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Knightlife

An update from T.R. and Angie Knight
Serving with SIL International - Language Technology

Quote from Mr. Rogers "Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It's an active noun like 'struggle'. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now."

February 2024 - When you are getting married and say the vows “in sickness and in health” you don’t have an inkling of what that promise will mean in the future. Angie and I surely did not expect her to be diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis early in our marriage and to have the increasing complications of that disease and related health issues over the decades. We had a very difficult end of 2023 that continued into this year. Much of February has been very focused on Angie’s ongoing health challenges and we feel we are finally seeing some healing and resolution. We thought it would be good to share some more detailed updates for all of you who have been praying for us.


The jaw pain that has been ongoing since October has now begun to decline after Botox-related shots from her neurologist. They say it could be weeks before we will know if this fully removes the pain or if further shots will be necessary. Her leg infection that started in January has finally healed, and the scars are fading. We now know it is an adult-onset allergy to latex and latex-adjacent materials. We are working to find alternatives for bandages, wraps, and such for her. Angie’s Multiple Sclerosis did not take a back seat during all these challenges, it has continued to progress and has been impacting her posture and attentiveness most recently. We have a new seat back for her wheelchair which is helping her sit up with better posture. We also have begun a new medication to help her focus her thoughts and memories better throughout the day. Love is an active word like Mr. Rogers says in the quote above, and T.R. shares his love through his caregiving of Angie.


T.R. balances these caregiver duties with his SIL responsibilities. He has been busy at work finalizing the 2024 budgets (yeah, major issues put those significantly behind this year) and leading the logistical planning for the biennial Language Technology Conference (LTCon 2024) which is coming up March 11 to 15 at the International Linguistics Center in Dallas, TX. Somehow, outside of caregiving and working at SIL, he still finds time for hobbies like gaming, cooking, and gardening.


God at Work


“God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.” - Hudson Taylor

Here are some things He has done recently:

  • Innovation is something that is valued in SIL. In February, staff from around the organization attended the Innovation CONFAB meetings put on by the IDX department (Innovation, Development & Experimentation). They have a site called the Opportunity Network (for SIL Staff) that allows the submission of new and innovative ideas for consideration. Their goal is to foster a culture of innovation in SIL that builds the capacity to develop new ideas into programs and capabilities. It is exciting to know that our ideas are valued!

  • Besides the annual CONFAB meetings, there are regional innovation meetings happening.  Asia has had two meetings so far, with the third scheduled for September. The event was focusing on local participation, but now it has grown to allow outside attendees. The Americas has an innovation conference planned for 2025.


I hope this small glimpse encourages you to see what God is doing through all of us serving at SIL International.


Prayer and Praise

  • Praise that Angie’s leg infection finally healed and we are now aware of the cause, she has a latex and latex adjacent allergy. Knowing means we can work to prevent this in the future.

  • Praise that we have so many wonderful college students applying for our summer internships.

  • Praise that we are in process of recruiting three missionaries for Language Technology teams.

  • Please pray as Angie continues to struggle with health issues in addition to her Multiple Sclerosis. While we have a possible treatment for her jaw pain, she has not seen improvement yet and may not for a week or more as the medication begins to work.

  • Please pray for Angie’s mother, Betty, whose cancer has returned a third time and is currently undergoing treatment. The family is praying together and supporting each other.

  • Please continue to pray for an unspoken prayer request that has our hearts troubled.

  • Please let us know how we can be praying for you!


Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

In Him,
T.R. and Angie Knight

An “inconceivably” wonderful time…

The Princess Bride - An Inconceivable evening with Cary Elwes

The Princess Bride is my all-time favorite movie. How can it not be with “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...”. Angie, our daughter Emily, and I went to see the movie on the big screen (first time I ever saw it in a theater) and listen to Cary Elwes talking about his experiences making the movie. I was honored to have my question be one of the four audience questions chosen to be answered. “Why is The Princess Bride so beloved still to this day?” He talked for quite a while on how timeless it is, family friendly in a time when so many movies are not, and about love in its purest sense.

T.R. and Angie dressed as Princess Buttercup (red dress in movie) and Westley in his Dread Pirate Roberts black outfit.

We decided to do some casual Cosplay for the event (Cosplay is the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game). We are casually dressed as Princess Buttercup (red dress in movie) and Westley in his Dread Pirate Roberts black outfit.

How can you support the work we are doing with SIL International?

Glad you asked! T.R. is currently in a fully funded position in his role as Director of Bible Translation Software. The finances come from a funding organization devoted to innovation in Bible Translation. Because T.R.’s position is fully funded, we are not currently requesting you to partner with us financially. What we could use the most are your prayers and encouragement. If you would like to financially support the work that SIL does, you can give online or via check. If you give online, you can designate Language Technology or any of our specific projects that interest you. If you give via check, you can include in the note field a designation of Bible Translation Software - KBTD16. Thank you for your prayers and support.