At Wycliffe Canada, we’re deeply grateful for the thousands of Canadians who partner in this work through prayer and giving. Recently, one family took yet another step—accepting an invitation to visit Peru to see how their involvement is making a difference.
Samuel Keeler knows that God speaks through His Word. And that’s why he feels passionate about getting the Word out into the world. But recently, he came to a fuller realization that Scriptures can’t be distributed to people until they’ve first been translated into their language.
“Without translation,” he says, “you can’t have distribution. This shift in thinking began for us in 2022, when we started supporting Wycliffe on a bigger scale.
“The Scriptures are the foundation of the spreading of the gospel and contain the good news of the gospel. Without the Scriptures in a language you understand well, how can you receive the message of the gospel?”
Difficult journey
Elisabeth, and Isabelle Photo credit: Jessica Debanné Thiessen
That truth was driven home to Samuel last fall, when he, his wife Elisabeth, and their daughters Victoria and Isabelle travelled to the Andes Mountains of Peru. The purpose of their trip to the Apurímac region was to visit a project they support through AIDIA, Wycliffe Canada’s partner organization in the region.
To get to Apurímac, travellers usually fly into the city of Cusco, and then travel nearly five hours to Abancay, where AIDIA’s ministry base is. From there, they drive steadily uphill for hours on winding, bone-jarring dirt roads. Along the way, drivers may turn a blind corner and suddenly encounter a lone rider on horseback, children walking to or from school, or shepherds herding small flocks of sheep. Occasionally, travellers may even encounter a few ungainly alpacas, seemingly unfazed by the thinning air. Visitors to the region are warned to watch for signs of altitude sickness, while others may deal with strong allergic reactions to the dust kicked up by passing trucks and buses.
It was not an easy journey for the Keelers, who travelled to Peru all the way from their home in Northampton, New Brunswick. But Samuel says the impact of that visit was life-changing.
Awaiting all of the Bible
“One thing that stands out was a visit to Antabamba, a small town where the Quechua community has not yet received the entire Bible in their language. They have the New Testament, and the Old Testament was recently translated . . . but they don’t yet have it in print.”
During their visit, Samuel initially forgot that important detail when he began preparing something to say in an upcoming church service. His message in English would be translated into Spanish, then translated again into their Eastern Apurímac language. The night before he was set to speak in the church, he suddenly realized his message included elements from the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. That presented a problem.
“They don’t have the Old Testament yet . . . so I tailored the message to only include elements of the New Testament.” ~ Samuel Keeler
“They don’t have the Old Testament yet,” says Samuel. “So I tailored the message to only include elements of the New Testament. That realization was impactful. . . . It was hard to realize that many people in a church wouldn’t be able to relate to any Old Testament stories.”
“What we take so easily for granted—understanding the story of the Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation—isn’t everyone’s reality.”
of Peru are eagerly awaiting the publication of the Old Testament in 2025. Photo credit: Jessica Debanné Thiessen
Samuel says he was deeply touched by how church members anticipated receiving the rest of the Bible in their language.
“The experience was profound,” he says, “and more than I could even express.
“Having the Scriptures in your heart language is powerful—and absolutely necessary!”
