A New Testament dedication

It was finally ready. The very first New Testament and Psalms in the Zapoteco language of the area around Yaganiza. I was priveleged to accompany SIL (Wycliffe) members to the dedication of this New Testament. What made it even more special was that there is a Covenant church in this town and several of the church members, including the pastor, had been part of the translation team.

The town, San Pablo Yaganiza, is in the area where the very first Covenant churches in all of Mexico are located. One of the highlights of the afternoon was the reading of I Peter 1:24 & 25 in several dialects of Zapoteco, Spanish, Cuicatec, Mixtec, German, French and English.

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."

The dedication service ended with the singing of How Great Thou Art. After this was sung in Zapoteco of San Pablo Yaganiza, the chorus was sung in Spanish and then in English. Someone remarked "This is what Heaven will be like--everyone speaking a different language but all praising God."

If you would like to hear How Great Thou Art being sung in Zapoteco at this event, you can go to
http://youtu.be/CHfjSdM77GU

Boxes of New Testaments were stacked on a table until the first box was opened and the very first New Testament in Zapoteco was pulled out. There was then a huge round of applause and many tears at this happy event.
I asked these two men if I could take their photo as they opened their New Testaments. They barely looked up at me, nodded yes, and quickly went back to reading.
This lady is wearing the traditional dress for the area as she proudly displays her copy of the New Testament.
Of course no event can be complete without food. The ladies had been up since early morning making this delicious stew which of course was served with hand made tortillas cooked over an open fire. Yum!