La Huasteca Potosina

Several years ago we were invited to an out-of-the-way place that most people have long ago forgotten about. The pastor also stated that he remembered several deaf in the area. We went with him with the idea of distributing clothing and food to the Indian population in the name of his church. At the last moment the pastor of the Huastecos (was-tĕ-kōs) said he would announce we were coming on the local radio and would round up the deaf for us. The Huastecos are very humble people who do not use currency for most exchanges, but rather barter for anything needed.
When we arrived, there were five deaf ranging from 9-40 years of age who had never been to school in their life. Unlike most groups of deaf, they had no “home” signs and only communicated by pointing. We started teaching on Monday wondering how to reach them without a language. We started with mime and little by little taught them a few signs. By Friday, one of the boys asked the Lord to save him. The greatest blessing was to have the 9 year old take me by the hand and lead me to the river at the front of the church. As he pointed at the water he signed “fish.” We had taught them about Creation and he caught the sign for fish. As far as we know he never used it the rest of the week, but wanted to let me know that he had understood.
We returned several months later and again taught an even larger group, including two Down’s syndrome young men. An additional two deaf accepted the Lord. Even though the people are very poor, they were extremely kind in offering us tangerines and bananas as “pay” for teaching their children. One man even brought me a long necked, brown bottle with a golden brown liquid in a brown bag and slipped it to me in the church. I was very hesitant to let anyone see it until I talked with the pastor, and he assured me it was fresh honey!
We returned to La Huasteca a couple of years ago. We found the nine year old, now a grown teenager, suffering from something similar to Schizophrenia. At times he is very attentive and at times he cannot keep his attention for anything. His personality has changed completely. As we approached him on a dirt road, he recognized us and “chatted” even though his parents said he hadn’t made any sense for months. He was the little boy who pointed out the fish in the river. He later had accepted the Lord and helped his father to understand and be saved. If we had waited until now to go, he would be unreachable. Praise the Lord He directs us in a timely manner. All of the original deaf have trusted Christ as well as several others who came later.
All told, we have seen more than 15 of them come to know the Lord. They are the most humble, sweetest folks we have ever known. Their world is changing as the modern world slowly creeps into their world. Pray that they can continue to grow and will help to reach others with what they understand.