So begins a story told by the Tarahumara, a people group scattered throughout the canyons and mountains of the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico—within 150 miles of the US border.
A passion for long-distance running is not only reflected in Tarahumara folklore, it is perhaps what the tribe is best known for. Some are said to be able to run more than 100 miles without stopping.
The legendary race’s outcome sheds light on the Tarahumara’s perception of their place in Mexican history and the world. Displaced from the verdant valleys of northern Mexico by Spanish conquistadors, the Tarahumara fled into the canyons and mountains of the Sierra Madre. Like the buried treasure in Jesus’ parable, a people group of 120,000 has remained hidden from the outside world for centuries.
Reaching the tiny settlements connected by a spider web of footpaths, learning the language and finding culturally understandable inroads for the gospel have proven daunting for Christian workers.
Pioneers,* with the permission of the Mexican government, built a clinic staffed by a multicultural team composed of skilled medical professionals, pilots and literacy teachers from Mexico, Germany and the US. In a city about five hours’ drive away, another team reaches Tarahumara who have left the Sierra for work or medical care.
The Tarahumara religion combines traditional animistic beliefs with Roman Catholic traditions adopted from Spanish priests who built missions in the Sierra Madre in the 16th and 17th centuries. Witch doctors are key figures in the community and are sought for assistance in both physical and spiritual concerns.
“As Oswald Chambers said, for us, prayer is the work,” Beto, a doctor at the clinic, explains. “It’s more than just part of our strategy. It’s actually our first step in the strategy. Our hope is that, as we pray, He will use little people like us to do great things in the Tarahumara.”
One member of the team, Billy, teaches a Tarahumara language class to missionaries working in the city.
“I can count on one hand in the last 500 years the number of missionaries who have learned the Tarahumara language,” Billy notes.
But that is all changing. Billy’s hope is that, equipped with these language skills, missionaries will be more effective in sharing the gospel with the Tarahumara—ultimately leading to a church led by Tarahumara.
“We want to work ourselves out of a job,” he explains. “I would love to see, in 10 to 15 years, us not needed here anymore because there is a church of Tarahumara people reaching out to other Tarahumara people.”
The history of the Tarahumara is a sad one, another teammate, Gabi, admits, “But I think God has allowed all this oppression and all these sad stories to happen to them because He has a bigger plan, a bigger story that He is about to reveal. I want to be here to see that. I’m craving to see God’s glory displayed among this people group. He’s already working, and I see it a little more every day.”
* Ameritribes missionaries built the clinic. In 2009, Ameritribes merged with Pioneers.
See also Tarahumara Photo Essay and Tarahumara Clean Water Project.