A summary of our work over the past few months
Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. Psalm 127:1 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters and friends in Christ
A few months ago, when we arrived at our new home with all our belongings—our friends from the Base helping us carry boxes, Natán in our arms, Kari running off to explore every room—something in our hearts settled. Every wall and every door served as a reminder of the enormous effort this represented for Pepe, and of the gratitude we feel toward every person who lent a hand in this project.
We’re finally here. There’s still work to be done, but we’re home. And that, for us, is clear proof that what the Lord builds stands firm. We recorded a short thank-you video for you: see here.
The Grandparents’ Visit
Our hearts are filled with joy because my parents came to meet Natán, and Pepe’s mom arrived while he was traveling to Colombia to be with me during those days. For the grandparents to have real, physical contact with their grandchildren—to watch Kari grow up, to hold Natán—isn’t something they get to do often since we live a bit far apart. So their visit made us feel supported and loved, and we’re sure it brought joy to their hearts as well.
Our young children
Natan is already five months old and growing well, thank God. Kari started kindergarten in the Nomatsiguenga language and has already made friends—that makes us very happy.
There is something we continue to ask the Lord for: protection from respiratory and parasitic illnesses. A few weeks ago, Kari brought home a pretty bad flu from school that infected all of us, including Nathan. The children are still coughing. That’s just how it is in this area—colds are common—and we’re asking for wisdom to find ways to strengthen our health here.
A Nomatsiguenga team in the making
This is the news that fills us with the most hope. At the Base, we held a training workshop for some Nomatsiguenga brothers and sisters who, starting in August, we hope will join the Bible translation and literacy efforts. Pepe spent a day teaching them about technology; I shared with them on literacy topics.
That native speakers of the language are being equipped to carry out this work is exactly what we seek: that it be their own people who bring the Word to their own.
Relationships with the Nomatsiguenga
Something that fills us with hope is the relationships that are gradually forming. A few weeks ago, two moms from the preschool came to visit me at home. These visits are incredibly valuable because they give me the chance to share the gospel with them clearly.
We’ve also discovered that some adults already know the Lord: they were children when the Base began, or they are teachers who heard about Him at some point. We’re not starting from scratch. Seeds have been sown, and that gives us hope. We ask the Lord for wisdom to be just the right amount of salt to season what He is already doing in this town.
Literacy in the mother tongue
I’m testing out the lessons from the Book of Jonah in Nomatsiguenga—our colleagues Abby and Pepe have already recorded them as audio files and will broadcast them over the community loudspeaker, and I’ll be asking the elementary school teachers to use them so I can see what needs to be adjusted.
I’m also working on something called Alpha Tiles, a literacy game app set to launch in August. I’m compiling 300 Nomatsiguenga words with culturally appropriate images that it needs to function well—please pray for this work.
The Scriptures for the Peoples of South America
Pepe traveled to Mitú, in the Colombian Amazon, to support the training of a team that will update the New Testament in the Cubeo language. He is also participating in the final review of the Old Testament in the Ashaninka language—a decades-long project now reaching its final stage. He is doing all this in his role as Lenguage Technology Coordinator for the Americas, which allows him to encourage others to serve in this same field. We give thanks to the Lord for these open doors.
Prayer requests
We appreciate your prayers for the following:
- Gratitude for our home, for the help from our colleagues at the Base during the move, and for the visit from the three grandparents.
- Family health—full recovery from the cough and wisdom to better care for our bodies in the jungle.
- Relationships with the Nomatsiguenga people—may the Lord continue to open genuine connections and give us wisdom to communicate the Gospel in a way that makes sense in this culture.
- Literacy—that I may compile the 300 words and images in time for the August Alfa Tiles workshop, and that the message of the Jonah lessons may touch the hearts of those who hear and read them.
- The Nomatsiguenga team—that the Lord would establish a solid foundation in each one and call those who need to join us.
- Pepe’s ministry—wisdom for the Asháninka translation, his coordinating role, and the teams he accompanies on the continent.
Thank you!
We want to sincerely thank you for joining us in prayer and support. Every step forward—the house, the workshop for the Nomatsiguenga team in training, every word recorded in Nomatsiguenga—is also the result of your faithfulness to the Lord. We remain confident that He who builds also sustains.
With love in Christ, Pepe, Miriam, Kari, and Natán
Thanks (gracias) to each one of you who are being part of the Lord’s ministry with your prayers, offerings and messages of encouragement.
Rosas Maya Family
WEC Mexico missionaries serving with SIL Global
Endorsed by the Morelos Baptist Convention.
Sending Churches:
IB Getsemaní, Cuautla, México & IEUP El Sembrador, Iquitos, Perú.