ASM Latin America Directors Jim and Jamie Loker have been serving Jesus as “partners in reaching the unreached” and under-reached since 1986. Their residence has shifted from Guatemala to Oaxaca (Mexico), and now to Holland (Michigan). In 2020, God creatively intersected the three. During the travel restrictions, Jim and Jamie found the doors open wide to new harvest fields among migrant workers from both Guatemala and Mexico in the blueberry fields of West Michigan. Partnering with local agencies providing face masks and COVID-19 information, Jim and Jamie connected with dozens of key migrant workers and provided free audio downloads of the Bible in people’s exact language—from those that they had already recorded.

In one instance, Antonio (pictured, right) lit up with surprise and delight when Jim downloaded the New Testament in his particular dialect of Mixtec. This Mixtec evangelist didn’t know his New Testament had been translated, let alone recorded. He had realized the need and had been attempting to translate and record it himself, line by line from Spanish. Our team had the privilege of sending audio Bibles for him to share with other Mixtecos in Florida where he lives during the winter months. The ripple effect of this recording continues to grow!

God’s Word is not thwarted by any disease or travel restrictions! One tangible reminder of this was how God opened the doors wide to deliver audio Bibles in the heart languages of migrant workers from Mexico and Guatemala right here in West Michigan.”

—Jamie Loker

Despite the challenges, Jim was still able to spend almost three months in Mexico this year. The ASM Mexico Team’s recordists also overcame numerous logistical and spiritual obstacles to bring 19 Scripture recordings in 8 different languages to completion.

Trusted national partners have continued to share God’s Word and provide our team with valuable feedback on earlier audio Scripture distributions. This follow-up is crucial, so our team can best prioritize the needs of each people group and area where so many are still waiting to hear.

Pastor Oscar (pictured bottom, left and far right) is one key national leader who has partnered with Jim and Jamie for over a decade in the Isthmus region of Oaxaca. He has seen the impact of using audio Scripture and works diligently to equip dozens of pastors with essential audio Bible resources.

In 2020, I’ve even distributed the very first language recording we ever helped with, Mam of San Juan Ostuncalco, from the 1980s! The investment in recording God’s Word continues to reap a great harvest.”

—Jim Loker

“More people here are hungry to hear God’s Word”—Pastor Oscar excitedly shares, along with his usual exuberant thanks for another load of audio Bibles. “When can you come back?”

Your continued support allows the ASM Team to equip leaders like Pastor Oscar (pictured above left, with his wife, Jacinta) in Mexico. He in turn connects dozens of local pastors and leaders (pictured above) with the tools to better reach their local Zapotec, Mixe, and Huave communities with the Gospel of Jesus.

Without audio Bible resources in the local languages, pastors and evangelists would have to rely on written Bible resources in the trade language, which few read and understand.

“But with the audio Bibles, more families can get close to God,” Pastor Oscar explains. “Because it’s in their mother tongue, they can understand the Word better and there are results!”

Pastor Oscar longs for his whole community to be transformed. “Our desire is that more families will learn the Word of God—that this whole community would be for Christ.”

Because most people in the community are oral communicators, audio Bible tools are essential for this to happen. So, Pastor Oscar is diligent in traveling far and wide to connect other leaders with what they need. In one church, God’s Word has caused such amazing growth from the access to audio Bibles, the church is now bursting at the seams.

Your investment in sharing God’s Word has a ripple effect for years to
come. In 2013, a faithful supporting church, Peter’s Creek Baptist (South Park, PA), made an initial investment in the Rincon Zapotec region of Oaxaca, Mexico, by sending 100 audio Bibles and a team to help place them in the hands of eager recipients.

In 2020, Jim and Jamie returned to Rincon right before the pandemic. It was a thrill to see the amazing results of that initial investment, and further equip key leaders in this language group.

Two other partnering churches, Grace Christian and Missionary Alliance Church (pictured, right) from Middleburg Hts, OH and Redemption Chapel (pictured, top) from Stow, OH, joined Jim and Jamie on respective trips to replace old audio players that had finally succumbed to weather or extensive use. Together they walked the trails with dear Zapotec brothers and sisters in Christ to plant the “Good Seed” in other neighboring villages. However, sadly, there weren’t enough audio Bibles.

While Jim and Jamie were still there in Rincon hearing about the local
church’s vision to reach four unreached villages across the valley, there was limited cell service. Amazingly, Jamie still managed to receive an unexpected message from Peter’s Creek—the first church team to visit the area, seven years prior (pictured, left)—with the answer to prayer, God’s timely provision of funds for the needed audio Bibles! God is weaving a beautiful Kingdom tapestry, and your investment can be part of this story.

Our desire is… that this whole community would be for Christ.”

—Pastor Oscar