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Nicasio and Valerie Martinez
Can you imagine not being able to read God’s Word in your own language? Until now, that is the reality in Nicasio’s first language. Our ministry and prayer is that soon God’s Word will be available in Quiatoni Zapotec.
Quiatoni Zapotec is an indigenous language, spoken in southern Mexico long before the Spanish arrived. It was an unwritten language until 1987; today there are some 13,000 speakers, many of whom can now read their own language. This is due to the literacy work that Nicasio and Valerie have done. They have also worked with the bilingual school teachers to produce and implement a primer that teaches reading and writing in Zapotec to speakers who can already read Spanish.
Most people who speak Quiatoni Zapotec do not understand Spanish well; as a result, many do not understand the Spanish Bible. For this reason, the Martinezes have undertaken the task of translating God’s Word into Quiatoni Zapotec. The response to the portions already published and recorded (the Gospel of Mark and Galatians) has been positive. One lady said, “When I can’t understand what the pastor is saying in Spanish, after church I go home and listen to my Zapotec cassettes. Then I can understand God’s Word.” In addition to these portions, the Jesus film (www.JesusFilm.org), four cassettes of hymns and choruses, a Bible dictionary and several Old Testament stories have been published. The projected date for the New Testament to be published is 2015.
Home Church: The Federated Church, Grass Lake, MI