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The Vision: 1918 to 1999/The August 30, 1918 entry in the journal of William Cameron Townsend:
“A subject Frisco and I frequently discuss around the campfire and on the trails is the need of Frisco’s own people, the Cakchiquels. When I observed the Indians in El Salvador and Honduras and saw how they suffered less oppression and had more freedom than the Indians in Guatemala, my heart burned within me for Guatemala’s suffering people. And when I see how quickly Frisco learned and how eager he was to follow the Lord and to do his will, and how many latent possibilities there are in him and his people, I am stirred even further to recognize the need among the Cakchiquel people.
“I did a survey of all the missionaries who for years have served faithfully in Guatemala, and almost none of them have seen fit to learn any of the Indian languages. This means that sixty percent of the people in this republic have no gospel witness. The reason for this is the difficulty of learning the many different languages and dialects, all of which are unwritten.
“I have come to realize that it is imperative this need be surmounted in this generation and the people be reached with the message of salvation. God has given me youthful vigor, faith and a challenge. Therefore, I have decided to devote my life to the evangelization of the Indian peoples.”
From “A Thousand Trails: Personal Journal of William Cameron Townsend, 1917-1919”, Hugh Steven, editor; Credo Publishing Corp., 1984.
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