Davar expands it’s reach in the Americas
Peru
When Davar first began recording in Peru in 2021, we knew there were many oral learners who still needed audio bibles in the region, and two years later we’ve expanded our reach to four other countries.
Davar began recording in South America for the many Quechua tribes located in the mountains in central Peru. We established a recording studio inside Peru and have now completed seven audio bibles for the Quechua people. Our eighth audio Bible, Quechua Margos, is in the studio now. The Quechua people are isolated, living in small villages in the mountains and less than 5% are Christian, so it is a great opportunity to provide them with the Word in audio in their home language.
Mexico
Did you know that Mexico has 68 national languages beyond the widely spoken Spanish? In January 2023, Davar began working with the Bible Society of Mexico on the Chol audio Bible. While many Chol are Roman Catholic, they have integrated pagan syncretism with the worship of mountains, caves, stone idols, the sun, and the moon and need God’s Word to discern the one and only true God. We will begin work on the Mazateco of Ixcatlan audio Bible towards the end of 2023. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the Bible Society of Mexico as we work to record many of the national languages for oral learners still waiting to hear God’s Word.
Suriname
In 2023, Davar began recording in the South American country of Suriname. Formerly known as Dutch Guiana, Suriname is located in the north eastern corner of South America. It gained its independence from The Netherlands in 1975, which explains the Dutch influence. While Dutch is the official language, Javanese is the home language of almost 80,000 who do not have access to the spoken Word. The Javanese full audio Bible is currently in the studio.
GUATEMALA & ARGENTINA
Our first recording in Guatemala is scheduled for this fall. We will start with the Mam de Huehuetenango Old Testament and then have six recordings planned for 2024. There are over 800,000 Mam speakers in Guatemala with language variations based on location. While the literacy rate in the country is over 80%, it is much lower in Huehuetenango where many drop out of school early. According to Impact Hope, the educational system in the area has been limited in recent years. After grade six, children had to make the choice to commute hours away by foot, or quit school and find low-paying jobs in the area. This has led to a generation with limited reading skills and created a need for audio bibles.
Davar also has plans to begin recording three audio bibles in Argentina next year. Please continue to pray that the audio Bible recordings would reach those who need to hear and that their lives would be transformed by God’s Word.