Report on Wycliffe Translators L atest reports from the Wycliffe Bible Translators reveal marked
possible bring informants to this base, thus using it as a linguistic and tr a n s la tin g center, since Indian tribesmen can be brought here to work and still be kept somewhat in their own environment. Since this Bible translating min istry is such an important factor in carrying the light of the gospel to the multitudes of spiritually-blinded folk throughout the world, it should be the desire of every true Christian to support this work in every way. One hundred and fifty new recruits will be needed annually if this work is to go forward according to plan. END. The Will of God by Hudson Taylor T he will and purpose of God is strikingly brought before us in the Scriptures. Of our Lord Jesus Christ we read: “Who gave himself for our sins, that he m ight:deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God.” This great purpose was no afterthought brought in when Satan had marred God’s beautiful creation. Far away in the distant ages of a past eternity the Father had one treasure—His well-beloved Son. We are told of Him: “ The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, . . . I was daily his delight.” To Him the Father entrusted the carrying out of His glorious design; and in Him He found one always ready to do His will. But long ere He created man in His own image, foreseeing that His image would be marred, He purposed in His own will the redemption of the fallen race. At such a price did God fulfill His own will. “ God so loved the world, that he gave.” And then the Son of God— the ob ject of the Father’s love—how did He view this will of God? Did He empty Himself as of constraint? Nay! He “for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame.” He laid down His life a will ing sacrifice. Ah, how little have we entered into the spirit of the Father and the Son! What unfaithful servants we have been! Glad to be saved at the cost of the Saviour’s life, how little have we been prepared to give up our lives for His service. Is there any one of us who is free from blood-guiltiness with regard to a perishing world? It is possible to sing: “My all is on the altar,” and yet be unprepared to sacrifice a ring from one’s finger, or a picture from one’s wall, or a child from one’s family, for the salvation of the heathen. Where is that trans forming, that renewing of our minds that makes our bodies really living sacrifices?
There the ministry of education has provided funds for an Indian school at the Wycliffe base. With this school they are able to bring in pros pective teachers from various tribes, where they are given a three-month course each year; those who qualify are returned to their tribes and au thorized to set up an official school and receive a teacher’s salary from the minister of education. With this system in operation, the Indian him self is teaching the Indian to write and read. Of course, the Bible trans lator has to prepare the primers and oversee the schools, but at the same time it is a wonderful thing from the hand of the Lord. During the three months the school is going on at the base, the program there is very heavy. Usually the translators come in from the tribes’ with their In dians and the base is a beehive of activity during that time. This is a national program and it is not pos sible for the missionaries to always demand that only believers be sent to this school. Christian Teachers in Public Schools It is amazing how some are brought to Christ while they are at tending this school through the wit ness of the other Indian believers and the missionaries who are working there. Then they return to the schools as Christian teachers in the public school. These folks go back to start schools where there has never been a school. In fact, some of them are required to be real leaders and go out and contact the parents, round up the children and have a thatched roof put up, doing everything from the ground up to get a school started. It is amazing what the Lord has ac complished through these humble people. The headquarters jungle base at Pucallpa, Peru, the home of the gen eral director, is centrally located in the jungle and from there airplanes fly to the north and to the south, northwest, northeast, in about every direction you can go in the jungle to take translators and supplies to the tribes and keep them supplied. This base is used as a home base for their aviation program, and for the pilots, mechanics and radio men. It is also the base for building and servicing the many two-way radio sets. There is a clinic with doctor and nurses, and the main field of fices are here as well. Translators retreating from the tribe whenever
progress in every department of their work. They now have five summer institutes of linguistics— one of these at the University of Oklahoma and the other at the University of North Dakota; these are the only two in the United States. The courses in these schools are accredited by their respective universities. The Canadian school is held at Caronport, Saskat chewan, Canada. The school in Lon don, England, has just completed its second year and the other school at Melbourne, Australia, is now auton omous, that is, the Australians them selves are conducting the course. Translators are now serving in the fields of Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, in tribes of the United States and in the Philippines. Agreement was recently made with the Presi dent of Bolivia enabling an entry into that field late next spring or early next summer. They are also anticipating an invitation to go into certain sections of Brazil. The trans lators are now working in roughly 90 different languages and dialects. With the acceptance of over 70 new candidates last month, they now have more than 500 missionaries in this fast-developing organization. This, of course, includes pilots, mechanics, radio men, etc. Contract With Bolivia W. Cameron Townsend, general di rector of the Wycliffe Bible Transla tors, Inc., in his recent visit with the president of the Republic of Bolivia, secured a contract agreement with the government which was in accord with the writing into the contract the fact that they would be trans lating portions of the Scriptures into the Indian languages. The agreement also calls for assistance with fuel for their airplanes and other vehicles. Townsend reports that this is a wide- open door, but says there is a need for many more prayer supporters and recruits. The flying program for Wycliffe continues to be heavy. In one month their planes flew 65,154 passenger miles and since some of the trips didn’t have the full load going both ways, the potential passenger miles were over 100,000. They have seven airplanes in operation now. Kenneth L. Watters, reporting from the home office in Glendale, Calif., states that the Lord has done won derful things for the workers in Peru.
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