For some people, the cemetery is a place of sadness.
For others, it’s a place of hope.
(Photo by New Tribes Mission)

Mexico (NTM/MNN) — There aren’t many who relish the thought of death. It marks the beginning of something we’ve never really known before, and the end of what we’ve always known.

New Tribes Mission works with a tribe in Mexico, the Nahuatl people. They are translating the Bible into their language and constructing a literacy program to teach the people how to read.

The following story about the Nahuatl by NTM’s Ian Fallis is a story that all of us can relate to. It is also a story that can inspire followers of Christ to make a difference in the world around them.

Dark is the path that leads past the little Nahuatl village to the cemetery. “It’s a path we all must walk,” said the father of a little boy crushed to death under a truck when a jack slipped. He shrugged, and walked on. 

A shadowy path

Word of the boy’s death reached missionaries Peter and Liesl Hypki on a Saturday. They also heard why it happened: magia negra, the villagers said without a hint of doubt: black magic. Two days later, the boy’s coffin was at the head of the procession ambling down the shadowy path.

The moment the coffin began to be lowered into the grave, his father turned his back on the boy and faced east. His family followed his example, and then the whole crowd turned away. They had to: the Nahuatl people believe that if you do not, the deceased person will take your soul.

“To me, it’s the saddest part,” Peter said. “The imagery is stark.”

A path we walk with hope

It also reminds Peter of another Son who died: of Christ, rejected, dying to conquer death and bring us eternal, abundant life, and to give us hope.

This is why Peter, Liesl, and their co-workers, Rachel Chapman and Katie Moore, are there: to share this hope. In order to share God’s message clearly, they must understand how the Nahuatl people think. This is the grid through which the people will understand everything that is said about God. 

The walk to the cemetery is indeed a path we all must walk. But, Peter added, “For those who know Christ, it is a path we walk with hope.”

(Photo courtesy of NTM)

You can help Peter and Liesl share with the Nahuatl people the truth and security that exists in a relationship with Christ. Support Peter and Liesl by clicking here, or NTM translation efforts here.

Pray for the spiritual blindness to be lifted from this village.

Katie Moore with New Tribes Mission in rural Mexico had hers recently, but she learned a deeper truth from it.

Now that the rainy season in Nahuatl is over, water is a precious commodity. Over Katie's house sits a holding tank, which catches rainwater from her roof.

One day, while waiting for a bucket to fill, a language helper came to study. As they waited for the container to fill the two visited with each other. After a while, they decided to go into the house and make some recordings.

After their session, Katie went on with her day, working out and showering. She then rushed off to her co-worker's home where she had dinner with them. They also had prayer together.

Then came the sickening feeling–after a full day's activity. Katie abruptly remembered she left the hose running from that morning. A quick investigation in the dark confirmed it: the holding tank was empty. "I had spilled 300 gallons of precious rainwater all over the dry ground," said Moore. "Although my team members were very gracious about it and offered to help me to fill my tank, I was angry," she shares.

She stood in the dark next to the tank…and wept. She prayed, "This is how I feel, Lord: empty."

That night as she was lying on her cot, she remembered a similar experience from her childhood. As a child, she had put a hose in a washing machine to help it fill more quickly. Her friend came over, and they got distracted and ran to play. When she returned, a river of water was flowing down the hill by their home.

She reacted differently then. "I was just thankful that the water ran out the door instead of flooding the house."

Katie thought about both situations and her reactions. She realized that the difference was all about the source of water. The hose in her childhood hooked up to a river, where the source was unlimited. The hose from her roof was hooked up to a water supply that was dwindling. From this situation she saw that her attitude toward the water supply was an illustration some of her attitudes toward the village people she ministered to.

Thinking more on this situation, she thought of God's unlimited patience and generosity. God's spirit spoke to her heart: "You have a limited supply whenever the strength is coming from yourself."

It took Katie accidentally draining her water tank to remember that she is connected to God, that she can draw on His limitless resources. Next time you are short on patience, remember Katie's story and draw on God's limitless resources.

Since the spill, it has rained. The holding tank on the roof is now full. So…what fills your tank?