Message From Bob Creson

A Message from Bob Creson Francisco Diaz is one of my heroes. He was the young Cakchiquel believer who worked with Cameron Townsend, Founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators, when he first went to Guatemala to distribute Spanish Bibles and tracts. When he met the young Townsend in late 1917, he’d only been a Christian for a few months, but he willingly spent a year with him, traveling through four Central American countries, sharing the good news. It was Francisco who sparked Townsend's vision for Bible translation. Hugh Steven tells this story: “One night camped out on a cold mountain ridge in Guatemala, a young twenty-two-year-old Cameron Townsend sensed a call by God that would change the entire direction of his life. With Cam on that ridge was his Cakchiquel colporteur companion and friend, Francisco Díaz. As the two men shared a simple meal of dried tortillas and a hard-boiled egg washed down with tepid water, Francisco shared (as he had done on several occasions before) his long-held dream for the Cakchiquels to have the Scriptures in the language of his birth. Francisco shared his puzzlement over why the Scriptures they were selling were only available in Spanish. Surely, he wondered, God could speak his Word to the Cakchiquels just as He had done to Spanish-speaking people.” Townsend took the challenge, and his vision was born. A few months later, Francisco died of malaria at the age of 36. He’d been a Christian only a year and a half and Townsend’s co-worker for only a year, but without question, he was faithful to his call: he was the instrument God used to persuade Uncle Cam to switch from Spanish to Cakchiquel, from distributing an existing translation to translating a new one. The eventual result was the organization we call Wycliffe Bible Translators, and the Bible translation movement worldwide was accelerated in a God-energized way. Francisco was a faithful steward, and his contribution to building the Kingdom, though brief, was huge. Now it’s your period of stewardship, and God is on a mission...will you join him? He’s not waiting around in His office for us to find Him. He’s always moving and acting—searching—and His actions are choreographed for a purpose. That purpose is to send a love letter to each and every person that will receive it. God loved the world so much that He gave His Son, His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will have an abundant and eternal life. But what about those who can't understand the message? Who will help? Who will pray, go and tell, and give financially so that this might be possible? The translation of the Bible gives people from every language community the opportunity to hear this message of love in a language that speaks to the deepest part of their being—a language that speaks to their heart. On this website, you’ll find ways to allow God to move in your heart, speaking to you about the needs of the nearly 200 million people still waiting for one word of Scripture in their language. If you spend some time here, you'll find Him speaking to you through spirited advocates, strategic givers, supportive intercessors, and people who are serving in vital roles contributing to the Bible translation movement worldwide. People like you—families like yours—have found ways to express God's love and concern for those waiting for Scriptures. Finally, this website is about opportunity and invitation to be a part of the team, extending this great love story around the world. Remember: Wycliffe needs teachers, administrators, IT professionals, and others—as well as Bible translators. God placed us here for the sake of those not yet included in the Kingdom. Be a part of extending His invitation to people in the language that they understand best—a language that speaks to their heart. Be involved in Bible translation. Bob Creson President Wycliffe USA