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| Supporting a Son's Passion for Translation |
By Mary Tindall
Thirty years ago, Robert Bugenhagen set off on an adventure. As a trained linguist, Robert planned to help translate Scripture in Papua New Guinea, a nation where more than 700 languages are spoken.
At the time, Robert's parents, Roger and Shirley, of Annapolis, Md., were skeptical of their son's plans. They thought he would probably return to the U.S. in a few years, perhaps disillusioned by the enormous task he had undertaken.
Robert stayed in Papua New Guinea much longer than his parents anticipated. It was where he met his wife, a Finnish nurse named Salme. The couple, based on Umboi Island, has since helped translate the Bible into two minority languages and is now working on a third.
His son's lifelong devotion to Bible translation has shaped Roger's financial goals.
The senior Bugenhagen wants to support his son's work-mostly because Robert is his son, but also because Roger has seen the effect that a new Bible translation has in the hearts of those receiving it for the first time.
Roger first realized the impact of his son's work when his son's team hosted a ceremony in their village to celebrate the completion of a Scripture translation.
"They had a video tape at the time that I saw, and it was really quite moving to see how the people really appreciated having the Bible," Roger shared.
Roger, who became a widower when Shirley died in 2000, began to think about how to incorporate Wycliffe into his estate.
During his career at the U.S. Census Bureau, from where he retired as assistant director of economic programs, Roger had learned the importance of sound investments. As he began looking at his assets, he decided to make some changes.
"I was trying to lessen my exposure to the stock market, I was looking for some alternatives, and I had read something about charitable gift annuities, and I decided to explore that directly with Wycliffe," Roger said.
Roger eventually established two charitable gift annuities through Wycliffe Foundation. With these charitable gift annuities, he made a gift of cash and now receives fixed payments for life.
"It worked out very well for me in several aspects because I donated appreciated stock, which is transferred," Roger said. "By not selling it, I save myself a lot of capital gains taxes."
"The income from my annuity was far greater than I was receiving in dividends from the stock," Roger explained.
Upon Roger's passing, the remainder of the CGA will benefit his son and daughter-in-law. This decision was an easy one for Robert.
"As they get older, a lot of their support that they've gained over the years has dissipated," Roger said. "People die off, so it's not an easy situation. So I felt really good that this would probably help them in their later years. I've seen the work, I've seen the results of the work, and I'm able to support them."
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