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"We need pilots and secretaries," the Wycliffe missionary said.
Bernie had his pilot's license, and his wife was a secretary. Two weeks later, they quit their jobs, sold their belongings and left for training at SIL. |
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The year was 1954. Fresh out of college and recently married, Bernie May was ready to pursue his career in business. God had a different calling in mind.
Not the "missionary type"
Bernie and his new wife sat in church. They listened intently as a Wycliffe missionary spoke about the amazing work -- and enormous needs -- of Bible translation.
"I had no idea there was such a need," Bernie recalls. "When she spoke, I knew it was God's agenda."
The missionary continued, expressing Wycliffe's needs for pilots and secretaries. Bernie had his pilot's license, and his wife was a secretary. They quickly exchanged glances.
"We're not the missionary type," his wife whispered.
"Maybe they won't notice," Bernie whispered back.
Ready to serve
Two weeks later, they quit their jobs, sold their belongings and headed for training at SIL. After three months, they were off to Peru.
"God hasn't said that those who follow Him would find it easy," Bernie says. "It's not always shady and downhill, though. Sure, you have your problems – danger and opposition – but it was that way for the apostles, too."
Facing challenges, trusting God
Flying a single-engine pontoon plane through the upper Amazon forced Bernie to conquer some challenges of serving.
During one trip, he stopped to fill the plane's tank while taking a missionary to her location. There was a small clearance in between curves, trees and waterfalls where Bernie could land on the river, allowing the military to fuel him up.
Usually, the one who fueled his plane would fill it up and hold the plane in place until Bernie started the engine. This time, though, that wasn't the case.
For some reason, the man who fueled the plane let go before Bernie was ready to take off. The plane -- with Bernie and the female missionary inside -- began floating down the river towards the rushing waterfall. The plane's battery was so low that the propeller wouldn't turn over and start the engine. And the current kept drifting them faster and faster towards the fall.
"I was thinking to myself, 'I have to abandon the plane and swim to shore.' But I didn't know if my passenger could swim. And there was no way I could swim against that current," Bernie remembers.
Deciding his only option may be to rest the battery to try to give it some juice again, Bernie shut off the ignition for a brief moment. When he felt he couldn't wait anymore, he tried it again . . . and the engine started!
At full speed, the plane only held its own against the strong current -- but it wasn't falling back toward the waterfall. After several minutes of inching forward, the plane finally took off.
"I remember landing, and I really didn't want to fly anymore. I was a young man, with three boys and a wife. I was afraid," Bernie recalls. He knew he needed to spend some time with the Lord.
"God called me to live by faith, not fear," he says.
The next day, Bernie got back into his plane. He still flies to this day. Times of fear and discouragement increase the need for you to draw close to Him, Bernie says. The more you focus on Him and the less you focus on circumstances, the more confidence you have in life.
"God calls us to be his representatives," Bernie says. "You've got to get down and dirty to do the work. Yes, it's been difficult. Has it been worth it? Absolutely. Have I been afraid? You know it. Would I do it again? Absolutely.”
Bernie May's legacy continues today. You can become a part of it when you support Bible translation efforts and mission aviation through gift planning. Call toll-free (866) 379-7746 or e-mail
to find out how.
When you remember Bible translation in your will, trust or other gift planning arrangment with the Wycliffe Foundation, you become a member of the William Cameron Townsend Legacy Society, a group of Christians dedicated to bringing the Word to the one billion people without.
Please call toll-free (866) 379-7746 or e-mail
to find out how gift planning can work for you.
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