Guatemala

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

James 1:27

A recent distribution of MegaVoice audio Bibles took place in San Cristobal and surrounding villages in Guatemala. Bibles were donated by MegaVoice International and distributed by missionaries in association with our partners, Inn Ministries. The Bibles were specifically hand delivered to communities of widows who often live alone and have never heard the Bible in their native tongue.

Many of the widows do not speak Spanish and are unable to read due to lack of formal education. They rely only on oral communication and speak one of two indigenous dialects: Poqomchi’ or Qʼeqchiʼ. These small native dialects are are considered endangered languages because only a small population still uses them today. In Guatemala, only 1% of the population uses Poqomchi and 8.3% use Qʼeqchiʼ according to the World Factbook. For these women, the chance to hear their spoken language on our audio Bibles was an extra special surprise.

The following is a testimony from LaTonya Lewis, a missionary involved in the distribution. She recounts the initial reaction of the widows upon receiving God’s word for the first time in their tribal tongue. 

“As we prepare to distribute the audio Bibles, we can’t help but wonder if the recipients will be able to learn how to use these audio players. Most of them have no formal education, and learning to operate even a simple electronic device can be a significant challenge. Personally, knowing the dedicated individuals who have spent their lives translating for the Poqomchi’ people, and now seeing the fruits of their labor produced on these small devices, fills me with awe. Acting as a bridge to connect these two worlds—those who translated and produced the Bibles and the women receiving them—brings a profound sense of purpose and excitement. 

One of the widows responded with “I live alone, but this will be my companion now, I will have God’s word with me and I will not be alone”. She practically hung the Bible around her neck from the moment we handed them out and didn’t stop playing it the whole time we were there! Her words really impacted my heart because most of the 64 widows live alone or have a couple of young grandchildren (that were left with them to take care of from parents that have taken off or died). They’ve told me over and over again “thank you for coming to visit us because no one comes to see us”.  

In the picture, we see Rosa, a lady who initially stood back, watching others receive their audio Bibles. She observed intently, her shyness apparent as she hesitated to receive her own Bible. With great focus, she tried to comprehend how to use the audio player. Once she put it around her neck, she had to hold it close to her face to see the buttons, as her vision isn’t very good. Rosa can’t read or write, but now, with this audio Bible, she has the profound ability to hear God’s Words spoken in her language. Living alone, this device brings the comforting presence of His Word into her home. We hold great hope that this will bring her life and transformation, for His Word is Life.

More updates from Guatemala are to follow as we continue to fundraise for this project.