Thirty Years

 "Oh what has our LORD wrought!"

1974 October - McMillen's arrive in Guatemala and decide to work among the Uspantecos.

Official family photo---1974-University of Oklahoma

1975 March - Begin work among the Uspantecos in Las Pacayas after 2 months of Spanish schooling. 

1976 - Alphabet book and literacy primer are published and linguistic papers are written.  February 4th, 3:20 a.m., devastating earthquake shakes Guatemala and 22,000 people perish.

1977-78 - Margot continues to offer medical treatment to people in Las Pacayas in addition to her work in linguistics as Stan works at the translation table.

1979 July 16 - The McMillen's home and possessions are burned by communist guerrillas and they are told that they will be killed if they do not leave within 24 hours.  They took the threats at face value and left within an hour. One month later, with new clothes and toothbrushes in hand, they relocated to a comfortable 3-story, rural home near Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala.  Their 4 children live at home with dad and mom as they finish their high school education and subsequently leave the nest. The LORD turned a bad experience into a blessing for the McMillen's.  On the farm Stan keeps busy by producing dried, ground alfalfa for animal concentrate for the owner, a former Peace Corp worker.  This came as part of the deal in living in the house for free.

1980-1983 - Translation work continues in Quetzaltenango.  First draft of New Testament is completed.  Great day, almost there!  Oh how little did they fully understand at that time how so much more revising and reworking were yet to go!

1985 - Stan and Margot move back to a rented house in Uspantán and continue translation work.  They chose to live in Uspantán because there is electricity there for the computer as the revisions continue.

1986 - They divide their time between homes in Las Pacayas and San Miguel Uspantán.  Translation and literacy work continues.

  A page from the Uspanteco literacy primer

1987 - Portions of the New Testament and other themes are recorded on cassette.

1988 - 1995 - Revision work continues and Stan works with farmers in the area to install an irrigation system so that they can plant vegetables the year around in order to augment their meager incomes.

1994 April - Margot is struck with post-infectious polyneurapathy, has to use a wheel chair and ascend stairs one at a time, backwards, and on her posterior.  All praise to our LORD, she is walking on her own steam by November.

1995 - Margot works with José to produce a booklet of Uspanteco choruses and other booklets published.  To date, 35 booklets of various topics have been published.

  A 37 page booklet on what Jesus taught according to Luke's Gospel

1996-98 - Translation work continues.

1999 February 4, 4:05 p.m. - The Uspanteco New Testament is typeset, ready for publishing.  Euphoria!  Our euphoria dampened a bit when a Wycliffe Bible Translator member congratulates us and then adds:  "the work is just beginning".

1999 June - The Life Of Jesus video is dubbed into Uspanteco.

  This 120 minute video is based on the Gospel of Luke and uses only the Biblical text.

2000 April 1st, 10:00 a.m., Las Pacayas - The Uspantec New Testament is dedicated to the glory of God and to bringing Christ Jesus to the Uspantecos.  400 people are present at the 3 hour dedication ceremony and 124 copies of the New Testament are sold.  Our LORD speaks Uspanteco!

  A page from the Gospel of Mark in Uspanteco

2000 May-July -- Margot supervises the recording of the dramatized audio version of the Uspantec New Testament.

  The set of 17  cassette tapes of the Uspantec New Testament for the Hosanna series "Faith Comes By Hearing".

2000 October - Radio programs in Uspanteco are broadcast over 2 small local stations in Uspantán.

  José Ajcot reading from Uspantec New Testament on his 30 minute radio program.

2001 March - First Vacation Bible School is held in Las Pacayas with over 300 children and women attending.

  Full house at first Vacation Bible School

2002 January - The Uspanteco Center in Las Pacayas is dedicated to the glory of our LORD and for the purpose of sharing and promoting the use of God's Word in Uspanteco. And the second VBS is held.

  Porch and entrance into the auditorium of the Uspanteco Center

2002 April - The Bible study God and Man is published in Uspanteco having been translated by Margot and José Ajcot.  There are 164 full size pages in the spiral bound book telling the Scriptural account in chronological order from the Creation through the Old Testament and tying it in with its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

2002 December - The 3rd Vacation Bible School is held in Las Pacayas, led by staff members from Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones from Guatemala City. Over 250 children participate in the 3 day VBS.

2003 September - "Same Road---Different Vehicle "
For the last 29 years we have been on the translation road in the Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) vehicle.  Now we are going to be continuing on that same road, but we will be traveling in a different vehicle.  The name of the new vehicle is:  Lutheran Bible Translators (LBT).  info@LBT.org