NOTE: This week we want to share a story with you that was sent to us by one of our mission partners in South America. Please take a moment to read this awesome story of another changed life!
We first met Leo* about a year ago when we he invited us into the school at his community to teach English classes. For a few months, our relationship was based mostly on teaching English and singing kids’ songs in 3 languages. We learned that Leo is a huge advocate of preserving the culture of his people, specifically the language, songs, music, and dances.
As we continued to meet with Leo to practice translating songs, we were able to begin sharing our faith in small ways. But when OneMessage.tv came down to film the first set of Bible Story videos, Leo got really excited. He saw the potential of being able to encourage his people to learn about the Bible in their native tongue. He offered to participate in the project and we assigned him to act as Moses in some of the stories. As we shared the stories before filming, he listened intently, and then participated actively.
After OneMessage.tv left, we continued to meet with Leo regularly, and he began to ask more and more questions. We invited him to a meeting with a few other leaders from his people group to work on translating one of the Bible Stories into his native tongue. Leo read the passage in the (Spanish) Bible over and over, even taking a picture of the page so he could continue studying it at home!
The next time we met, he shared what he “kept thinking about” from that story, and it was obvious God was using it to speak to Leo. We gave him a Bible that day, and he began devouring it, reading it to his family and his class. It was so clear that he was understanding and that God was calling him out, but Leo continued to struggle with the idea of losing his cultural heritage if he chose to follow Christ.
We spent a couple weeks praying specifically that God would show Leo how He created all cultures specific and unique and how God calls ALL peoples to worship and follow him. One day, Leo called us and asked when we’d be visiting again, because he “thought he was ready.” When we visited him a few days later, he shared about how he had prayed to God earlier that week, asking him to forgive his sins and show him how to follow Christ!
We praise God for this new brother and ask that you continue to lift him up as he grows in his faith and his boldness to share with his family, students, and community.
Leo himself loves to read his (Spanish) Bible, but he is ecstatic to have the Bible Story videos in his native language to share with the rest of his community.
Pray for Leo and the other 2 believers who are helping us translate more stories, so we can complete our 20-video library, that they may hear Gods story of love and redemption from Creation to Church.
* name changed
If you are part of the OneMessage.tv community, YOU helped make this happen! Your generous gifts produced the videos that Leo was a part of. And your generous gifts will make it possible for Leo's community, and other neighboring communities, to hear God's Word in their native language.
If you are not yet part of the OneMessage.tv community and you feel God calling you to join us, we'd love to have you! Simply click the button below to get updates on our projects for reaching oral learners around the world!
If you are not able to join us at this time, we understand. We would still appreciate your prayers for Leo as he grows in his new-found faith. We would also appreciate your prayers for OneMessage.tv as we create videos that share God's Word with oral learners in a way they can see and understand.