Straight talk coming
Missionary Katie Moore is learning the culture and language of the Nahuatl people. As she studies with her language helper she is beginning to understand the people.
“As we continue to spend hours daily studying the Nahuatl language, it is fun to see things start to take shape and make sense,” Katie wrote.
Several months ago when she wrote down the word, “amomelahtaketsaliste,” the general meaning seemed to be a lie. But as she studied she found out melah means straight. So the Nahuatl think that telling a lie is “crooked talk.”
An example of that is when a young girl from another village got on the radio and began to spread fear and confusion about how to please God. She told them that they must dress in certain clothing and perform certain dances so that it will rain. If the people fail to comply, she tells them that wild animals will eat them or bad things will happen to their relatives. With this crooked talk, the young girl is able to trap the Nauhuatl people. Satan triumphs when people don’t use straight talk.
Pray for the Nahuatl people to hear and believe the straight talk the missionaries will bring them. When Katie’s language helper, Andrea, began telling her about the spirits on the mountain who require gifts of corn or fish or peaches to assure rain for the next season, Katie realized that this was yet another trap of Satan.
Then Andrea asked, “And you guys … do you do that?”
“I told her that some people in my land thought like that, but that I didn’t. I said that soon I was going to sit down and tell her what I thought in her own language, just like she had told me. But first I had to study. I know that Andrea cannot understand the gospel well in Spanish and so I am trusting God’s timing as I continue to learn.
“Please pray that our team will be diligent students while we work at learning how to communicate the Word to the Nahuatl. Pray that the Nahuatl will begin to have questions and doubts about their beliefs that can only be met by the truth of the Bible.”
Pray that the Nahuatl team will soon have the culture and language to tell the people the straight talk of the Gospel.