Faith Comes by Hearing (but earbuds sure help!)

Every time we visit a language area, there are certain people and experiences that stand out in my mind.  In particular, I tend to gravitate toward the elderly, as you might guess from looking at my photos.  It touches my heart to consider how these folks have lived such long difficult lives without the benefit of hearing God speak to them in the language of their heart.  Whenever God allows me to share His love with these precious souls, I go for it.  Sometimes I am even blessed to be present as they surrender their very lives to Christ.

Showing her a photo of herself

Last week I was passionately explaining to Rosa, an 89-year-old Zapotec woman, about Christ’s love, with a native pastor translating my words into Zapotec from Spanish.  Several times she said something in Zapotec causing her daughter and two other ladies to burst out laughing.  Curious, I requested a translation.  She had looked straight at me and said, “I have no idea what you are saying, but I just love how you are expressing it.”

Later we introduced her to the audio Bible we had brought her, playing the first chapter of John.  Again, she smiled and seemed pleased, but made another remark in Zapotec, causing the ladies and the visiting pastor to laugh aloud again.  She had said that she liked it very much – even though she couldn’t hear it.  Oh, my.  We were having so much fun, and yet not one word was getting through to her aside from the sense that she was loved.

Digging in my bag, I found a pair of earbuds I had gotten on the plane.  As we plugged it into the audio Bible and put them on her ears, her smile changed to an expression of sheer wonder.  She loved the scriptures from the minute she could actually hear them.  We continued visiting with the other ladies, making sure they knew how to change the volume, the books, and the chapters of the Bible.  Occasionally Rosa would say something aloud.  Translated back to Spanish for us, we realized she was quoting passages she had just heard.

“Faith comes by hearing…”  Please pray that this dear woman and many others like her will grow to trust Jesus for their salvation as they listen to their brand new audio Bibles.

What if There Were a True Cost of Discipleship?

Back in 2011, we drove to the village of Tabaa with our three youngest kids and our (then) new recording technicians, Diego and Luz.  Diego and Luz had dubbed the Jesus Film in this variant of Zapotec, and we accompanied them to show the movie and also to deliver some audio Bibles to the folks out there.

That trip was memorable in several ways, not the least of which was the fact that our Suburban chose that day to develop a fuel leak.  We smelled gasoline all the way out to the village, but once we arrived, the remaining fluids drained themselves from the vehicle, displaying an undeniable problem.  We spent the night on sleeping bags on the church floor, eventually returning to Mitla on a chicken bus.

The believers in Tabaa impressed me with their devotion to Jesus and their willingness to sacrifice in order to follow the Lord.  Back then the town officials were levying a fine equivalent to a year’s salary (for some of the folks) just for joining the evangelical church.  What amazed me was the fact that people were actually paying it.  Somehow I can’t imagine American Christians putting up with such a thing.  Many would forsake the Lord if it cost that much.

This past week we revisited Tabaa in order to get the current phone number of the pastor.  That is a whole other story in itself how we ended up essentially touring the entire Villa Alta region of Oaxaca taking a “short cut” from one village to the next along unpaved unmarked roads.  In all, we drove over eight hours covering very few miles, but in the end, we succeeded in getting the pastor’s phone number.  It turns out that the pastor’s father is close to heaven’s gates, and many family members were gathered to say their final farewell.  With that little situation, we departed and returned to Mitla the same day, having gleaned a bit of new information.

Sadly the church members in Tabaa are still under the town rule that requires them to pay the huge fee for joining the church.  Already fifteen families have paid the $30,000 pesos in the past seven years, bringing the church membership up to 40 families.  Soon we will return with audio Bibles for the new families, but in the meantime, we have taught the pastor to use the Bible app on his phone to read and listen to the scriptures in his own language.  Others can download the audio Bible onto their phones, too.  That is the good news.

Then again maybe all of our towns should grow "richer" when Christ's church grows stronger?  I would take comfort in this if it weren't for my skepticism that town leaders are not often known for their integrity.  

• Pray against corruption at every level of government in Mexico.  
• Pray that townspeople would notice a true heart change in the new believers.  
• Pray that many more would risk losing their financial gain in order to walk openly with Jesus.  
• Pray that new disciples would find great joy and peace in their sacrifice. 

Pray for the believers in Tabaa

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  

 John 8:31-32 ESV

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