This post shares Timoteo’s story from our Annual Renewal campaign. Learn more about how regular monthly giving helps end Bible poverty at wycliffe.ca/sowers
Perched high in the Andes mountains of Peru, the region of Apurímac is blessed with stunning natural beauty. It’s dotted with rushing rivers and deep gorges, evergreen trees and enormous succulents. But the beauty belies the challenges: harsh growing conditions and a lack of roads mean that poverty is widespread. Daily life is full of struggle and hardship, and many people turn to alcohol as an escape. But it’s one that only deepens wounds.
Photo credit: Ruth Richert
Timoteo, a 70-year-old Quechua speaker, is all too aware of this trajectory. For decades, he battled an addiction to alcohol, and struggled with a profound sense of hopelessness and regret as his life increasingly centered on it. “Every activity or celebration was a reason to drink…” he recalls.
The fallout from addiction
His addiction came to dominate his life and relationships. In particular, his marriage suffered. “There were often fights and arguments at home because of my alcohol problem, and on numerous occasions, I mistreated my wife.” Tragically, along with alcoholism, domestic violence is widespread in the Apurímac region.
It was clear to Timoteo that he had a problem—that much was obvious. What he didn’t know was how he could solve it, or how to address the underlying pain that had led to his addiction and the conflict in his home. He wasn’t sure where to find answers. But that would change when his wife began attending a church in their village.
A surprising answer
One day, she came home from church with a “Proclaimer”—a device that stores and plays audio Bible recordings. It was full of newly translated Scriptures in Eastern Apurímac Quechua, Timoteo’s language. The medium was ideal medium for their community, where many people don’t yet know how to read, or simply prefer to learn by listening.
Timoteo’s wife was glued to the Proclaimer. “My wife listened to the audio Bible every day,” Timoteo shares. “From dawn to dusk, she had it on…Little by little, I became interested in listening.”
He began borrowing the device, bringing it with him to the fields so that he could listen while he worked. “The teachings were fascinating. God touched my heart and made me understand that the life I was living was not good at all.”
A transformation begins
As he listened to the Scriptures, Timoteo found freedom from addiction, and began working towards restoring his family relationships. The Bible helped Timoteo understand God’s grace and forgiveness. Eventually, he came to a saving faith in Jesus, and began growing as a disciple.
“I can say that, thanks to the teachings I heard on the Proclaimer, God has changed my life,” says Timoteo. “I am currently going to church with my wife to continue growing and learning from the Word of God.”
“I can say that, thanks to the teachings I heard on the Proclaimer, God has changed my life.” ~ Timoteo
Timoteo’s encounter with God is echoed in other lives and communities in the Andes. Whether people hear the Good News through audio devices like the Proclaimer, or read it in the printed Bible, it changes them. The translated Word surprises them with the transforming grace and forgiveness of the God who loves them and who wants to restore their hearts and homes.
Update: In the coming months, Timoteo’s language group–the Eastern Apurímac Quechua–will finally gain access to the entire Bible in their heart language. After over two decades of translation work, over 240,000 Quechua people will be able to read and listen to the entirety of God’s counsel!