March/April 2018 Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee... Acts 3:6

March/April 2018 

Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee… many of them which heard the word believed. Acts 3:6, 4:4 

No one looks intentionally at a beggar unless he or she intends to give. Peter and John deliberately fixed their gaze on the lame man who, at the temple gate for four decades, had begged ignoring passersby for alms. The disciples, personally, had nothing to offer, but they were chosen to be the conveyors of the Gift the broken man needed most. He had been a young boy when the Savior was born, and now, by faith in His power and His name, the invalid was doubly healed. His dramatic expression of gratitude and joy caused a snowball effect for the Kingdom.

This past couple of months in Tepic has involved a lot of intentional gaze-fixing on very needy destitutes like ourselves, a lot of compassionate, self-sacrificing conveyors, and a lot of leaping with joy and gratitude snowballing into further sharing of the Good News.

March started off with the 39th 2-week Huichol Old Testament translation workshop in Tepic. This team of mother-tongue-translators (MTTs) is nothing short of a miracle. They work in unity from early morning until late at night, never complaining about the long hours and time away from their families and villages. They are determined to fulfill the commitment they made 11 years ago to work alongside trained linguists in order to have the complete Bible in their heart language. At the close of the workshop, 2 Chronicles, Job, Hosea, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi had been community tested; Isaiah, Ezekiel and Habakkuk, back-translated; and Jeremiah 23-52, Lamentations, Ezekiel 36-48 and Habakkuk were consultant checked. Job was corrected and printed for community testing. Only the book of Isaiah remains to be consultant checked along with a few other passages that need polishing. Before the project can go to print, the translators must make an audio recording that can be uploaded to the Internet. That alone is a major time-consuming and tedious task for which we will be making arrangements in the next few weeks. In addition to the Old Testament translation job, the MTTs have insisted that the Huichol language has evolved so much in the last 50+ years since the New Testament was completed that it is necessary to revise that text, as well. They have charged into that job, simultaneously. They are self-sacrificing conveyors of the Good News, hard-working, disciplined and persevering, and they are determined to have the complete Word of the one, true Kakaɨyari, in their heart language. Praise God! The 40th workshop begins May 14. Please join me in leaping with joy and gratitude and praying for the snowball effect of this gift of God for further sharing of the Good News with those who desperately need the healing it brings.

We made the plans, wrote the curriculum, discipled the leaders, and organized the logistics for the 7th annual Huichol youth camp held during Easter week, never knowing exactly how many would be able to attend until the first day of camp. We were hoping for around 200 Huichol teens and leaders, and we were not disappointed! All who came, clearly heard the Gospel message, and at least 15 Huichol teenagers who heard, understood the Gospel, asked to be forgiven and born into God’s family, and have chosen to commit their lives to the purpose He has for them to follow Him and serve others until Jesus returns. The campers have all safely returned to their villages, one way or another, and are beginning the lifelong process of becoming diligent disciples. Check out this cute UIM-A video of three girls who were airlifted by our pilot friends to their very remote village after camp…first time ever in an airplane, for sure! We did not have the silver and gold necessary for such a humanly impossible task, but again, as always, God used the generosity of the extended worldwide team, and many of them which heard the Word received the best Gift ever.

The day after the camp was over, 19 new believers were baptized at La Bendición, including a few of those who attended the youth camp. The following day, 7 were baptized at Loma Alta; and 17 at El Salate, a day later.

Enjoy some camp, baptism and discipleship pictures and videos here.



There is a constant network of intentional gaze-fixing, compassionate, self-sacrificing conveyors of the Good News trekking through the Sierra Madre to multiple villages (like Santa Bárbara, San Miguel de Huastita, Tutu Yecuamama, Guamuchilillo, El Salate, and Mojarras) to offer the Gift and follow-up with those who have heard the Word and believed.

Even imagining all of this Kingdom stuff is challenging, and the carrying out is humanly and personally impossible. It is designed and efficiently coordinated by God Himself Who has swung open the doors and provided the necessary strength, wisdom, and resources. Thank you for allowing Him to use you, too, as a vital part of the team. It’s cause for nothing short of leaps of joy and gratitude.

Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee… many of them which heard the word believed. Acts 3:6, 4:4