Prayer Requests from Cal Rensch

The following is a letter from Cal Rensch, Wycliffe Bible Translators missionary, currently working on Bible translations for the Chinantec people in Mexico. Cal was raised in, sent out by, and continues to be supported by Crossroads. Cal has been a member of Crossroads since 1947.

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Dear Friends in Christ,

I have just prepared a new set of prayer requests that I am sending out to friends in several churches. They mostly relate to the trip I took to the Chinantec region in late September.

I very much appreciate the prayers for the trip I made to the Chinantec area. Clearly God is answering prayer that a larger number of people will become involved in various aspects of the translation of the Old Testament. I brought back with me a "ton" of revised drafts of several books as well as the first drafts of 1 and 2 Samuel. However, that means that my desk (and surrounding floor space) is crowded with projects. So, I'll value your continued prayer.

I will appreciate your sharing these with any who would be interested to pray for our Chinantec friends, as some are working on drafts of Old Testament books and others are reading those books for the first time.

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(1) In late September I traveled to the area in southern Mexico where the Chinantec people live, enjoying fellowship with many believers during their annual Thanksgiving weekend and checking in with various ones involved in the Old Testament translation project. It was very encouraging to see that friends had completed what they had been asked to do. They had

• Read and commented on all the drafted materials I had previously left with them
• Translated into Spanish most of Exodus 1-20
• Keyboarded the handwritten “back translation” of Genesis into Spanish so a translation consultant can check that book
• Drafted the books of 1 and 2 Samuel

Thank you for praying for this trip. Please pray for these workers as they continue on with similar tasks. The many demands of church work and family needs compete for their time.

(2) A Christian printer in the city of Oaxaca printed two thousand copies of the 2015 Chinantec calendar before our arrival. We took them to the village, and they are now being distributed throughout the region. In some cases the calendar hanging on the wall is the only Scripture in the home. On the page for each month of the year there is a Chinantec Scripture passage that deals with some aspect of God’s creation of the world. Ask God to use the calendars to impress on hearts and minds the message of our Creator.

(3) The diligent work of our village friends means that there is much work for Chava, my translation partner in Phoenix, and me to deal with. We are keeping on with drafting the Psalms as we start in checking and revising First Samuel. We need your prayers.

(4) Earlier in the year I heard indirectly that there was now Internet service in the village, but that proved not to be the case. So, I need to continue making trips to the village in order to exchange drafts of various books and to check on progress. I need wisdom to know what will be the best timing for my next trip.

Calvin R. Rensch
November 2014