"THOU ART MY HIDING PLACE..."

Tarahumara family.

The Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon plant a little corn and possibly a few other items, but mostly they are hunter/gatherers. The couple in this picture have a load of dried corn on the back of their horse that they are taking to their home. Lloyd met this couple as they walked along the curving narrow road in the Copper Canyon. Friendly and pleasant, they were happy to announce the soon arrival of their second child. The father is carrying their first baby in a sling on his back.

The Tarahumara love bright colors and prints. The men are known for their unusual loin cloths that hang longer in the back, triangular in shape. When they wear shoes at all, they mostly wear leather sandals that they make themselves. But these days it's not unusual to see young men dressed in western shirts, jeans and boots. Also known as the "foot runners," the Tarahumara are noted for literally running down their game, sometimes running for hours or even days. They are called "super athletes" because of their great endurance in their running games.

Recent droughts and severe cold snaps have destroyed much of the food supply in the Copper Canyon, and these starving, desperate people are once again being abused. According to law-enforcement sources, and the Tarahumara Indians, drug traffickers are now exploiting the very Tarahumara trait—endurance—that has been crucial to their survival. Cartel operatives enlist impoverished Tarahumara Indians to make a grueling journey running drugs by foot across the border to the U.S.  And many are being arrested!

Please pray earnestly with us for the Tarahumara Indians, that the Lord will once again provide them with a place to hide.

"Thou art my hiding place and my shield. I hope in thy word." Psalm 119:114

Selling clay pots and grass baskets to tourists helps the Indians.  Here are some things Lloyd purchased during one of his visits to the Copper Canyon.