September/October 2010

  

“Rooted and built up in him... stablished in the faith... abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7

It’s been a long time coming, and the process was much more demanding than any of us ever imagined, but Pastor José López’ surgery to fracture, straighten and reset his leg has been, so far, an infection and clot-free success. Those of you for whom I have e-mail addresses have received a variety of sequels to the last prayer update.  If you missed out you can follow the procedure and other mini-updates on previous posts on this and in a “Memory Album” I’m making for José. In essence, his operation is healing miraculously, and he is on his way to recovery. Please continue to pray that soon he will be back at his jobs of Old Testament translation, teaching, and spreading the Gospel of Peace to every remote corner of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

The Iglesia Bíblica Bautista Misericordia – Tepic celebrated our 19th anniversary the first week of October. It was a whirlwind of edifying activity as pastors, Phil McKeown, Steve Evers and Brent Armstrong along with 3 laymen from the Tucson Baptist Temple and UIM pilot, Dave Wolf with his wife, Olivia, visited. The theme we adopted for this year is “Prosigo la Meta” (I Press Toward the Mark) with emphasis on the mark not on I press. As a church, in addition to some incredible answers to prayer, we have had to deal with some very unexpected and rather discouraging attacks from the enemy. The theme is very appropriate for the circumstances as we are admonished to forget the things that are behind, and reach forth for the prize of our Savior’s high calling. All three visiting pastors brought excellent messages of encouragement for their Tepic extended family. In addition to the Tepic church activities, we made trips that also served to build and encourage our Huichol brothers and sisters in their remote mountain communities. Check out the activities here. 

 

Román is one of the key mother-tongue-translators (MTTs) working on the Huichol Old Testament translation project. He lives with his family in the mountain village of La Quemada. The unbelievers in his village, who are enslaved to their traditional religion and the worship of some 150 gods, are constantly looking for ways to aggravate and persecute their Christian neighbors. Román sent his 7-year-old son, Elías (Elijah) to bring back home the family burro that had been tethered to a tree outside the village. One of the villagers purposely spooked the burro that took off running with his rope wrapped around Elías’s leg, dragging Elías behind. Fortunately, Elías has no broken bones and is recovering from his injuries. At his young age, Elías knows firsthand, the true meaning of suffering persecution; Román knows the true meaning of the Psalms he has just finished drafting in his heart-language. With eyes welled-up with tears, he shared that even though he had doubted that his son would walk again, and even though his desire was to seek vengeance, he found great assurance and could honestly say along with David:  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Ps. 91:2

Hilario, MTT from the village of Los Aires, has just finished the first draft of Proverbs in Huichol. As he was working on the translation, he imagined himself in the role of that wise man, Solomon, giving counsel to his own 15-year-old son. He is beginning a chapter-a-day Proverbs reading plan with his family, in their heart-language.

Venancio is another Huichol MTT, presently working on 2 Chronicles. He has been impressed with the precision of the details that God gave Solomon for the construction of His temple. Through the translation process, Venancio has come to realize that God is precise, and He has a specific plan for the building of our lives and families, as well. Venancio and his wife, Lucía, came from their village to stay in Tepic last month as they awaited the arrival of their 3^rd baby (and that’s another story in itself!). Venancio is grateful for the defined instruction Cacauyari has given in His Word for working to build a strong and God-honoring family. He told me that his prayer is that he will listen to and apply God’s wisdom as Solomon did in the building of the Temple. 

The translation job of the Huichol Old Testament is well past the half-way mark. Like every other part of this task of sharing the Truth with those who have never heard and with those who want and need to hear more, Bible translation is a tedious and laborious job that requires the teamwork of many participants. Thank you for your prayers and your indispensable position on the team.