Urarina New Testament Dedicated in the Peruvian Amazon

"When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God.”
Acts 13:44

Ron and Phyllis Manus have been Wycliffe’s primary linguistic team among the Urarina people in the northern jungles of Peru. On April 8, 1997, Phyllis fell down from the 2nd floor of the home they were building in the jungle city of Iquitos, suffering multiple body fractures. She was evacuated to an orthopedic hospital in Florida. In the past ten years she has undergone several other operations for a broken leg, a broken and later replaced shoulder, two knee replacements and intestinal block surgery. During this same period Ron has had his gall bladder removed and was diagnosed with diabetes.

Last month—ten years later—the Urarina New Testament was dedicated in the village of Nueva Esperanza on the Chambira River in the northern jungles of Peru. The work over the last ten years has been completed through periodic trips by the Urarina translators coming in to Iquitos to work with the Manuses there.

Due to her physical limitations, Phyllis has not been back to an Urarina village since her fall ten years ago. What a special celebration the day she slowly climbed the bank to join the people in praise to God in the first village to receive the Urarina New Testament.

The Manuses began to work among the Urarinas in 1960. Praise God for these heroes who persevered through such unusually difficult obstacles. We give thanks to God for His power, for the Urarina translators, for those in the home country who have supported and prayed for this program through the years. Thanks for the Bible League who paid for the publication. This New Testament is truly a testimony of God’s grace. Pray that the good seed of the Word fall on fertile ground in the hearts and lives of the Urarina.

A few months ago we asked for specific prayer that the Huaylas Quechua New Testament would arrive in time for the planned dedication. Last week we discovered that the container was received at the port but somehow the communication had been lost.

We praise God that Cesar, our importation facilitator, made a checkup phone call to discover this. Now the books are ready to be distributed. The New Testament dedication is planned for August 4th in the town of Huaráz, an 8 hour bus ride high into the Andes Mountains.

We are going to attend the celebration as a family. This will be the first dedication that Sally and Jonathan will have actually attended in the village.

Archiving and Digital Library
Sally and I attended an archiving workshop in March and now we have been appointed the task of reviewing and scanning about 30,000 pages of linguistic research done by our members over the past 60 years. So besides home schooling and participation in the women’s prison ministry, Sally is spearheading the archive project. She has invited a friend recently released from prison to help her with the scanning. They work in our home so it is really convenient for Sally to work with flexible hours.

Office relocation
Due to completing more and more of the work in Peru we are downsizing from the large, beautiful office complex we have enjoyed for 53 years on property loaned to us by the government. We no longer need (nor can support) such a large center and have found a house to rent 1 ¾ miles from our current place. We are all in “high gear” sorting through accumulated files and furnishings. We need to be moved by July 22 when a government entity will occupy it. We thank God for the loan of this property these 53 years and thank Him for finding us another place from which to serve. Thank you to those of you who knew and were praying!

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Dyck's Digest Previous Edition: December 2006 - Vol 22.3