Whistling their Names

When our seven children were still at home, I formulated a system of whistling for them (yes, perhaps inspired somewhat by "The Sound of Music").  I would whistle the cadence of my own exaggerated calling of "Chris-to-pher," "Tim-my," "Aar-on Mich-ael," "Han-nah Marie-e."  It saved me from yelling their names all day long.

What is interesting is that in southern Mexico, there are language groups that can communicate with whistles that reflect the tones and inflections of their native tongue.  Last month we witnessed this phenomenon in a Oaxacan village.  With no internet or cell phone service, it was a handy way for people to holler out to see if someone was home, or to get their attention on a pathway.


As I was praying for these people, I found a verse in Zechariah 10:6-8 which speaks of God "whistling" for his people, gathering them together, and redeeming them.  This is my prayer for the Zapotecos, that they would hear God's voice in the audio Bibles we distributed, and that God would strengthen them, save them, bring them back to Himself, and hear and answer their prayers.  I pray that they would be like mighty warriors, and that they and their children would rejoice and shout triumphantly in the Lord.  Lastly I pray that their church would multiply and spread to the other side of the mountain where there are still no believers.

Won't you join me in praying for the Zapotec people of Oaxaca?

Sharing the Bread of Life

Being back in the US now, I find it difficult to connect "communion" with the little tasteless wafers and watered down juice offered in most churches.  In fact the picture of true communion in my mind is one of being in a wheat field in Oaxaca with a short-term team from Ohio.  As we were introducing the field hands to the Bread of Life, they shared with us bread which they had baked from wheat they themselves had planted, harvested, threshed, and ground in a local water mill.  Eating those little loaves with glass bottles of Mexican Coca Cola with the group who had come to share in the spiritual harvest of Mexico touched my heart as the epitome of true fellowship and communion.

The Bible is poetic in the simple verse in Deuteronomy 8:3, which says "...that man does not live on bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."  Another bread verse that comes to mind is when Jesus declared in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whomever believes in me will never be thirsty."

These bread metaphors communicate clearly to people living in agricultural societies once they can actually hear them in their own language.  In Mexico, it might be translated more literally “Jesus is the Tortilla of Life.”  For the people groups of Oaxaca, corn is the main crop, and tortillas are the basis of their daily life and sustenance.  However for this particular indigenous group, wheat and bread spoke very clearly to them.  What a privilege it was to see the workers with sickle in hand, literally "bringing in the sheaves," listening to the precious words of Life in their own language for the very first time.

After years of painstaking linguistic study and translation work, followed by weeks and months of recording the New Testament, it is a humbling experience for visiting teams to be the ones to hand deliver the audio scriptures, and to watch the joy and awe of the listeners as Jesus comes to life for them.  In some cases, the linguist who dedicated his life to the translation process has already departed this earth, and our distribution teams are the ones to bring the project to completion.

  

While Jim and I have sacrificed the more tangible blessing of living on the mission field to live in Michigan closer to the home office, we realize that we still need people to go and provide audio scriptures to the many people who have yet to hear God speak their language.  It is a team effort, from translators, to native language helpers, to those who can record the scriptures, and finally to those who will fund the projects and those who will supply the audio players.  Will you consider devoting a week of your life in order to hand carry audio Bibles to those who need to hear it?

As you are perhaps contemplating year-end giving, would you consider a special gift to provide audio recordings and players in areas where people still have not heard the Good News?  Click here for more information. Write to us at jim-jamie (at) lokerfam.com if you have questions.

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."  Luke 10:2

All photos are by Hannah Loker.  Please do not reprint without permission.

Premature Praise

Photo by Amanda Pitts

Having devoted our lives to daily service in hopes of someday hearing, "Well done, good and faithful servants," it seemed premature to be honored this side of heaven. 

Well acquainted with the honor of suffering for the sake of the gospel, being "awarded" things like loneliness, bed bugs, head lice, amoeba, hepatitis, and dengue fever, this was a very foreign experience to find ourselves in the spotlight being honored with the prestigious Meritorious Achievement Award, the Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service.

Walking down the Baylor equivalent of a red carpet, and having Judge Ken Starr place this medal around my neck with the flash of cameras, and then again at half-time during Baylor Homecoming, the only thing that I could think of were all the people we represented, the team of people who made our accomplishment possible:  the Bible translators, our technicians, the financial supporters, our prayer partners, and the many who came on short-term teams to distribute audio Bibles.  On behalf of all of them, we received the medal.

The most humbling part was watching the "story of our lives" flashed before us, knowing that we follow many like Billy Graham and Max Lucado whose names are known throughout the world.  We are not sure what God will do with this experience, but we are trusting Him for more ministry partners as a result of this recognition and publicity for Audio Scripture Ministries.

To read the full story and see the lovely tribute, go to the Baylor website here
and also here.

Here is our prayer for you who share in our inheritance, from Colossians 1.

³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth....

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. ¹¹ May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We would ask that you pray the same for us, that we might continue to be filled with the knowledge of God's will... and walk in a way fully pleasing to Him, being fruitful in good works, strengthened with all power, enduring patiently and with joy, etc. - even in Michigan when our hearts are in Mexico.  Thanks!

Facts and Figures and a Very Cool Map

Thanks to our friend, Loren, for sending me this cool map based on the 2010 census data.

Write if you want me to send you a copy so you can blow it up bigger and see the actual languages in each bubble.

As for the facts and figures, here's a summary of the work we have facilitated these past 20 years in Mexico (for those who do not receive our monthly updates):

• 61 whole New Testaments recorded in 8 states in Mexico, mostly in Oaxaca
• Jesus Films dubbed in 44 different languages
• Around 5000 solar powered devices (Megavoice) of the New Testament distributed to individual families in 41 languages
• Nearly 1000 Proclaimers distributed to listening groups and churches in 36 language groups
• 57 team trips hosted, including scripture distribution teams, construction projects on 18 new churches, medical, and children's ministry.
   

We think that's pretty cool, too.  Looking at the map, please pray for the remaining 60 or so Bible translations that are still either in process or on the list for future linguists.  Pray for the completion of ten New Testaments that are in the publication stage.  Pray most of all that they will be utilized.  Pray that we can schedule, record, format, and distribute audio Bibles in each of these new areas, too.  Pray for a fruit-filled response to people hearing God's Word in their own language.

The Problem of Persecution

Persecution is a topic you may never have seen me mention in print - certainly never online.  Hopefully, it won't come back and bite me, but I think it is time to bring it to light.  We need to pray for our brothers and sisters right here in Mexico who are being threatened, tortured, and deprived of water, electricity, and economic gain just because they call themselves evangelical Christians.

In one Zapotec village, for instance, the town authorities levied a tax equivalent to one year of income to anyone who leaves the Catholic church to join the evangelical church in town.  Yet still, people take this risk, pay the fine, and align themselves with the less popular church in town.  (Without mentioning the name of the town, I can verify that we took our family there in 2011, and received this report directly from the local pastor.)

More recently (last month), I met this precious Zapotec saint in the photo, who told me her testimony of personal suffering and unbelievable persecution when she became a true Jesus follower in a different village many years ago.  She was thrown into a dark prison-type cell with several other believers, all women, and deprived of food, water, and bathroom facilities for two days.

Anyone caught trying to smuggle them so much as a glass of water was likewise thrown into the tiny cell.  All were threatened with hanging from a nearby tree if they did not renounce their "new" religion.  None did.  The second morning the local authorities set them free.

When I translated this story to our visiting short-term team, they could not understand how this still occurs on a regular basis throughout rural regions of Oaxaca.

Whenever we have mentioned situations like this one, people inevitably ask who are the perpetrators.  We hesitate to tell the truth, that usually they are the Catholics who initiate the persecution of the believers in any given village.  We are always quick to add that these Catholics are not like our sweet Catholic friends north of the border who fully embrace religious tolerance for those of other faiths.

No, these folks are what some refer to as "traditionalist Catholics."  Their religion is a mix of traditional animistic beliefs with the outer trappings of the Catholic church added to it, and they are not tolerant of any who do not participate in their festivals and drunken celebrations.  According to an article I just read, these traditionalist Catholics "invoke Mexico's Law of Uses and Customs - designed to protect the rights of indigenous communities to practice native rites- to force their practices on people of minority faiths."

Religious persecution is not tolerated in Mexico, at least not officially, yet we could give many accounts of believers who have been threatened, run out of town, had their water and electric supply cut off, thrown in prison, and shot or hung.  There are families who were exiled from their villages along with their whole church, whose children cannot enter public schools because their documents were destroyed, and they have no proof of prior schooling.  We know of others whose crops were destroyed, whose homes and churches were burned, and whose husbands were killed.  To our American ears, it seems beyond belief that these things can occur just south of our own border.

If you have ever traveled with us to some of these villages, you understand how remote they are.  Think of it like the Wild West, where local authorities could not always keep a rowdy bunch under control when the "big guns" were too far away to provide additional support.  Like the Wild West, many villages still have limited, if any, phone service to the larger cities, and lawmen from the cities have little desire to travel so many hard dusty miles on unpaved rutted roads to aid those who are being persecuted.

Jim and I make a policy of tip-toeing around the issues of persecution, not wanting to draw attention to the problem for fear of stirring up more trouble, and not wanting to put our host country in a bad light. However, I wonder if we aren't doing a disservice not to mention it since our fellow believers do need prayer.  Native missionaries and pastors desperately need prayer covering as they boldly (or tentatively) go into areas where the locals are very resistant to the gospel and fearful of outsiders.

Forgive me for stereotyping, but it seems most Americans prefer to phone their congressmen when they hear of human rights violations.  Calling in the big guns is our favorite mode of operation.  Please resist the urge.  The best thing you can do is to take this information and add it to your prayer list.  It is a spiritual battle for the souls of men.  Call on the REALLY big guns in the heavenlies, and let's wait to see things change in the remote villages of Oaxaca.

Big Changes Ahead

"Never say never."  How many times have we said this?  Yet here we are anticipating the unthinkable:  moving to the U.S. as our primary home base after 27 years of living in Latin America.

Yes, it’s true.  We are facing a significant move in 2014.  However, don’t get too eager to redirect your monthly missions money, because we’re not letting you off the hook just yet.  We are not retiring!  If anything, we are broadening our base and hoping to do even more in the area of Audio Scripture production and distribution world-wide.

Jim is the new Executive Director of Audio Scripture Ministries, effective April 1, 2014.   The family will transition to living in the U.S. as of June 2014.

It was a difficult decision for us, believe it or not, as we prayerfully agonized over the possibility of accepting this leadership position in Michigan.  The job description fits Jim perfectly, and honestly I (Jamie) can’t imagine anyone with more field experience, passion, and vision.  The hesitation was mostly a fleshly one, a dread of making the U.S. our new base of operations. We always presumed we would live and die in Mexico, which has been our home for all these years.

  

So, what does this mean?  From the sounds of it, you are only half finished with recording the New Testaments in Oaxaca.

True.  We are just completing the sixtieth audio New Testament, and there are at least that many more to be done, not to mention all the ones that will be revised to bring them up-to-date linguistically.  Our plan is to continue managing the recording operations long-distance, trusting our faithful group of recordists to continue in our absence.

Will you still be in Cleveland for furlough next summer and fall, as planned?

Unfortunately, no.  Instead we will be living in Holland, Michigan, and making weekend trips to Ohio to visit each of our supporting churches and friends to assure them of our continued commitment to our primary missions goals.

So you will still need monthly financial support?

Absolutely!  While ASM will cover Jim’s travel expenses to places like India, Nepal, Mozambique, Mexico, and who knows where all he will need to visit, we are still considered “missionaries” in every sense of the word.  If anything, we are hoping to expand our support base so that we can help fund other recording projects around the world. 

  

Will you buy a house in Michigan?

Lord willing, yes.  This is huge for us, but Jim needs to live near the home office in Holland.  A benefit is that we will have a home base a bit closer to the rest of the family.  The downside is that we will need to start completely from scratch.  We have absolutely nothing to furnish a house -- no furniture, no appliances… no nothing.  (And yes, that is a major hint-hint for anyone who might have surplus anything to spare.) 

Will you sell your house and belongings in Oaxaca?

No, no, no, no, no.  There are still many recording needs in Mexico, so we will be coming and going a lot in the coming years.  I have visions of our grown children thinking of this as a “time share” location where they will want to visit with our grandchildren in the future.  We have twenty years of memories wrapped up in this home.  Maybe we will even retire here someday.  No, we are not selling.

What about team trips?  Will people still be able to bring groups down to Oaxaca?

We may cut back on involvement with team trips at first, but occasionally Jim and I can bring small teams to help with audio distribution efforts or to help with practical needs among new indigenous churches.  We love to share our passion for the unreached by hosting “vision trips” for supporting churches, and we expect to continue doing short-term trips once we are settled in Michigan. 

  

Are you excited?

Yes!  At the same time we are nervous about this new cross-cultural adjustment.  We are not the same Americans who moved to Guatemala 27 years ago, and we are uncertain how our worldview may clash with the culture of Holland, Michigan.  Soon we will discover how weird we really are!

Mostly we’d appreciate prayer for all that this decision entails:

• ·      Buying and furnishing a house

• ·      Replacing one or both of our vehicles, leaving one behind for team trips

• ·      Redefining our roles in marriage and ministry together

• ·      Finding a supportive church in Michigan

• ·      Figuring out education options for Jonny and Debbie, who will be 15 and 17

• ·      Making new friends for all of us

• ·      Keeping things in Mexico running smoothly by remote

• ·      Maintaining a good support base with an increased cost of living

• ·      ETC. That etcetera is huge, and we trust God to direct your prayers as you think of us. Only He knows what we will really need in the days to come.

Bless you, as you hopefully remain partners in this ongoing ministry with us, reaching the unreached, non-literate people groups around the world.  We are forever grateful for your participation with us in the past, while we humbly submit our future plans to you.

May God be glorified in our lives as we seek to serve Him in greater ways through this new leadership opportunity.

Never Too Late

Over the summer months, we have placed audio Bibles  into ten language groups in southern Mexico.  Most of these people are hearing the Scriptures in their own language for the first time.  This is the most exciting part of our ministry.  These people can’t read, so they’ve waited for 20 or more years for their New Testament to be translated and finally recorded.  We have the privilege of placing this valuable tool into their hands.  It can be a very emotional experience. 
   

Our ASM studio in Oaxaca also completed four New Testament recordings, and two more are currently underway.  It’s been a very productive summer.  Several of these recordings are in languages that have had their scripture translations in print since around 1980.  Yes, people have been waiting to hear the Word in their own language for over thirty years.   

Thankfully, prayer has helped us to overcome obstacles such as the lack of funds, available technicians, and literate native speakers for each project.  Sadly, though, in many groups a generation has died without knowing Christ.  
  

I’m reminded of the young boy walking along the beach who saw hundreds of dying starfish that had been washed up on the shore.  He started to pick them up one at a time and throw them back into the water, when a man came by and said to him, “You can’t save all of those starfish.”  The boy replied, “But I can save this one.” 

But is it ever too late to record the New Testament and make it accessible to the majority of non-readers in a language group? 
   

Our Mixtec reader, Jose, would say “No.”  Jose is 77 years young and is the only remaining reader in his village.  With failing eyesight, he dedicated three months of his life to record the New Testament in his language.  He decided to pick up a starfish and throw it back into the ocean.  Jose wanted to make sure that his people group could finally hear the Word.

The time is short, and the need is greater than ever to make God’s Word available to unreached people groups in Oaxaca, Mexico and beyond.  

No, it’s never too late.

(This article was written by Jim Loker for an ASM publication in August.)