Every answer to prayer is a miracle. Today I would like to highlight some of the answers to prayer I’ve witnessed in my years of living in the Tarahumara mountains.
When we first moved to Guagueyvo fifteen years ago, the people were very suspicious of us. They were afraid we were coming to take away their land or to take advantage of them in some way. No one would sell or rent us a house. We spent the first three months living in tents. It was a huge answer to prayer that we were not chased out of town and that we were permitted to build a house there!
Living in tents, 2008
For many years we were alone in the work. We prayed for someone to come and join us. What a miracle when David and Rosene Sensenig came!
God provided a friendly neighbor who let us get water from her hose. She did more than her part to make sure our tanks were full of water.
I have prayed for years that God would help me learn the Tarahumara language. I imagined the joy of being able to connect deeply with my Tarahumara friends, but it seemed like it would take forever. Praise the Lord. Because my fluency is growing, this year I have been able to go deeper in my relationships than ever before!
Good language helpers can sometimes be almost impossible to find. God provided two faithful language helpers for me in the last two years. I have been able to share the Gospel with both of them.
Something that I don’t want to take for granted is the health that God has given us all these years. God has also kept us safe from accidents and from evil men. I know this is an answer to all the prayers that people have prayed on our behalf.
One of the greatest miracles I have witnessed is seeing the Gospel transform sinners. People who had never heard the Gospel before have believed in Jesus and been baptized. Drunkards and drug addicts have been delivered. Two men who were afflicted by demonic voices for years were set free! Many sick people have been healed.
Here are some things to continue to pray for:
- That God would continue to build His church among the Tarahumara people
- For church leaders to be raised up and equipped
- That we could get the literacy material prepared and begin teaching people to read
We could not be here or do what we do without the prayers and support we receive. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for this work. I know that when we see God move, it is because many people have prayed.
— Juanita Byler, Tarahumara Project, Mexico