On November 11, 1933, Wycliffe founder Cameron Townsend and his colleague L. L. Legters were waiting on the Mexican border. The entrance of new missionaries into Mexico was highly restricted, and the guards were not inclined to let them enter. So Townsend and Legters did what they could — they prayed.
Photo from jaars.org
Prayer is essential to all mission. Of Wycliffe’s history, Townsend said,
“We have advanced on our knees…There’s been a lot of action as a result of our prayers, but it’s been prayer that has solved the problems…It’s been through prayer that God has raised up recruits and supplies and equipment when it seemed hopeless. And all we could do, as it were, was to march around Jericho on our knees – just around Jericho. And then finally, the walls fell and we marched in.”
Townsend and Legters were eventually let into Mexico, with the help of a letter written to Townsend two years earlier. Because they were allowed to pass, November 11 was the start of Wycliffe’s work (although it wouldn’t be called ‘Wycliffe’ for another 9 years). Marking that answered prayer, Wycliffe organisations around the world set aside a day in early November to pray to and praise God for his work around the world.
Pray and praise with us…
- Sign up for our bi-monthly prayer diary, Call to Prayer, either via email or in the post
- Browse the latest Wycliffe magazine, Words for Life
- Take a look at weekly prayer points from around the world
- Lift up Wycliffe UK’s daily prayer needs, or subscribe to the RSS feed
Find out about Wycliffe’s work today.
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- Go to main Wycliffe UK site.
Tags: Day of prayer, Legters, Townsend
