"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.

THE FORGOTTEN PEOPLE OF THE COPPER CANYON

A Tarahumara Indian walking along the mountain road.  He is carrying a branding iron probably used for protection.

In the mountains west of Hidalgo del Parral live the Tarahumara Indians. They are the forgotten people of today, yet they live only a few hundred miles from the United States Border. Some of their villages are almost impossible to reach. They live in the vast Copper Canyon, making their homes in caves at higher altitudes during the hot weather and migrating to the bottom of the canyon to live in log cabins in winter.


The known history of the Tarahumara goes back to the days of the conquistadors and the rich copper mines in the Sierra Madres. The Spaniards enslaved Indians and others to work in their mines, but the proud and illusive Tarahumara hid themselves away deep in the vast wild canyons. They were able to disappear from view in an area that's said to be larger than the Grand Canyon in the United States. After some time they were forgotten and left in peace.

The Tarahumara people stayed shielded from modern society until 1960 when the railroad line went through the area bringing tourists. Until that time the people had none of the modern conveniences, some had never seen combs or mirrors or other such trinkets. They retained an innocence because of their extreme isolation. But because of their isolation, they missed hearing the gospel message.

The railroad also brought Wycliffe Bible Translators who began putting the Bible into the Tarahumara language. Although able to speak and read Spanish, having the Bible in their own language would open up God's Word even more to these people.

In the late 1990's Lloyd felt impressed to visit the Tarahumara Indians to take Spanish Bibles to their remote area. He made more than one trip to the Copper Canyon where he met the fascinating and proud people who were hidden for so long. For the most part they were friendly and welcoming, especially since he took special gifts with him on his trips. Lloyd was invited into Tarahumara cave homes where he left gifts of instant coffee, soap, candy, beans and rice. Although usually very shy and not liking attention, they allowed him to take their pictures.

We'd like to return to the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. Meanwhile, we'll continue to pray for the forgotten people of the Copper Canyon.

From an old Sunday School chorus:

"Everybody ought to know
       who Jesus is!
He's the fairest of ten thousand
He's the bright and morning star.
He's the lily of the valley
Everybody ought to know!"

Here is a Tarahumara cave home.  There are several women cooking outside.  Lloyd was invited inside this humble dwelling.

WE'RE PRAYING FOR RICARDO

For their safety, the military does not like their picture taken.  We took this one from a great distance so no one could be recognized.

As we drove our van north toward the state of Vera Cruz, we were pulled over to the side of the road for a routine military inspection. In the seven days we'd been traveling in Mexico, this was the very first inspection of any kind we had experienced and that was unusual.


Lloyd opened the back of the van so the two young soldiers could see our cargo of Spanish Bibles and we told them about giving the Bibles to the people of Mexico. Since they are mostly looking for weapons in their searches, they were ready to send us on our way when the young man on the left asked us more about our ministry. And then he looked at us very seriously and said, "Ora para mi salvacion, por favor." (Pray for my salvation please.)

Lloyd immediately put his hand out the window, laid his hand on the young man's face and began to pray for him. I took the hand of the soldier on my side of the van who had said he was from the state of Michoacan. The soldier on my side seemed a little hesitant about the unexpected situation, but he bowed his head respectfully. We felt the presence of the Lord while praying for the two men at the military checkpoint on the side of the road in Mexico.

Ricardo Gonzales, the soldier who had asked for prayer, told us that he was from the west coast of Mexico. He had been away from home for a year and had become very discouraged. We promised Ricardo that we would always remember him and would continue to pray for the Lord to protect him.

Before driving away from the military checkpoint we gave all of the other soldiers New Testaments.

"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers."  1 Thessalonians 1:2

BIBLES FOR SOLDIERS

Sugar cane wagons are heading for the fields early in the morning.

Early Sunday morning April 26, 2009, we drove away from a little settlement in Tabasco, Mexico where we'd spent the night with friends. Men and boys on bicycles looked hot and weary as they rode to the sugar cane fields where they worked. There were a lot of motorbikes on the narrow road, along with huge noisy tractors pulling as many as six large wagons for harvesting the sugar cane. It was business as usual in this agricultural area of Mexico.


Insects made shrill high pitched noises in some tall trees along the canal. A large green iguana slithered into the vegetation on the side of the road. This was a lush green and humid part of Mexico; producing bananas, pineapple and other exotic fruit.

We'd noticed a military camp near the area the day before and Lloyd felt strongly that we should offer to give the soldiers Spanish New Testaments. As soon as we turned onto the main road, we saw the concrete block walls surrounding the camp and we also saw gates with armed guards at their posts on each side. Lloyd drove the van right up to the barrier at the same time that the guard raised his weapon and questioned our presence there. The young men on either side of us were tense and alert.

Lloyd got out of the van and began to show them the New Testaments, asking if we could leave some of them for the soldiers. The two guards were surprised; it was evidently unusual for someone to approach their camp with such a request. While they tried to decide what to do, Lloyd handed them a box of New Testaments and they carried them into the nearest building.

We pulled away from the military camp feeling compassion for the fine young men who have left their homes to serve their country. And it felt good to know that the Word of God will go with them back to every corner of Mexico.

Friends we stayed with in Tabasco.  Left to right:  Moises, Maria and her mother, and Lloyd.  Maria is the mother of our dear friend Javier who was the former pastor of the church in Nuevo Progreso.

SONGS IN THE NIGHT

Church in Vera Cruz

Late one night during our travels in Mexico, Lloyd heard music that sounded like praises to the Lord. He had stepped outside our motel into the balmy night air to walk around in the walled courtyard. Since we had been looking for small churches that needed Spanish Bibles, he was excited about visiting that particular church the next morning. Because the music was so clear, he was sure it would be very near the motel. How convenient it seemed for the Lord to lead us to a place for the night right next to a church. The next morning we left the motel and searched for blocks but didn't see a church of any kind. We asked a boy on a bike if there was a church nearby, but the only church he knew of was several blocks away. Not knowing what else to do and a little disappointed, we kept driving through that side of town until we found a pleasant little church called the Mount of Olives. A woman who turned out to be a member of the congregation came walking down the street and we asked her for information. She offered to send for the pastor; and meanwhile she and some others who happened by got the key and opened the church.

Our motel where Lloyd heard songs in the night.

Soon the pastor and wife showed up, out of breath with excitement and curiousity. When we told them about the music in the night, they confirmed that they had held a meeting the night before and had been singing together. But could we have heard them in our motel so far away? By this time several others had joined the group inside the church along with Pastor Benito Zamora and his wife Anita. It was a spontaneous time of celebration because it was evident that we had been led to that place by songs in the night. This was the perfect time and place for us to take communion together as we prayed, worshipped and sang in the little church called Monte de los Olivos (The Mount of Olives).
Before we left these great and unforgettable people, the pastor's wife Anita and the other women shared an almost unbelievable and exciting bit of information. Two months ago Anita had dreamed that Americans would come to visit their church!

Pastor Benny told us that there are many who need healing in their congregation and in that town. He said that the state of Vera Cruz has more cancer victims than any other state in Mexico; and there are many other health problems. We promised to pray with them about these needs and then we encouraged them to keep on singing and praising in the night!

Lloyd and I made many new friends at the church in Vera Cruz.

We send our greetings and our prayers to our brothers and sisters in Latvia.  May the Lord send new revival to your land with a great harvest of souls.