Hello!

My name is Mary, and I have been volunteering with Youth with a Mission for four years. My family and I have been working on a special project called Oral Mother Tongue (OMT). OMT is focused on getting the Bible translated in the oral format in different indigenous languages. Brayan (my husband) and I are located in Panama and work closely with the indigenous here.

We are currently training and equipping not only indigenous Panamanians but also Latinos from all over the Americas so that they can begin different translations in the maternal language of the tribe. We have 15 translators currently working with us and nine Latinos/North Americans who hope to continue pouring into the indigenous here in Panama, but also in their home countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil).

Our hope is that our indigenous translators do not need to worry about finances, and that we can fundraise for the costs of their training and translation projects. The training costs $750 per person for three months. Then to continue with the project, we are in faith for several sound equipment sets for the different teams of translation. The sound equipment costs about $350 per team. We are also in need of a laptop for the translation that we will be doing here. The funds will also cover SIM cards and proclaimers for us to begin the distribution of the oral Bible.

We will also use these funds for transportation costs to go into the different tribes to continue strengthening relationships with the indigenous peoples here in Panama, but also the transportation cost for our indigenous translators as well.