A New Testament For The Tzeltals

A New Testament For The Tzeltals

“Thou wilt show me the path of life.”

MARIANNA SLOCUM, born in Philadelphia in 1917, was the daughter of Stephen Slocum, a university professor. Hers was a godly home. She recalls, “I cannot remember ever not believing in Christ as my Savior. We were a church-going . . . family. Father asked the blessing at every meal, and each night we had family worship.”

During her junior year of college Marianna felt God calling her to be a missionary Bible translator. After completing her education, she began linguistic training in 1940 at the Summer Institute of Linguistics and joined the Wycliffe Bible Translators.

At the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Marianna met Bill Bentley, a Wycliffe translator who had been working among the Tzeltal Indians of Mexico since 1938. He was a college graduate who had initially planned to go to medical school but had gone to Moody Bible Institute instead. At Moody he had heard L. L. Legters describe the need of unreached tribes to have the Bible translated into their native languages. Responding to the need, he had joined Wycliffe and gone to the Tzeltals. Marianna felt herself falling in love with him, but he didn’t single her out for any special attention.

Marianna and a coworker were assigned to the Chol tribe and took up residence at a coffee plantation just a day’s hike from Bill Bentley’s headquarters among the Tzeltals. Since Chol was a Mayan language similar to Tzeltal, Bill made the long day’s hike frequently to help the two women with their translating.

On one trip Bill brought a large box of cookies for the girls, and at the bottom of the box was a large heart-shaped cookie for Marianna. The love was mutual!

In February 1941 Bill proposed, and Marianna accepted. They set their wedding date for August 30 and planned to hold the ceremony in the Slocum home in Philadelphia.

That summer Bill and Marianna returned to the U.S. for the final week of busy wedding activities. On August 22, 1941, they drove from Philadelphia to America’s Keswick near Tom’s River, New Jersey, where Bill spoke at the evening service. The next morning they went up to New York City, where they enjoyed a day of sight-seeing hand in hand. That night on the trip back to Philadelphia, both were exhausted but jubilant in spirit as they talked about their wedding exactly a week away.

The next morning at the Slocum home, Bill was late for breakfast. Marianna’s father went up to call him but came back alone. Bill had died during the night of an undetected congenital heart condition. He was just twenty-seven.

Marianna’s parents immediately called Cameron Townsend, the head of Wycliffe. In a daze Marianna asked if she could speak to him. Her voice barely audible she asked, “May I return to the Tzeltals in Bill’s place?” The answer was a resounding yes!

Bill was buried in Topeka, and Marianna went on alone to the Summer Institute of Linguistics, arriving on August 30, the date she and Bill were to have been married. The verse that sustained her was Psalm 16:11: “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (KJV). She returned to Mexico alone.

Marianna and her coworkers completed the translation of the first Tzeltal New Testament in 1956 and of the second in 1965. A leading Mexican magazine wrote that “she had lifted an entire Indian nation from barbarism to civilization.” Marianna could only say, “Thank you, Lord!”

Reflection

How do you respond to tragedy? In spite of her incredible heartache Marianna Slocum was able to continue on by holding on to God. Jesus was her Savior, and the Holy Spirit was her Comforter. They are there for all who believe.

I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.

Jeremiah 31:13