“(We) enjoy the blessings and challenges of living in a place very different than our own culture.”
--Michelle Sandeen, CCO missionary in Tanzania, East Africa
Diverse Backgrounds, Oneness in Purpose
Michelle has been attending Calvary Chapel Olympia since 1992, and Andrew became involved when he moved to the area in 2008. We appreciate Calvary’s passion for the Bible, and their commitment to teaching it.
Andrew’s background is in animal science and the dairy industry, and he also has a strong interest in music. Scripture Use, the area of Bible translation in which he will be involved, encompasses a wide range of possible activities, and we look forward to seeing how God has opportunities for using these gifts.
Michelle was a distance swimmer and Bible translation is certainly a long project requiring determination and perseverance. Also, she has always loved words and language, which led to her interest in linguistics.
Michelle is from Olympia, Washington and Andrew is originally from Portland, Oregon and has spent the last few years in southwest Washington.
Michelle received her BA from Hope College and her Masters from Trinity Western University. Andrew attended Ecola Bible College and received his BS from Oregon State University and his Masters from Ohio State University.
We serve in Tanzania, East Africa. Both of us have long been interested in sub-Saharan Africa. We are at a nine-language translation project in Tanzania and enjoy the blessings and challenges of living in a place very different than our own culture.
“Every language has its own way of telling stories. Because we want the Bible translations to sound natural we held a workshop to look at different kinds of oral texts. We explored discourse matters such as how characters are introduced, how dialogue is identified, how frequently dependent clauses are used, and where sounds are included. Now that we have this information, we can apply it when we are translating Scripture,” says Michelle.
Meanwhile, after Swahili school, Andrew will work in the specific category of “scripture use,” helping people understand how the Word applies to their everyday lives. He’ll employ a variety of media like video and audio, but he’ll also use other methods like silkscreened t-shirts.
As they serve God with the gift of language, Andrew and Michelle are also writing their own story: one perhaps destined to be filled not only with love for each other, but a love for adventure and following wherever God leads.
To read stories of Michelle and her Teammates' work in Tanzania and Uganda visit www.thetask.net/mara
To send a message of encouragement to the Sandeens, Email: Michelle or Andrew
To support the Sandeens financially, make checks payable to Wycliffe. Include a separate
note saying, “This gift is for the ministry of Andrew and Michelle Sandeen, account 226977.
Send to: ”Wycliffe Bible Translators, P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862-8200
To give online: Go to www.wycliffe.org/give and click on Missionary Ministries. Use account number 226977