe, we call this practice “God Sightings,” and it’s the act of intentionally stopping to acknowledge: “God, we see how You showed up in that situation or circumstance. Thank you!”

• In January 2024, Wycliffe’s President/CEO John Chesnut and a team had the opportunity to visit Nigeria and Madagascar to see firsthand how God is raising up local churches to take ownership of Bible translation for their communities and countries. Nigeria has historically been a country with some of the highest Bible translation needs in the world. In 2022, there were still more than 250 languages that needed Bible translation to start for the first time. Now there are only a few dozen, and this is all because God is uniting His Church to work together in pursuit of a day when all people can worship Him in their own languages!


• In February 2024, the Kaluli people of Papua New Guinea dedicated their New Testament! A stunning rainbow appeared in the sky at the end of the day, which felt like God’s seal on the beautiful service during which His Word was presented to the Kaluli people. One end of the rainbow ended at the grandstand where the Kaluli Scriptures were being dedicated — a lovely reminder of God’s faithful, enduring promises to His people and the treasure we have in His Word.
  

  

  
  


• In March 2024, the Sukacita Cluster project in Indonesia was approved to launch. Sukacita is the Bahasa Indonesian word for "joy." This translation project seeks to bring the joy of the Lord to 30 people groups by mobilizing local churches and communities to participate in translating the entire New Testament into all 30 languages over the next four years! This accelerated pace will only be possible because of local church ownership and involvement, and we are excited to see how God moves in these communities!


• In April 2024, we celebrated that there were just 1,216 “Vision 2025” languages waiting for Bible translation to start for the first time. And 83 countries had achieved Vision 2025!


• In May 2024, we launched new prayer opportunities to invite people to participate in Bible translation through prayer. Journey 7:9 invites you on a journey to prayerfully imagine people from every nation worshipping before the throne, just as we see described in Revelation 7:9. Since then, we’ve seen more than 4,000 people sign up for Journey 7:9, and our hope is that they will continue to partner with us through praying for the day when every man, woman and child is able to worship Jesus in their language. (If you’re one of those 4,000 people, thank you for joining us on this journey! And if you haven’t yet decided on a next step with Wycliffe, we encourage you to check it out.)


• In June 2024, we celebrated alongside our Deaf brothers and sisters who, for the first time in history, had the unique opportunity to experience the story of Jesus presented as a feature film entirely in American Sign Language. “JESUS: A Deaf Missions film” was produced for the Deaf by the Deaf, with a cast fluent in American Sign Language.


• In July 2024, the Sihanaka Bible was dedicated in Madagascar! This project was owned by local churches who saw the need for Scripture in their language so that their people could experience God personally in their own language. Olivia Razafinjatoniary, a translation consultant with SIL South Africa, shared, “Bible translation in the local language gives people the dignity and the honor that they deserve. They feel like they own it, that God didn’t leave them alone. That they are not obliged to learn the official language as God can speak their language, and God can communicate directly with them in their own language. To them, even if the Bible that has been printed is still in a draft version, to them it is precious. It’s their wealth, their treasure. And it’s so precious to them.”


• In August 2024, three projects were approved to launch Bible translation in 40 languages across Ghana, Nigeria, South Sudan and Gabon. As a result of these projects, there will be zero people groups in Ghana, South Sudan and Gabon without Scripture in their language! And the number of remaining needs in Nigeria continues to decrease. Join us in praying for the teams involved and the anticipated impact on these 40 communities!


• In September 2024, we hosted our Fall Scripture Celebration to rejoice with communities around the world who have received Scripture in their own language.


• In October 2024, we reached the incredible milestone of having fewer than 1,000 Vision 2025 languages remaining! Officially, just 980 are awaiting the start of Bible translation. We praise God for this! Through a global lens, there are now 105 countries that have achieved Vision 2025, with another 81 that have only one language needing to start translation. We are excited to see this momentum continue; today, on average, a new Bible translation starts every 14 hours — a significant decrease from the average of 120 hours it took just three years ago!
  

  

  
  

Which leads us to now: November 2024. As we wrap up the year, these highlights provide a mere glimpse of the ways we’ve seen God show up and move. We praise God for all that He has done, and may we never forget to stop and intentionally count our blessings!

The Blessing of Partnership

As we count our blessings, we can’t forget to include you! We want to thank you for the role you play in seeing God’s name made known among the nations in the languages and formats that people not only clearly understand but that capture their hearts and transform their lives forever.

• If you partner with us in prayer, thank you for praying! We firmly believe that God answers prayers, and we are so grateful that you’ve linked arms with us to both praise God for what He has already done and faithfully pray with anticipation for what He will continue to do.


• If you partner with us through giving, thank you for your generosity. As believers, we have the joy and privilege of partnering with God and seeing lives transformed when people encounter Him through Scripture in their own language. We are blessed to be a blessing — and we pray that you experience incredible joy through Spirit-led giving.


• If you advocate for Bible translation and invite others — whether in your community or in your church — to participate in this work, thank you! God has called His people to make disciples of all nations, and there is a feeling of belonging when we unite to accomplish His purposes.


• And if you have dedicated your life to serving — whether as a staff person or volunteer — we are so grateful for your commitment to this Kingdom work. May we never lose sight of the blessing it is to be able to serve as Jesus’ hands and feet in the different settings He’s placed us.

There is so much to thank God for! What would you add to the list?

Track the Progress: Vision 2025

Around the world, Vision 2025 — a God-sized goal to see a translation program in progress in every language still needing one by the year 2025 — is being accomplished. Track the progress and sign up for weekly updates that will keep you inspired and encouraged by the latest news!

Text SIGHTINGS to 407-358-0916.