Only the beginning

By Rachel Tidwell It was no ordinary family reunion. It was a journey that began long ago, and I was just blessed to be a part of the exciting ending…an ending that will hopefully be the beginning of a life-changing Spiritual journey for many. In 1953, Ray Elliott and his wife, Helen, left their Kansas […]

By Rachel Tidwell

It was no ordinary family reunion. It was a journey that began long ago, and I was just blessed to be a part of the exciting ending…an ending that will hopefully be the beginning of a life-changing Spiritual journey for many.

In 1953, Ray Elliott and his wife, Helen, left their Kansas home and settled in Nebaj, Guatemala. They were sent by Wycliffe Bible Translators, knowing the scope of their long-term commitment. Steve Elliott, one of Ray and Helen’s children, shared “At the time that they joined, it was fairly well expected that it would be a life’s work for someone to do a translation, given the technology of the time, the hard living conditions, and also the distractions.”

While in Guatemala in August of 2008, I attended a dinner honoring Ray and his work on the Ixil Nebaj New Testament. He shared fascinating stories of the difficult days of translation. My favorite was when he reminisced about translating 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Ray said that his Ixil friend repeatedly told Ray that he was translating it incorrectly because the people would think that God cared for them as individuals.

“I finally said, ‘This is precisely what this verse is saying!’” Ray recounted as he explained his conversation with his Ixil friend. “He laughed and said, ‘Imagine that the God who created the universe is interested in me, individually!’ He never got over it. It revolutionalized his life.”

This story of a changed life almost brought me to tears. Knowing that a whole people group had no idea that God cared for them individually until the Word came to their language reminded me of the importance of the work of Bible translation.

After working on the Ixil translation for more than 40 years, Ray faced health issues that forced the family to leave Guatemala. God then provided Dwight Jewett and his wife, Sue, to continue the work on the Ixil Bible. They began in 2000, but Dwight unexpectedly died just six short years later, leaving the project unfinished for a second time.

That same year, Juana, one of the Ixil women helping with the translation, passed away. When I heard this, I was reminded of John 16:33 which promises, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” These setbacks were not obstacles for God as He sent David Henne to finish the translation and ready it for publication—a task that took an additional two years.

Ray Elliott reads through the translated Ixil New Testament for the first time

God’s faithfulness to the completion of the Ixil translation was the reason that 34 members of the Elliott family joined Ray in Guatemala last August to attend the dedication of the completed New Testament, an event I was also able to attend. Not only did I see the Ixil people receive the Word of God in their language for the first time, I was encouraged by the faithfulness of people like Ray, Helen, Dwight, Sue and David—people who risked it all and gave their lives to ensure that more would know of the God who cares for us individually.

“It’s amazing what the Spirit of God can do with the Word…The Holy Spirit can use the scripture in any language for people who are interested in hearing it and obeying it,” Ray explained at a dinner held in his honor.

When the Elliotts arrived in Nebaj in 1953, there were no known believers, and now there are more than 300 Ixil-led churches with more than 25,000 confessing believers. I can only imagine what will happen now with the completed New Testament. It truly is only the beginning.



Editor’s note: Rachel Tidwell traveled to Guatemala in January 2009. To read more stories like this, visit WycliffeFoundation.org/ITF.