BUHLER, Don and Jackie
Americas
“From Him (Christ), the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work” (Eph 4:16).
This verse describes Don and Jackie’s motivation: being present to address challenges, encourage, and do whatever it takes so that others can function effectively, allows Wycliffe Canada to accomplish its mission, and demonstrates the truth of this passage.
Don and Jackie married in 1982, while Jackie was training to be a nurse and Don worked on a bachelor of commerce degree. Later, Don completed his certified management accounting (CMA) designation while employed as an accountant.
In 1993, Don and Jackie felt challenged by a Wycliffe speaker, who urged his audience to consider a life beyond the direction they were headed. “In our faith journeys,” says Don, “we had developed a love for God’s Word so Wycliffe was a ‘natural’ choice for entering missions.”
The Buhlers joined Wycliffe in 1994. In September 1995, they arrived in Nairobi, Kenya with their three children, to begin working with SIL International, a Wycliffe partner doing Bible translation around the world. Don’s initial assignment was accountant for the eastern Zaire office, working from Nairobi, while Jackie served as medical liaison for colleagues living and working in Zaire. When their youngest child started school, Jackie joined the personnel department and soon realized that she loved to work with people.
Because of a shortage of qualified accountants, Don assisted in setting up a regional accounting office for the Bible translation task in eastern Africa, and began to train and mentor local accountants. This training continued after he moved into an Africa-wide role in 2003. During this time, he completed an MA in leadership from Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C.
Jackie continued her involvement in personnel as well as member care, and also served on an advisory group for the mobile member care team, a small organization dedicated to building resilience in cross-cultural workers.
In 2010, the Buhlers moved to Calgary, where Don served as vice-president of administration and Jackie served in Wycliffe Canada’s personnel department. Don left his role at the end of 2015, and is now chief financial officer (CFO) for SIL International. Based in Calgary, he travels to various meetings in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
Jackie also served as the vice-president of Wycliffe Canada’s people department. In that role, she helped build a team dedicated to helping Wycliffe Canada staff be successful in their roles. Since November 2016, she has served as senior VP of operations, assisting the president by overseeing the internal operations of Wycliffe Canada.