You Were His Mission   

   When Ken Jacobs entered the Army, he sensed God telling him not to be afraid, that He would protect him. Jacobs was in the second wave hitting Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. 

   C Company's commanding officer told his troops: "You're expendable. You're all expendable. If you go down, there are soldiers behind you. And soldiers behind them. And more soldiers. That beach is our mission. We must take that beach!" 

   Jacobs' best friend was among 1,700 Americans killed on Omaha Beach, and 30,000 by August when the invaders finally liberated Normandy. But Jacobs made it to shore. 

   After the war, he enrolled in Bible college, met his future wife, and through Wycliffe Bible Translators went to the Chamula people of southern Mexico. 

   The Chamulas had no written language, and practiced animism, sacrifice and witchcraft. They lived by tradition, ritualism and fear. They distrusted outsiders, but the Jacobses gained one trust at a time. 

   While Ken translated, his wife Elaine treated diseases. Converts to Christ could be ostracized, imprisoned, have their home burned, or be killed. 

   The couple finished translating the entire Bible in 2001. Today, tens of thousands of Chamulas call Christ their Savior. More than 130 evangelical churches preach the gospel. 

   Some struggles remain.

   A WORLD magazine writer and her husband visited Jacobs, now 97, in a Minnesota senior center. 

   Jacobs told them what his commander had said at Normandy. Then he grabbed the husband's labels and proclaimed, "Christ was expendable. He was expendable for you. YOU were his mission."  

      Jimmy