For those of us who attend church in America, an incredible gift we may take for granted is the ability to read. As we browse an announcement in the church bulletin, sing worship lyrics from a screen or search for the “caffeinated” label on the coffee maker, we may not give it a second thought.

For Tarahumara believers, illiteracy is a significant barrier for those hungry to learn more about God. Sadly, even those who can read struggle to understand the vast majority of Bible materials that are printed in Spanish (not their native Tarahumara dialect.) Sierra Send is developing and distributing audiovisual Bible materials in the native language that so that oral learners who cannot read can grow in their knowledge of God.

Lupe is a Tarahumara Christian who has begun to share in villages while being discipled and coached by missionaries in the Sierra. With the help of a missionary, Lupe read through a Bible book created by Sierra Send entitled “God Creates the World.” Lupe was eager to learn the story and the related discussion questions so that he could share with others.

Later that day, Lupe and the missionary showed a Bible story video on a battery-powered projector to a group of men, women and children gathered in a log cabin. The Tarahumara people were given a booklet composed of pictures that illustrate the main points of the story. Lupe excitedly taught the story, then prayed over the group before they departed for their isolated villages. These oral learners can then take their picture-driven Bible story books home and retell the story, thus ensuring that the Word of God is being shared by the Tarahumara people in settings beyond the meeting location.

Your support of Sierra Send is enabling believers like Lupe to share the Gospel in dark, unreached places. As the Tarahumara would say “Materaba Onoruami mi kuira!” Thank you and God bless you!

To help support outreach teams in the Sierra, click here: https://sierrasend-bloom.kindful.com.