Don Richardson

 

Don Richardson spent his youth in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and British Columbia, Canada.  He began his walk with the Lord at a Youth For Christ rally in 1952.  Both he and his wife, Carol, graduated from Prairie Bible Institute, Alberta, Canada, and went on for further training at Wycliffe’s Summer Institute of Linguistics.

 

In 1962, Don and Carol embarked on a missionary career in Irian Jaya.  They lived and worked among the Sawi, a Stone Age tribe of tree-house dwelling cannibals who practiced headhunting and valued treachery as an ideal.  During their 15 years among the Sawi, Don designed an alphabet suited to their language, authored 19 primers, taught the tribesmen to read in their native tongue and translated the entire New Testament for the Sawi.  More than half of the Sawi accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

 

A best selling author, Don’s first book, PEACE CHILD, tells the dramatic story of how the Richardsons were able to communicate the Gospel to the Sawi.  LORDS OF THE EARTH documents the trials of their colleagues among the Yali, another of Irian Jaya’s tribes.  ETERNITY IN THEIR HEARTS, Don’s third book, presents case histories of the way God has prepared cultures around the world to receive the Gospel.

 

Since 1977, Don has served as “minister-at-large” for WORLD TEAM, formerly RBMU).  Don is an ordained pastor and holds an honorary doctorate in literature from Biola University.  He speaks at more than 40 mission conferences per year.  In addition, Don is a frequent instructor at Perspectives courses and on various seminary campuses.

 

Carol often accompanies Don on his speaking trips.  Carol addresses adult and college age audiences in churches and colleges where she shares Biblical principles as well as practical suggestions on a variety of topics including spiritual warfare, dealing with fear and discontentment, and choosing priorities.  As a mother of four MKs (and grandmother to 11 , 10 of whom are MKs) Carol speaks on mission themes such as raising children on the mission field, MK education, the role of women in missions, and how to stimulate a missions vision within the family context here at home.  The Richardsons reside in Woodland Hills, CA.