The Ways That The Saviour Leads Us
This month we are excited to celebrate the lifelong service of Eleanor McAlpine, one of our longest supported missionaries.
Originally from Burlington, Ontario, Eleanor’s career of more than five decades took her around the world from Jungle camp to trekking the Himalayas.
In this Missional Moment, we talk to Eleanor about her extraordinary journey.
“As Job in 23:10 said, “He knows the way that I take’, the Lord knew His plans for me. I needed to be content to take a step at a time and be sure I was always where He wanted me to be doing what He wanted me to do.”
~ Taken from All The Way My Saviour Leads Me by Eleanor McAlpine
Can you describe to us what your work consisted of with Wycliffe Translators?
I was first assigned as the secretary to John Beekman, the first International Translation Coordinator, for four years in Mexico and nine years in Dallas, Texas. I typed his correspondence with translators and consultants around the world, looked after his files, organized his library, selected, edited, and typed articles for journals, edited and typed the book Translating the Word of God by Beekman and Callow for publication and materials he produced for workshops, reports, etc. When John Beekman went to be with the Lord in August 1980, I continued working in the Translation Department for another seven months.
In December 1980, at a programme about India, it was mentioned that Canadians didn’t need visas for India. Americans found it impossible to continue working in India because of new visa restrictions. The one sitting beside me said, “You are Canadian.” That started me thinking, and I came to the conclusion that the Lord was leading me to work in India.
IICCC Students and Staff, Nasik
I was in South Asia (India and Nepal) from 1981 to 2004. First, I was at the school for training Indians as Bible translators, serving as secretary to the Principal and in later years organizing the library. (I later worked on libraries in Nepal and briefly in Pakistan and Germany.) Between courses, I typed New Testaments in various scripts, language survey reports, and worked on dictionaries and other projects to help the translators.
In 2004, I returned to Canada and worked on Remote Assignment to India on various projects, including typing New Testaments and editing materials for people.
IICCC Students and Staff, Nasik
Can you tell us how you made the transition from working at a life insurance company to working for Wycliffe Bible Translators?
Shortly after I started at Sun Life Assurance Company in Hamilton, we had a speaker from Wycliffe Bible Translators at church*. I was interested in what I heard and kept the pamphlets, but having just started my job, I didn’t think I could quit so soon. I continued at Sun Life and forgot about it for a while.
However, while working at Sun Life, I started studying Spanish from a book Spanish Made Simple, inspired by a comment in a message given at church* by Bert Barber, a missionary supported by our church who with his wife worked in Central America.
After six years at Sun Life, I felt that the work was just a means to earn a living. I wanted to be involved in something of more lasting value—to serve the Lord in some way. I began searching in Moody Monthly and Eternity magazine for ideas.
Then, on WDCX, a Christian FM radio station, I heard Billy Graham several times announce the personnel needs of Wycliffe Bible Translators, including the need for secretaries. I remembered the pamphlets and looked them up. On July 29, 1966, while working at Sun Life, I wrote to Wycliffe Bible Translators about serving as a secretary and took the training.
*Freeman Gospel Tabernacle (later Brant Street Bible Church, Brant Bible Church, Compass Point Bible Church) supported me financially and in prayer from the beginning.
The bridge without boards that was crossed en route to Helambu Region
You have travelled to so many places and have so many stories to tell, can you share one story that greatly impacted your walk with God?
I find it difficult to think of one specific story of an event that greatly impacted my walk with God. What has impacted my walk with God has been experiencing God’s faithfulness, protection, and His provision over the years as well as people’s prayers. A great influence in my life has been emulating my parents example and values, e.g., not going into debt (“owe no man anything except the debt of love”) and the influence in my early years of the church through pastors and Sunday school teachers, such as a lot of Scripture memorization and inspiring good Bible reading habits.
Examples of God’s protection is my survival of a number of dangerous situations on trails in Nepal where it seemed almost impossible to proceed safely. Examples of God’s provision of health, strength and wisdom are the many times He provided the health and strength needed to accomplish seemingly impossible amounts of work in a limited time. Financially, I have experienced periods of being in need and periods of abounding. The Lord enabled me in both situations to adjust and make wise use of all that He provided through my supporters or in other ways.
The bridge without boards that was crossed en route to Helambu Region
All The Way My Saviour Leads, by Eleanor McAlpine
Now that you have retired, what does the next journey in your life look like, and how can our Compass Point Community continue to keep you in prayer?
As of May 1, I will resume work with Global Publishing Services as an editor with the Summer Institute of Linguistics, but as a volunteer, for sixteen hours a week. I was doing this work, along with my work for India and elsewhere, since September 2018 but not from February to April during the winding down period since retiring from Wycliffe on January 31, so, they have five language survey reports and one or more books ready for me to edit in preparation for publication.
I think life will go on much the same as before and would appreciate your continued prayers for health, strength, and wisdom in the work. Otherwise, I expect to continue gardening, reading, jigsaw puzzles, relating to family and friends, Scrabble, if opportunities arise, and church activities.
Eleanor’s book, All The Way My Saviour Leads Me is available for borrowing in our Compass Point Library.