Nard Pugyao traces the hand of God on his life through the work of Bible translation, even before his birth. Nard was a feisty 7-year-old in 1956 when Wycliffe Bible translator Dick Roe arrived in his mountain village of Dibagat in the Philippines. Nard watched Dick learn his Isnag language and begin to translate the Gospel of Mark. Curious about a God who had power over the spirit world, Nard took the booklet to read for himself.

One day, alone on a rock by the Apayao River, he was shocked to read about an all powerful God who allowed His Son to be killed. Nard shook his fist at God and demanded to know why He hadn’t protected His Son. God answered him, “Nard, I did that for you.” Reading the rest of the booklet, Nard encountered a risen Christ who had victory over sin and death. Finally understanding God’s sacrificial love, Nard dropped to his knees and gave his heart to Jesus.

As Nard grew in his faith, Dick encouraged him to study hard. Before long, Nard felt God’s call to Bible translation and aviation. He was a first-generation Christian from a remote village and an unlikely candidate for a missionary pilot/mechanic. But in a dramatic story of God’s grace and provision, Nard came to the States and studied Bible and aviation at LeTourneau College and Moody Bible Institute.

In 1976 Nard married Sandy, a Wycliffe MK, and the newlyweds joined Wycliffe Bible Translators. Two more years of aviation training qualified Nard to be a JAARS pilot/mechanic. Finally returning to Nard’s homeland in 1979, they served eight years, Nard as a JAARS airplane and helicopter pilot/mechanic and Sandy as a teacher.

Meanwhile, the Isnag translation work continued. Rudy Barlaan, a Filipino linguist, joined Dick in 1971, and together they finished the New Testament in 1980. Nard’s dream was fulfilled on June 24, 1982 when he landed in Dibagat with the first 500 copies of the Isnag New Testament and placed them in the hands of his people.
In 1987 JAARS assigned Nard to Moody Aviation as a flight instructor. For eight years he invested his life in the next generation of missionary pilots.
Then in May 1996, Nard and Sandy returned to the JAARS Center in Waxhaw, N.C. Nard’s passion is to challenge believers everywhere to join the work of Bible translation. He loves to lead short-term mission trips to the Philippines to show firsthand the impact of God’s Word in the heart language. Some have even become Bible translators, as a result.

Nard has a full speaking schedule in churches and schools across the country, and stays current flying the JAARS helicopter. He and Sandy have two grown sons. Steven is in the U.S. Army and Phillip served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Nard was named “1996 Moody Bible Institute Alumnus of the Year.”