Thank you for listening to Spotlight, I'm Sara DeKoster. And I'm Rebekah Schipper. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Today's Spotlight is on the Tzeltal Indians! The Tzeltal Indians live in the state of Chiapas in Southern Mexico. Fifty years ago, there were only about fifty thousand Tzeltal people. They suffered from extreme poverty, hunger, and deadly diseases. Half of their children died when they were babies. Many Tzeltal people would try to escape from this life by drinking alcohol. But this only made their suffering worse.
People travelled to Chiapas to help the Tzeltals improve their quality of life. Today, their population has grown from fifty thousand to almost two hundred fifty thousand. The Tzeltal people are living longer, healthier and happier lives.
One of the groups that went to help the Tzeltal people was a Christian group. They told the Tzeltal people about Jesus. Now, many of the Tzeltal are Christians. And some of them are working hard to share Jesus with their friends and family.
The Tzeltal people use stories to communicate and understand the Bible better. It is good to listen to stories from other cultures. It may help other Christians understand the Bible better too. On today's Spotlight program, we would like to share a few stories from the Tzeltal people. All three of these stories are about how people come to meet and know Jesus. They are all based on verses from the Bible. They have been translated from the Tzeltal language to English.
This first story was written by Samuel Cruz. He based the story on First Peter two verse five. "You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood. ." The story is called ANY KIND OF STONE. Peter Laverock will read this story.
Our village decided to build a bridge across a nearby stream. We went to the city of San Cristobal to look for a stone worker who could oversee the work, for we wanted it to be done well. We found a man who agreed to do the work. He told us to get all the materials ready. He told us to gather stone, carry sand, and buy cement. We asked him, "What size and shape stones will you need?" He told us, "any size or shape. They will all be needed and useful." So we gathered all kinds of stones - big stones, small stones, flat stones, round stones. The work began. The biggest stones were dropped in as a solid support for the wall. On top of them went more stones held together with cement and sand.
Just as the stone worker said, all the stones were useful. Square stones for the outside of the walls, round stones for the center, thin stones as wedges, flat stones for the top. Some stones had to be improved before they were useful. We broke some into pieces. We cut parts off some stones to make them smooth.
This is a picture of how Christ builds his church. He gathers all kinds of people. All are invited; all are useful. Christ himself serves as the support stone. Then, as the master builder, he unites them all into one building. They serve in different ways based on their different talents and skills. But they are united into one church by God's Spirit. They all depend on each other. And they all help each other.
This next story was written by Mariano Guillen. It is based on Luke five verse thirty two. "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." His story is called CROOKED TREES. Listen to Mike Proctor tell this story.
A man needed some wood to build a house. So he took his axe and he went to look for trees. When we look for trees for building we choose the straight, tall trees. These trees are easy to cut into square pieces. But this man was skilled and he was not choosy. He cut trees that were not straight at all. They were crooked and twisted. If we had seen them we would have said that they were not good. But he cut them down. He marked the ends of the tree, using his ruler and leveling tools. Then he made a straight line on the tree and began cutting away with his axe. Soon the crooked trees were changed into straight, square pieces of wood. What a beautiful house he made from those crooked trees!
This is what God does. As Christ once said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance." He does not choose just good people to be his. He also chooses twisted and crooked people. Then in his wisdom and power he cuts away their sinfulness. He makes them straight and beautiful. We need not fear that God will forget us because of our sinfulness. The joyful news is that God will choose any and all of us. Then make us new and useful.
This last story was written by Pedro Vasquez. It is based on Matthew seven verse fourteen. "But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life and only a few find it." His story is called THE NARROW DOOR. Bryan VanHaitsma will share this final story.
I was still three hours walking distance from home and everything was going wrong. The full moon was now covered by black clouds, and I had no light. The cold rain was chilling me to the bone. It was also making the steep, rocky path dangerous. As I felt my way along, my heavy backpack became even heavier. And I became very tired.
Finally I reached the house of my friend. Maybe he would let me stay in his home for the rest of the night. As I came near his house I could see his warm fire inside. I called out "Hello, my brother. Are you home?" He answered quickly, "Yes, I am home. Come in! Come in!" He untied the two boards that served as a door to his house and greeted me. "Come in quickly before you die from the cold!" I was quick to step through the narrow door. But suddenly, I could go no farther. My backpack was too wide! I could see the cheerful fire and my friend's smiling face, but I could not get in! My friend laughed. He came outside and helped me remove my backpack. He set it against the house. We went in to enjoy his warm home.
So it is on our trip to heaven. Our load of sin must be left at the foot of Jesus' cross before we can enter into God's kingdom to enjoy his welcome. We hope you enjoyed these stories from the Tzeltal people in Chiapas, Mexico. Thank you for listening!
This program was written and produced by Sara DeKoster. Computer users can hear these programs, read our scripts, and see our wordbook on our website at www.radio.english.net. This program is called "Tzeltal Indians' Faith Stories." We love to hear comments and questions from our listeners. You can email us at radio@english.net. We hope you can join us again next time for Spotlight, Good-bye!
