"Muśhü Limalicuy"

Ezekiel 43.10-11 NIV

“Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple — its arrangement, its exits and entrances — its whole design and all its regulations and laws.

Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.”

I am holding in my hand a copy of the Muśhü Limalicuy. It’s a miracle. My friends Rick and Melanie Floyd gave it to me.  They lived most of their adult lives, twenty-six years, in Peru. Much of that time was spent in San Pedro de Pihuas, a village of about a thousand Wanca speaking people in the Andes Mountains of central Peru. An estimated two hundred and fifty thousand people speak Wanca Quechua, one of many dialects within the Quechua language family. The Quechua people, descendants of the Inca Empire, are mostly potato farmers and shepherds. Prior to the arrival of the Floyd’s in 1981, there was no written form of the Wanca dialect. Rick, who holds a Ph.D. in linguistics and fluent in both English, Spanish, and now Wanca, embarked on the task of learning the language and culture of these amazing people.

Rick and Melanie’s home had dirt floors and no running water. In that home they raised three very fine sons. The Floyd’s are missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Rick created a Wanca alphabet and lexicon of words. Together with the help of a small team of nationals, they translated the entire New Testament into Wanca Quechua. It took two and a half decades but today the Muśhü Limalicuy is available to all Wanca speakers who want to read the God’s Word for themselves. Rick has been my friend for the past fifty years since we first met as college kids.

I make a small (very small) contribution each month to Wycliffe in the name of the Floyd’s work. Rick and Melanie came to our home about eight years ago and presented my wife and me with our own personal copy of the Wanca New Testament. They claimed we played a part in its creation. By making the decision to support the Floyd’s, my family had a hand in bringing to a people group in another part of the world the Bible in their own language. I held a copy of the Muśhü Limalicuy. It was an emotional experience. 

Rick told me there is no word in Wanca for “disciple” which presented an interesting translation dilemma for him. Instead of introducing a new word into the language, his team selected the Wanca word yaćhapacü, which literally means “apprentice.” An apprentice is a person who learns from the master. The prophet Ezekiel was commanded to write down the inspired words of God:

“Write these down before them so that they may
be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.”

The Floyd’s were called to do exactly what Ezekiel did. They ‘wrote down’ the words of God. Rick and Melanie and their supporters fulfilled the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to “go therefore and make disciples [yaćhapacücuna apprentices] of all the nations” (Matthew 28.19). Another two hundred and fifty thousand souls now have access to the Word of God. Armed with the Muśhü Limalicuy, new Quechua ‘apprentices’ will inspire Wanca speakers everywhere to pick up their very own Bible, to “be faithful to its design and follow” its Author into everlasting life. 
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The three photographs on this post are entitled "Madre y Niño," "Quechua," and "Hermanas" from the Peruvian Portfolio of artist and photographer John Farnsworth whose incredible work you can view at http://www.johnfarnsworth.com/. You may also see some of John’s photography on display while enjoying Peruvian cuisine at Andina Restaurant in Portland, Oregon (13th and NW Glisan in the Pearl District). These beautiful images are available for purchase on John's site. ©John Farnsworth http://www.johnfarnsworth.com/. John kindly gave me permission to post his photos here.   

You may contact Rick and Melanie Floyd by mail at Wycliffe Bible Translators, Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862-8033 or by email rick_floyd@sil.org. Rick continues to work as a translation consultant with Wycliffe worldwide and currently assists a new team charged with the translation of the Old Testament into Wanca Quechua.