Update and Prayer Requests: August 2023
Valerie and Nicasio Martinez
Translating God's Word with and for the people who speak Quiatoni Zapotec
 
You may remember that Beto was the head of the Quiatoni Zapotec team who attended a three-week workshop on translating 1 Corinthians. The three new folks were surprised by how many “gringos” (foreigners in general) have left their homes to come to Mexico to translate God’s Word for people like themselves. Rebeca said, “I see these people like Paul, traveling all over to share God’s Word with people.” All three new ones commented on how they would spend an hour or more understanding one verse and then each would work on how they thought it should be translated. Then they would come together and share their ideas. Eloisa said, “Now I realize that God’s Word in Zapotec is important, that we understand it better in Zapotec than in Spanish.” Fernando said, “So many things we think we understand (in Spanish) and sometimes we want the Bible to say what we want it to say!” Nicasio is impressed with Fernando’s abilities and hopes that he will be able to work with Beto to continue revising 1 Corinthians, when Beto finishes teaching in the Native Authors Workshop and when Fernando can take time off his job.

August 5th was our last meeting with the Quiatoni pastors where they learned to read and write in Zapotec, sing Zapotec songs, and how to evangelize others in Zapotec. We are very glad for all the pastors and others who arrived. We are also very thankful for The Cahaya Foundation (www.thecahayafoundation.org) who gave us 200 small Kulumi audio devices, already filled with our Zapotec materials! The pastors and assistant pastors were delighted to get their own devices and then additional devices to share with church members who would be interested in listening to them. We haven’t heard much from the pastors yet but Josefina, who has been using “big books” in Zapotec to teach Sunday School, said that she would like 10 more to share in her church! Those in our church (in Tlacolula) have really been enjoying listening to them and that they are so portable. God and The Cahaya Foundation are blessing us with another 500 devices in a few months! Please pray for wisdom for Nicasio as he decides what is the best method to distribute them.

Last Friday (Aug. 25), was the first day of classes for the Master’s Degree program of translation and interpretation that Nicasio will be teaching at “his” university. Then on Saturday, he went to Quiatoni with Beto and the youth music group to give an introduction to apologetics to the youth in Quiatoni’s largest church. Beto was invited to preach at the evening service. We are thankful for all the ways God is providing to encourage people to use Zapotec in church and to provide them with the tools to do that.

We would appreciate your prayers for Nicasio as he participates in the UN International Decade of Indigenous Languages event that will be held in Mitla on Sept. 19. He has been part of the organizing committee and will be one of the emcees for the event. He will also give a talk on how indigenous people’s identity has been damaged over the years since the Europeans arrived in the Americas. He has also invited Candy and Beto to give a talk about the “big books” they make and use with children. He is also arranging for a lady from Quiatoni to have a table where she will be embroidering a traditional Quiatoni blouse. People will have the opportunity to buy something and ask her questions. Our Zapotec music group will also be participating with some songs in Quiatoni Zapotec.

Then on Sept. 20, there is a similar event in Mexico City. Beto and Candy will be participating there, sharing about the effects and impact of having God’s Word in their own language. This is a major event, and something new for Candy and Beto, so we appreciate your prayers for them, too.

Please pray, too, for our relationship, especially Nicasio’s, with our local church. It has been a little rocky.

A week ago (Aug. 22), at Mike and Tara’s request, I flew up to help them with Royan (now 2.5 years old!) so they can finish up stuff to sell their house in preparation of moving to Oaxaca. Royan and I have been getting to know each other and I’m learning his language. (You might remember that his speech has been delayed. His speech is improving a lot and he uses a lot of methods to communicate.)
On September 9th, Rusty will celebrate another year of being cancer free and will celebrate his 29th birthday!

We appreciate your interest, prayers and support for our ministry of Bible translation. We are blessed to see God working in so many ways right now among those who speak Quiatoni Zapotec. Thank you for your part in making it possible!

 love, Valerie and Nicasio                                                      
www.cten.org/NicasioMartinez​

Dear Pastor Mike,
​Summer 2023 is here! YAY!! I pray your summer will have many wonderful opportunities to build good memories with your loved ones and you have opportunities for refreshing fun and relaxation. 

Where in the world have I been lately?
Here is a review and summary of ministry earlier this year and some of what's been going on in recent weeks.  

• Since the beginning of 2023 I have been to Poland with Trauma Healing, evangelism and discipleship Training.  Then to Jordan with a disciple making ministry team.  It was so good to see the family of God in Jordan!  Because of the Covid Pandemic I have not taken a team to Jordan in several years. We love to help Them! They are truly sold out for God's purposes in a place of spiritual darkness!  We dearly love and cherish them and have been honored to come alongside to serve in the harvest of souls with them many many times over the years.  God raised up an awesome small team and together with served with joy as He opened doors for us to share God's love, to bless and encourage. Please continue to pray for the many children who heard the gospel for the first time in an Easter Program.  
•  In Poland I was with a small team of leaders. Our days were full to the brim of daily training meetings with the body of Christ in many locations. We trained in Trauma Healing, evangelism and discipleship to strengthen and establish multiplying Churches.  

Thank you for your prayers and for sending me. God is using our partnership in the work of the Lord to bring His love and the power of His Word, healing and wholeness to a hurting world. 

• Both before and after returning from Jordan we have been meeting on zoom with several believers in Ukraine weekly.  We are using a Trauma Healing Curriculum and now we are starting with a discipleship curriculum. We are also meeting with a group from a region called Karakalpakstan to equip them with training. It's been amazing!  They happily and faithfully attend and are so thankful for the tools and resources.  
• The first 9 days of June I was in San Diego! I know many of you know that I lived in San Diego for 15 years after joining staff with e3. I haven't been back to visit friends and ministry partners in San Diego for almost 5 years!  It was a wonderful visit! I'm so grateful for my time with old and new friends!  I loved worshipping with those I worshipped with when I lived in San Diego. As I look back through the years I am filled with awe and gratitude! Thank God! It is so clear me how the Lord is clearly my Good Shepherd! I am so grateful to God for you, my ministry partners North, South, East and West, who have partnered with me and together we have obeyed the Great Commission.  And I am praying we will continue together!  
• After returning from San Diego 2 of my co-workers and I met daily on zoom for one week with a group of 20 Ukrainian youth camp leaders. We trained them with a curriculum called "Crisis Response Initial Healing."  In July they will lead a Kids Camp in Ukraine. They really need our prayers.  Please pray for their safety and security. Many of the youth who are registered to attend have been through terrible trauma because of the war. 
• Just this past Sunday I had the blessing and privilege of sharing from the Bible about what it means to be God's Image Bearers, with a church in Huron, Ohio. This is a sending church where I attended when I first put my faith in Jesus more than 30 years ago. I treasured the time I had with my friends there. It was good to express gratitude and share what we are witnessing God do in the hearts of men, women and children in the world.

Click here to go to my staff support fundraiser, please.

Prayer Needs:

• Please pray for my support raising efforts.  Ask God to provide for the needs of leader travel expenses.
• Please pray that God will use our partnership to be a disciple makers in a world that is desperate for hope and healing.    

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20a

• Please pray for God to raise up medical professional to join us as we mobilize two medical teams this fall!  

Update and Prayer Requests: May 2023
Valerie and Nicasio Martinez
Translating God's Word with and for the people who speak Quiatoni Zapotec
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We thank you for praying for our church during this time of so many changes. Tomorrow (Saturday, May 27) there will be a service for the denomination to install Max as our pastor and Eduardo as the assistant pastor. We are thankful that all this has been settled without too many problems.

In the church meeting when the assistant pastor was voted on, Beto was also elected to be the church business secretary, Nicasio was elected to be the youth pastor, Fernando and his wife were elected to be deacons. (Four of the five people elected faithfully attend the Zapotec service!)

You may remember that Nicasio has been the youth pastor for many years; he enjoys it and has a wonderful rapport with the youth. During the pandemic, when we weren’t attending church, Nicasio continued the youth group online. Then our (then) pastor decided that there should be an in-person youth group and so the youth of families who were attending church in-person dropped the online group and started attending the in-person group. So even though Nicasio has just been elected to be the youth pastor, he has continued to be one! He would appareciate your prayers as he molds the two groups into one; their first meeting will be on June 11.

The new deacons, Fernando and Elizabet, were elected to aide the deacon couple that is responsible for unlocking and locking the church for services, setting up chairs, reminding parents to quiet their children, and waking those who have nodded off. Since Fernando plays bass for the Zapotec service, he suggested that they take care of the Wednesday night service and that the other couple cover the Thursday (Zapotec) service. We are so pleased at how this is working out: the other couple have resisted attending the Zapotec service but now that they have to, are happily participating in the Zapotec Bible study! Last night, as Nicasio was closing the service, Angel said, “We could go til dawn—and that would be ok!” Someone also heard him say that there wasn’t any need to be waking people up during the Zapotec service, since no one dozed off!

A few other people are also starting to regularly attend the Zapotec service; we are thankful for them and for the Zapotec service being announced during other services to encourage people to attend.

In our last update, we asked you to pray for the classes we’d be having with several Quiatoni pastors, to teach them to read and write in Zapotec, to learn songs and hymns in Zapotec, and to learn how to evangelize. Even though not everyone attended, the seven pastors and leaders and the two teens that attended really seemed to enjoy the day long class. For their writing assignment, Nicasio asked them to write about why they had left the Catholic church or why they had stayed in the protestant church. A couple of the older men gave verbal answers, instead. We were saddened and not very surprised that no one said it was because they’d believed in Jesus as their Savior. The lack of truly understanding the Gospel is a direct result of church always being in Spanish. They heard the Gospel clearly in Zapotec several times during the day, when Beto taught about how Jesus used parables to share the Gospel and when Candy told how she’d become involved in spreading the Gospel in Zapotec, especially teaching the children. (She told us later that her dad had asked for the day off work so he could attend the class! He videoed her reading a large, classroom sized book about creation and the need for a Savior.)

There were many highlights to that day—but it was long! The pastor had asked Nicasio to preach in the evening service and then we had supper before leaving. We had left home at 5 am to be there for breakfast and got home at midnight. I took a nap in the truck between class and church, so I could drive home since Nicasio was “on” all day long.

The second day of classes was scheduled for May 27—before that day was selected for Max’s installation service. Nicasio told them that the date would have to be changed (several of those pastors will also be at the installation service, too) and for them to let him know what date they decided on. He didn’t hear anything from them and was thinking that they were not wanting more classes. Rather depressing! But he got a call yesterday, could we come on June 3rd? Yes! We’ll be there! Once again, we ask for your prayers for the classes, for open minds and hearts for those who attend. (We’ll be leaving again at 5 am; I don’t know if there’ll be an evening service or not.)

One of the two teens who attended the first day of classes is interested in attending a Bible school. Nicasio talked with her, and because she wants to study the Bible, suggested that she attend the four week workshop on 1 Corinthians that SIL will be giving in mid-July. She agreed and will join Beto and Fernando in the workshop. Fernando, besides playing bass for the Zapotec service, also alternates with Beto doing the opening part of the service. We are going through the Gospel of Mark for that part and we have been amazed at Fernando’s abilities in teaching as well as the studying he does in preparation. So Nicasio thought it would be good to “stretch” him a bit and invited him to attend the 1 Corinthians workshop, which he agreed to.

Beto suggested to Nicasio that he have an online class with Eloisa and Fernando to prepare them for the workshop. He taught them the difference hermeneutics (interpreting the Bible, usually through one’s own point of view) and exegesis (studying the background, culture, language, etc. of a book of the Bible). Beto used the parable of the prodigal son and asked them how they imagined the prodigal was dressed when he returned home. They answered “dirty” “ragged” “stinky.” Beto said, “When I imagine him, I see him dressed in ragged pants and a ragged shirt—but that’s not how they dressed in Jesus’ time.” Fernando said, “That’s looking at it hermeneutically!” Please pray for them attening the workshop and thank God with us for Fernando and Eloisa as well as Beto, Candy and Elizabeth. Thank God also for a very generous gift that will pay the expenses for them to attend the workhop.

Thank you for your interest, prayers and support of our ministry of Bible translation. Your part in making all these things happen is a real blessing to us!
love, Valerie and Nicasio
www.cten.org/NicasioMartinez
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