This should be in a book!
An older Filipino periodically helped in the translation of God’s Word into his language. One day he was asked to help record Scriptures for his language group. Day by day, phrase by phrase, he spoke the message into the microphone. As the recording process brought the written message to life, his enthusiasm grew. With amazement in his voice, he turned to the translator and said, “This material is really good. You should put in into a book!”

The chagrined translator assured him that the message did, indeed come from a book, and she showed him a copy of the New Testament in his language. This old man had never understood the message in the context of a bound book. For the first time he grasped the meaning and significance of God’s message to him personally, and he wanted to know more!

You don't need to read to be a Christian
Throughout the world millions of people still have not heard the message of salvation from God’s Word. Over 2000 language groups have no portion of God’s Word in a language they understand well. And in those language groups where a New Testament has been completed, many of the people are not using those translated Scriptures to change their lives.

Often the problem is one of literacy. Many indigenous people are unable to read or write in any language. Even when literacy classes are held, some feel they are too old to learn. Others are too busy providing shelter and food for their family to spend time and energy on learning to read.

When asked if he wanted to become a Christian, an old man began to cry. Years ago missionaries had told him that God’s Word could teach him how to become a Christian, but God’s Word was written in a book, and he could not read. He thought that he had to know how to read to become a Christian.

Vernacular Media: New Approach, New Interest
A new approach to reaching these nonreaders or nonusers of God’s Word is taking the translation world by storm. And the result is a renewed interest in hearing God’s Word and applying it to their lives by people in countries from Guatemala to Papua New Guinea to Africa.

Most of these cultures are considered oral societies. This means that the way of communicating within their culture is oral. They have no books or written records. Their history, music, stories, and traditions have been passed down orally from one generation to another.

This creative approach of using Scripture employs the vernacular language and various kinds of media. Vernacular media (VM) reaches out to millions of people to provide God’s Word in their language in a form they can understand. THrough audio cassettes, videos, story telling, drama, and music that are Biblically accurate, appropriate to the culture, and embraced by the local community,the translated Scriptures are making a difference in people’s lives and having long term effects. The look on their faces as they hear and understand God speak to them, often for the first time, is priceless!

Fourteen weeks in North Carolina
Kedra Larsen, a vernacular media specialist with Lutheran Bible Translators, spent a few weeks in Guatemala last December. One of her tasks was a dramatized recording of the story of Jonah in Uspanteco. After discussing the finished product with her, and seeing Guatemala’s need for additional work in that area, we felt God urging us to get more training in vernacular media.

A few weeks later we found ourselves in the car driving northwest through Mexico and into the United States. After a brief visit with our family in Ohio, we are now comfortably settled into a one-bedroom apartment at the JAARS Center near Waxhaw, North Carolina, where we are training to do vernacular media work in addition to our current ministry in Guatemala.

JAARS is the technical arm of Wycliffe Bible Translators and a premier facility for our training. Here we are currently taking a four-week course in planning and using vernacular media to help people more actively use the translated Scriptures. Following this course we will take a ten-week course in the technical aspects of this work.

We have already learned that vernacular media is a valuable tool for creating interest in using the Scriptures. We are excited about employing these techniques to create a greater interest in using the indigenous Scriptures within the Mayan churches in Guatemala.

Be a part of the ministry
This exciting new aspect of our ministry in Guatemala carries with it additional needs. Proper equipment to do the recording is important, including a good quality tape recorder, a mixer, a minidisc recorder, an audio interface, and at least two microphones. This equipment will costs about $1500. For digital editing to produce quality products we will also need a new laptop computer costing approximately $1800. These items are not included in our 2004 budget and cannot be purchased until special funds are received to cover their costs. If you would like to support this special aspect of our work, please designate your gifts to: Finley/VM Equipment or Finley/VM Computer.

We thank God for your partnership. Please pray for us as we study for the next few months. Pray, also, that God will raise up the necessary funds for this equipment. The Uspantecos are eager to have more audio and video materials for sharing the Gospel with their people. Pray that other language groups in Guatemala will also want to learn more about this exciting way to engage their community in using the Scriptures!

God Bless!
Dan & Kay

Correspondence:
Dan and Kay Finley
PO Box 248
Waxhaw, NC 28173
Telephone 1-877-231-8158
E-mail: dkfinley@conexion.com.gt

Contributions:
Lutheran Bible Translators
PO Box 2050
Aurora, IL 60507-2050

Designate:
Finley/Guatemala
FInley/Vernacular Media Equipment
Finley/Vernacular Media Computer

Remember: To assure that your financial gifts are being used as you intend, please be sure to designate Finley/Guatemala on both the check memo line and the donor envelope flab if you want your gift to be used to support our ministry. Undesignated gifts will go into the LBT General Fund to be used for general expenses. They will not be available to support our work in Guatemala.