More About Every Tribe

Hallay S is the creator of Every Tribe....Hear her story....

 Over the past year, we have had two school supply drives and a Christmas stocking sponsorship. In the summer of 2013, a college friend and I lived in one of the Mixtecan communities. Our main goal was to establish relationships in the community. I now have personal contact with over one hundred Mixtecans in Montgomery and some outside of Alabama. During the summer we tutored children ages four through twelve in math, science, reading, and writing. I taught English to preschoolers and mothers. We took parents and children to Doctors appointments, Dentist appointments, school meetings, and countless other appointments. 

 My goal is to live life with them and in doing so show Christ's love through my actions. There are many times during every experience that I get to share about Christ and the gospel. We have had many children accept Christ and a few adults. God is working in His own timing and I am excited to see the progress. 

I am currently in college to get my degree in Intercultural Ministries and while in school, I go home on the weekends to tutor and maintain my friendships. Most Saturdays consist of making tortillas with the women and enjoying a good meal with my Mixtecan family. This year we have celebrated many births and mourned the death of our sweet Liliana whose funeral we were asked to attend. God has truly blessed us with this opportunity to be a small part in their lives!

 Be praying for Hallay and all involved in ministering to the Mixteco people group who have ended up in Montgomery, AL. We believe the Lord brought them here for a purpose.

Deuteronomy 10:18 "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing".

FEATURE: Every Tribe in Montgomery

We are so fortunate to have a young woman in Montgomery who has a heart for reaching the Mixtec people group in Montgomery for Christ. She has started a ministry called Every Tribe. Her name is Hallay and she is on fire for the Lord. She and her friend Hannah moved into an apt complex this past summer 2013 where a lot of the kids live and began to minister to their families through relationships. Here is a bit about the ministry.

Every Tribe is a missions outreach to the large and growing Mixtecan population in Montgomery, AL.    The Every Tribe Project is a missions outreach to the large Mixtecan population in Montgomery, AL. Mixtecan people come from the rural mountains in southern Mexico and speak a dialect which is called Mixteco. Every Tribe reaches out each family as a whole offering ESL classes to young children and adults, tutoring, assistance for daily basic needs, school advocates, translators, discipleship and many more opportunities. The most important goal for this mission is to share the gospel and see many Mixtecan people believe and follow Christ. Please continue to pray for our ministry and the many obstacles we face! Also consider joining our team of supporters as our ministry grows daily!

Today, we found out that one of the Mixtec families who some of our churches reach out to had a tragedy today. Their two boys were playing in the pool at their apt complex and drowned. Pray that Jesus will infiltrate this families lives and bring Comfort and Peace.

One of our churches, Ridgecrest, immediately stepped up to the plate and offered their help. The Hands and Feet of Christ......

       If you would like to help this family, here is how you can do it!

Ridgecrest Baptist Church has set up fund to help the Garcia family with funeral costs for the two boys that drowned at Cypress Apts.

Checks need to be made to: Ridgecrest Baptist Church for Garcia Boys Fund. Mail checks to: 5260 Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36117
Call the church office for more information if needed. 334-277-0011

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God". Hebrews 13:16

Breaking the Chains of Violence

I have been teaching English to a very precious lady who got really brave, went outside her culture and turned her husband in for domestic violence. He has been sent back to Mexico and she and her children are in a safe house now trying to start over, learn American ways and survive!

I was asked to come and get her ready to go to ESL school by teaching her basic English. In her culture, their language is ORAL so there are no writing skills that she was taught in Mexico. She had to learn how to recognize letters, numbers and read. So, for the last 6 months, we have been plugging away each Friday morning, learning the alphabet, sounds, numbers and some life skills. I have gotten to know their family very well and it has been a challenge because the kids are soooooo hungry for affection. The ages range from 5 months to 12 years. When I walk in the apartment, the youngest ones are up on my lap, wanting attention and trying to steal the show.

Momma has been doing really well. She is learning quickly and gets around pretty well buying groceries. We go pay bills some Fridays, get groceries and other errands. I am anticipating her getting up to speed by September of next year so that she can attend class with other people and "talk" and "practice" more English.

Seeing her step up and do something very radical from her culture is so amazing. She and her family started attending church with my family and we go and get them every Sunday. She sits there and listens to our pastor even though she can't really understand his words, she does understand love and care. I am proud of some of the people in our church. They are really trying hard to reach out to her and make her feel welcome despite the language barrier! They are loving on her kids(who are extremely polite and adorable!)and helping them feel a part.

Most Mixteco women here in Montgomery do not know English! They are at home, isolated and overwhelmed. A lot of times, they are taken advantage of in stores, etc. They are open to learning but we need some teachers!

Would you be willing to open a door for them and teach? Contact Lisa Rose at lrose@mgmbaptist.org OR call 334-271-6794 for more information.

Lately.........

Lately.......many of the Mixtec kids are very worried about everything. Kids shouldn't have to be anxious about anything.
They are worried about being shipped back to Mexico after Sept.1st, they are worried because "cultish" people keep coming to their door, they are worried about starting junior high school, they are worried that their fathers will die from drinking too much, they are just plain worried! At Yarborough Street Baptist, in the 5th and 6th grade class, we are talking about the Holy Spirit and how important that Person is in our lives.
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1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to infiltrate these kids and parents lives and make Himself known to them.
2. Pray that our kids will be content and at peace and trust the Lord to take care of their families.
3. Pray for families in Montgomery who are trying very hard to do the right thing. There are several families (who are legal)who have been scared by meanspirited people who need help.

Muffins and Milk at YSBC

Mrs Ty from Japan is overjoyed with the kids for thinking of her home country and she prayed with the kids that the money they raised would be used for God's glory in Japan!

The kids at YSBC raised over $200 for Disaster Relief in Japan. Very proud of what they did and how they worked hard to help!

From Yarborough Street Baptist Church Children's Sunday School

I nearly cried on Sunday when our 5th/6th Grade Sunday School class asked to do something for Japan. We were thinking and eating our snack of milk and muffins and Rosalinda said..why don't we sell Muffins and Milk to our church and send the money to Japan? She is 11. She is from a Mixteco family with very limited resources. She thinks of others first. What a woman she is going to be!!!!! What about you?
Russ and Lisa Rose

Article in Alabama Baptist about the Mixtec Task Force

http://www.thealabamabaptist.org//print-edition-article-detail.php?id_art=16873

http://www.thealabamabaptist.org//print-edition-article-detail.php?id_art=16873

Updates

Ongoing news....The Mexico team visted with some of the Mixteco men this week and several commented that they wanted to know more! Pray as we(here)follow up with them and minister to their families. God is so good all the time!

Tonight....

This evening we had our first ever gathering of the Mixteco people group
to show the Jesus film in THEIR LANGUAGE. They are an ORAL people so there is no written Word. Every one of the 50 + adults and children
watched intently to the story of our Savior.I sat there wondering what it felt like to hear the story of Jesus for the first time for some of them. I was praying that the Holy Spirit would be in each heart that listened tonight. All the kids were quiet and focused on the story....yay!

What will happen next? We will see what the Lord does! We gave each of them a cop...y of the movie to take home. The team from Mexico did a GREAT job.

Update on Mexico Team

Pray for the team from Rey de Reyes Baptist Church in Cuernavaca, Mexico(just south of Mexico City). They have had a full first week visting, prayer driving(too hot to walk), visiting churches and working with hospital.

PRAY for this coming Saturday. We will be holding our FIRST EVER outreach at Community of Hope and have basketball, pizza and the JESUS film in the Mixteco language. We are praying for 100 people to come. Pray for the parents to come. We need to bring them together for at least one meeting to share with them who we are and what we do and of course...Jesus.

Tomorrow is the Day!

Praying today for Mission Team from Rey de Reyes Iglesia Bautista as they travel to Montgomery tomorrow! Praying for safe flights and the Holy Spirit working in peoples lives these next two weeks. Praying for the Mixteco's in Montgomery(parents)to be open and ready to hear AND for good communication these next two weeks.

Mexican Mission Team Coming to Montgomery!!!

Pray for the Mexican Mission Team that is coming to Montgomery to help reach our Mixteco population here. They will be here July 20-August 3rd. They will be doing mostly home visits and a couple of events to reach them. Pray for resources/opportunity to share Christ and communication issues.

Mixteco and Language in AL

Patient Care in Any Language and How to Budget for It
By Nataly Kelly

Hundreds of Tongues

In the United States, Spanish leads a litany of non-English languages. More than 10% of U.S. residents speak Spanish at home. As of 2000, the Census Bureau found that 31 million residents spoke Spanish as the primary language in their residences. The 2005 American Community Survey revealed that Spanish speakers in Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona now account for more than 20% of those states' total populations. Nationwide, the Census showed that nearly one in five people spoke a language other than English in their residences — and that's just among the people who were counted.

But, while Spanish tops the language list in the United States, the remaining languages vary as much as the landscapes of the states themselves. According to LanguageTrak, Language Line's language tracking service, the company's most requested languages in April 2008 varied substantially from one state to another. Mixteco was second in Alabama, Turkish was second in Idaho, Polish was second in Arkansas, Burmese was second in Indiana, Hmong was second in Alaska, and Bosnian was second in North Dakota.

For telephone interpreting, the notion of "less common" languages is relative. The 2007 Cyracom Language Index indicated that Somali ranked second in Kentucky, Burmese was fourth in North Carolina, and Nuer — a Sudanese language — came in fourth in Nebraska. In urban Washington D.C., Amharic was third, while Navajo was fourth in the Phoenix-Mesa area. Among the most needed languages nationwide, the Burmese language Karen moved from number 106 to 45 in a single year.The variability spawns a major challenge — accurately forecasting language needs to ensure proper coverage and staffing. To help overcome this barrier, Language Services Associates carries out a customer-specific analysis to help forecast language needs. For example, the company can generate a client-specific map to indicate the fastest-growing languages in the areas where the customer has offices.

Welcome to Praying for the Mixteco People Group of Montgomery

HISTORY of the Mixteco (Mees TEH Ko)
The rugged Mixteca Mountains of southern Mexico is the birthplace of a great and noble people. Even before the Mayans … before the Aztecs, … there were the Mixteco people. Legend has it that in the misty beginning of time, … gods planted trees along the River of Lineage. It was from these majestic trees, … these holy trees … that the Mixteco nation came into being. Others say that the people did not come from the trees but … instead … the gods molded them from ears of corn and eventually these men of corn populated the world.

In reality, the Mixteco people became one of the major civilizations of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs finally conquered them about 30 years prior to the arrival of the Spanish. Eventually, the Spanish subdued them; nevertheless, they hung onto much of their original culture and traditions.

Today, the Mixteco people claim allegiance to the Catholic Church but still practice many of their pagan beliefs. They have also retained their original language with over 50 dialects spoken today. The Mixteco people have migrated throughout the Americas but most live in southern Mexico mainly in the State of Oaxaca.

Thousands continue to migrate to the United States for work. Today, the Mixteco population totals about 400,000.While employment elsewhere (than in Mexico)provides a good source of income, it also causes many problems. In many families, there is no man present. Children are left without good male role models. Many fall into addictions like alcohol or drugs. This lifestyle is often a serious problem even among professed Christians. The wife is left to provide for the family. Teaching believers to stand firm against areas of temptation is an important ministry. (from a missionary friends website)

LOCALLY

We are still working on the numbers but there is a large community right here in Montgomery, AL that several churches are reaching.

A. We know that this people group speaks their own language which is Mixteco and there are over 50 dialects out of that language.It is an ORAL language. Most do not know ANY Spanish and mostly the children know English because of being in school.

B. We know that most have migrated to Montgomery to work via other states along the way. We know that there are a lot of the families of low wealth and illiterate in their own language. A lot of them struggle with temptations of alcohol and drug use. Many though are very hard workers and are struggling to make ends meet.

C. We know that these churches are already reaching out:
Yarborough Street Baptist seems to have the most kids who come to all activities(around 40 total). Shepherds Staff, Community of Hope and Forest Park Ministry are reaching families through community ministries and Ridgecrest has invited kids and picked up to participate in their Awana program. Eastern Hills runs a van ministry to pick kids up for church. Thorington Road and Heritage have partnered in Backyard Bible Clubs and other ways to help reach the kids.

D. We know that the Mixteco people seem to live in 3 main areas of the city, Forest Park, Highland Gardens and Cypress Apartments.

What can you do?

PRAY
1. We need prayer warriors who are willing and ready to pray for those churches who are already reaching out.

2. Pray for the Mixteco families. Although most seem to have a Christian/Catholic background, some are still very steeped in tribal traditions and practices.

3. Pray for resources to help the families. Most do not have insurance. Most work at low paying jobs. Most have larger families. Very few have resources to help their kids with some basics like eyeglasses, school supplies and doctor visits.

PARTNER
If you are interested in partnering with churches and ministries who care for the Mixteco people group, contact Lisa Rose for more information on what you can do.

PROVIDE
Funds for Jesus films and audio Bibles.

Volunteers to teach English to the parents, help with a Health Fair and tutor kids.

Lisa Rose
Director of MBA Church and Community Ministries
20 Interstate Park DriveMontgomery, AL 36109
334-271-6794
lrose@mgmbaptist.org