Dave, Carnsey and Sav will walk 2000km over 81 days. Allowing for rest days, they'll walk on average more than 30km each day. Each of these kilometres represents a distinct living language that doesn't yet have the Word of God – not even a single verse.
'It doesn't seem fair that we have not only one but dozens of different versions of the Bible in English,' says Sav, 'yet there are millions of people in the world, representing 2000 distinct languages, who don't have a single verse of God's Word in a language they can understand.'
Beginning in Cairns on 23rd August, the Walk will take Dave, Carnsey and Sav south through towns including Ingham, Bowen, Proserpine, Mackay, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Kingaroy, Toowoomba and Warwick – as well as many, many smaller places in between. All according to plan, Dave, Carnsey and Sav will walk into Stanthorpe on 11th November – Remembrance Day.
God laid the idea for The 2000 Walk on Sav's heart a couple of years ago and it has steadily been growing since. Sav (Andrew Sav) is 48 and married with four children. The other walkers are 23 year old Dave (David Carnell) and Carnsey (Andrew Carnell), his 30 year old cousin.
PE teacher Dave recently returned from trekking through Nepal with Operation Mobilisation. He's stepped out of his career as a teacher for 2010 to participate in The 2000 Walk. Apart from walking, Dave is also responsible for logistics along the way – such as coordinating accommodation and meetings in the different towns en route. On average the trio will hold an evening meeting at local churches and town halls every second day.
Carnsey is Queensland's State Director of Operation Mobilisation (OM). He's a country boy at heart and is looking forward to linking up with country churches.
The 2000 kilometre route that the three mates will walk reflects the 2000 languages that don't yet have the Bible. Just as the Walk will be a long, hard process, so is translating the Bible into different languages. It's too big to tackle alone, which is why Dave, Carnsey and Sav are working together with Operation Mobilisation and Wycliffe Bible Translators to make this massive need as widely known as possible.
'Our aim is that this need will no longer be hidden,' says Carnsey. 'We want the Australian church to become aware.'
To follow the progress of Dave, Carnsey and Sav before and during The 2000 Walk, visit www.the2000walk.com. On the website you can also get involved in many different ways, such as by prayerfully 'adopting' one of the 2000 Bible-less language groups or making a donation to a specific project.