An Encouragement! 2/10-12

10-12 February 2017 - An Encouragement! – Manna by Dorothy Callies

John 12:26c Jesus said, “If any man serve Me, him (you) will My Father honor.”

          I had already marched seven times around my center kitchen adjourning to dining room, a "Jericho march."  It came from the devotion, Victory Ahead Feb. 7-9.  This is the fourth day I have done it. I was claiming victory for my friends.  I felt good.  Now I sat down at my desk in the dining room . . . Looking at my index card of James 1:5-6 if you need wisdom, ask God.  Sigh!  I need an encouragement, Lord!

            I looked at the book, *Heaven’s Heroes by David Shibley.  Maybe one story will encourage me.  I turned to the title called, “Does God Speak My Language?” William Cameron Townsend (1896-1982).  After I read it, “Wow, what a great story!”  I will get to the point of the story that really encouraged me. His nick name was Cam.

            *Cam’s trip to Guatemala was the beginning of a missionary career that would last more than 50 years. What he found in Guatemala troubled him. He saw that the Spanish Bibles he was trying to sell were not understood by the Indians of the rural areas.  They could neither read nor speak Spanish.

            *Cam settled among the 200,000 Cakchiquel Indians.  Their confusing language had never been reduced to writing, so Cam embarked (begin some project) on the task (work).  For the next 13 years, he lived among the people, learning and writing their language.  In 1929, after ten years of hard work, Cam completed the New Testament in the Cakchiquel language.

            *He knew he had found his life’s calling.  He felt that the people throughout the world who had no Bibles were asking, “Does God speak my language?”  He would search them out and work to get God’s Word to them.  Cam finally decided to do something about his burden to train others to take the Bible to those without it. The Bible has been translated into less than half of the 6,800 languages in the world.  Cam’s prayer was to reach all people of all languages to know the Bible, God’s Word.

            Dorothy: Why would that interest me?  The word, translator means to change from one language into another.  The day I was studying the Christian Life New Testament with Master Outlines & Study Notes compiled by Porter Barrington.  I had troubled understanding the language of the notes. David, the deaf guy came to me with this. I could not help him “translate” from the notes into our language.

            So David spend his time praying for God to open my mind to understand the English languages and with Holy Spirit’s help to translate these 15 master outlines into writing “my own languages.”  I thought it was only for me personally.  It turned out that many Deaf who read it and saw the teachers sign it and said, “This is my language.”

            Then I was reading Cam’s story “Does God speak my language?” Wow! Yes, God does speak our sign language through preachers, workers, interpreters, and helpers to the Deaf people.  Truly, this is a big encouragement to me. Maybe for you, too?

            Thank You Lord for making us realize that truly our heavenly Father is honoring us because we are serving You, Lord Jesus Christ.  You are truly the center of our lives. Thank You Holy Spirit for your big encouragement in Jesus’ name! Amen!