Partnering in Peru to Serve the Quechuas (Perupi qheswa runakunata servinapaqmi aynipi llank’ashanku)

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Through the Scripture Advance Project countless Cusco 
Quechua are learning to read scripture.
 

In the town of Lamas in the Andes Mountains, Rumalda stood in the church doorway, listening to the singing which was coming from within. Her face showed her conflicting emotions. She could not muster enough courage to follow the pull she was feeling in her heart to go in. She was so afraid to be rejected, to be looked down on or laughed at. As she turned to leave, I invited her in. Pointing to her Quechua dress, she simply said, “They would not like me in there dressed like this, and I do not know how to speak Spanish!”

Even though many regard Spanish as superior to Quechua (a native language in this area), attitudes are changing throughout the Andean region of South America. As pastor Lorenzo Ccama recently said to a group of literacy teachers, “We don’t have to be ashamed of being who we are, of using our own clothing or of using our language to pray, sing and teach. God speaks our language. We can understand him when he speaks to us through the Bible. It is so important that people learn how to read so they can study their Bibles, grow and mature as believers and be witnesses of God’s grace.” It is a great joy to hear Lorenzo teaching deep truths from his Quechua Bible.

SIL, Wycliffe Bible Translators' main partner working in the South Peru Scripture Advance Project, is poised to reach about a million and a half Cusco Quechua speakers. The ten-year project started in 2000 and aims to work alongside Quechuas while supporting local initiatives. For this the SIL team (composed of four Canadians, six Americans and one Peruvian) is partnering with two Quechua NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), ATEK1 and AIDIA2. These two organizations have their own plans, programs and objectives, parallel to the goals of the SIL team. Our work consists mainly in training trainers in different areas of expertise, such as literacy, non-print media, scripture use, leadership and management.

An Inca Heritage and a Modern Reality
A look back in history sheds light on the importance of supporting the use of Quechua scriptures.  The Inca Empire flourished from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries in the central Andean Mountains of South America, with its capital, Cusco, in what is now Peru. Today the descendants of the Incas still live in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, the northern part of Chile and Argentina and are known as Quechua or Quichua. The Quechua language family, according to some linguists, has over thirty-five varieties, some of which are closely related and mutually intelligible, while others differ greatly.

The Quechua and Spanish languages have coexisted since the Spanish arrived more than four hundred years ago. Over this time some Quechuas have fully assimilated into the Spanish speaking world; others have acquired different degrees of bilingualism while living in small towns and on the periphery of larger cities. Yet the majority have remained close to the land and are still monolinguals. These hard working people are farmers, herders and expert weavers.

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As the Quechua learn scripture in their own
language, church growth is occurring.
 

The end of the last century has brought many changes to the Quechuas. With the introduction of roads, modernity is coming in the form of clothing, utensils and foods. This creates more stress in families where the daily battle for mere subsistence is great. In many villages the presence of male adults diminishes during certain months of the year because men go to the larger towns to find manual jobs, mainly in construction.

Use of the Mother Tongue and Church Growth
While most Quechuas would say they are Catholic Christians, in reality they practice syncretism—a combination of Christian rituals with traditional Andean beliefs. For example, the annual festival of the patron saints may be the most important day in a village, yet it will often include making offerings to different spirits. During the last century the gospel has been preached in all the countries where Quechua people live. With much persistence of itinerant preachers, small groups of believers are gathering all over the Andes. Translations of the New Testament were started by missionary agencies for the different varieties of Quechua. Today there are four whole Bibles and some eighteen translations of the New Testament, ten of them done in Peru by SIL and Quechua translation teams.

A translation of the New Testament for the Cusco Quechua done by the Bible Society was published in 1947 and a complete Bible came out in 1988. In 2004 a revised version was published and presented. To date over fifty thousand Bibles have been sold in this language area.

One Quechua lady from a village in Ocongate was sitting on a bench of Cusco’s main square. When I greeted her in Quechua she felt comfortable engaging in a conversation about the upcoming national elections. She said, “Most people in my community are going to vote for pastor H…There are only three families in my community that are not evangelical Christians.” Then she named more than a dozen villages in her area where the majority of the people attend church regularly.

In the last twenty years, Christian evangelical churches have experienced growth in this area of Peru. Today if you visit a Quechua church service, you will enjoy hearing worship, announcements, greetings, preaching and prayers in the vernacular language. However, the Bible reading is done in Spanish. Why is this the case?

Clemente and Florentino grew up in the village of Occoruro. As children they were overjoyed when a school started in their village because they did not have to walk for two hours as their oldest brother Eleuterio did to go to the nearest school. Their brother’s report of how town children mistreated him for speaking Quechua made the two afraid of Eleuterio’s school. However, even at Occoruro, the teacher had a negative attitude toward the use of Quechua. At home the father, trying to help his children learn Spanish, had forbidden the use of Quechua. Since their grandmother only knew a few words in Spanish, she could not speak much to her grandchildren, which made her feel sad and inferior.

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Fighting illiteracy among the Quechua requires many
hours of hard work.

This is not unique to this family, and with this kind of school and home background, many people become convinced that Quechua is inferior to Spanish, that it can not be written or read and that using it invites mistreatment. Bilingual church leaders having received their formal schooling in Spanish find it difficult to read Quechua.

There are many reasons why there are still so many illiterate Quechua people. In some families only one or two children are chosen to attend school. Fewer girls have the chance to receive any education because they are required to help with household chores and care of the animals.

Literacy and the Quechua Language: One Example
Mercedes’ hands were sweaty and beads of perspiration started forming on her forehead. She was nervous when Ignacia, the Quechua literacy teacher, called her up front to help form new words using the cards of the syllables they had been learning. This was a new experience for this 48-year-old woman who grew up in a Quechua village.

Ignacia had noticed not only Mercedes’ shyness and poor health, but also her eagerness to learn. As classes progressed Mercedes felt more confident. “She enjoyed the part of the lesson when we had to reflect on some relevant theme and what the Bible had to say about it,” said Ignacia. One day Mercedes shared with Ignacia that her husband recently commented, “You are really changing! You are telling me what the Bible says about this and that and suggesting to me how to act and what to say.” According to Ignacia, the changes in Mercedes are visible: “Now that she can read, she walks more erect, no more with her head down, ashamed of being an illiterate Quechua person, and even her illnesses seem to have disappeared!”

For the SIL team this is an encouraging picture; this type of situation is also being repeated in villages across Southern Peru where ATEK in partnership with SIL is carrying out a literacy program. Illiterate Quechuas used to receive criticism such as, “You don’t even know how to read and are going to church. People go there carrying their books.” Today new readers get the courage to testify about their faith. “Before, I had to content myself with hearing the Bible being read and even though I liked it so much, I would forget,” said Uvaldina Condori, a Christian who gave her testimony in church. “But now that I can read I’m not afraid to share with my family and neighbors.”

Literacy’s Joys and Challenges
To find able volunteer teachers is not an easy task. Participants are invited to an initial five-day training workshop. An orientation is given, materials are distributed and the methodology is explained (including an orientation about why it is necessary to start in the mother tongue and then transition to reading in Spanish). Evenings are dedicated to an intense time of Quechua reading and writing practice. After lesson demonstrations, much time is spent in practice teaching. With lots of encouragement and guidance by the trainers, at the end of the workshop most of the participants feel comfortable handling the different steps of the lessons.

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Finding able volunteer teachers to teach scripture is not easy.  

Eleuterio and his two brothers came to one of the first workshops; today he is teaching a group in his church. Clemente and Florentino, after teaching for a while, went to study in a rural Bible institute. “Now that I can read my Quechua Bible,” said Clemente, “I can understand much better what a passage says. Before, when I read it in Spanish, the meaning was not very clear.”

A New View
Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Leaders of the Maranatha Quechua Church met every Saturday afternoon for a “transference” literacy class (transferring Spanish reading skills to reading Quechua). My husband and I were teaching them, making use of a transitional primer. This team of evangelists had been going into the countryside to evangelize but had problems reading from their Quechua Bibles. Among the attendees was a young fellow named Albino.

When the director of a seminary asked Albino to translate some materials into Quechua, he attended a short Quechua writing workshop we conducted. At that time I noticed Albino’s sharp mind, so I invited him to come to the first literacy teacher training workshop.

For the second workshop we were expecting about twenty participants, and we asked Albino and Lorenzo Ccama to be assistant trainers. They were excellent trainers. One day during team sharing time Albino confessed, “At first I was skipping Quechua reading classes because I wanted to be part of the Spanish speaking world and have nothing to do with Quechua. Then, little by little, the Lord has opened doors of opportunity to serve my people. My views have changed and I am discovering the beauty of my mother tongue and it is more effective to teach Quechuas in our heart language.”

Partnering of SIL and ATEK
The SIL team provides training in literacy, writing in the vernacular, the use of non-print media and organizational planning. They also provide linguistic counsel and funding for all aspects of the project and introduce prospective funders to ATEK. ATEK provides the human resources: dedicated Christian leaders with love for their own people and the passion to help them reach their potential. There is mutual respect and openness. ATEK is also partnering with the following groups:

  • Christian Quechua churches provide the human resources for the different areas of their ministry. Also, for the training workshops they offer the use of their buildings, provide lodging and help with food and preparation. The church leadership helps with coordination, promotion and encouragement.
  • Community authorities and leaders understand that ATEK’s literacy program is non-sectarian and enhances Quechua cultural values such as family relationships and reciprocal help for work projects. Because of this they are more than willing to help the program, even if it is done without signing a formal agreement. Municipal buildings and communal houses are sometimes used for training workshops and literacy classes.
  • Denominational organizations at regional or district level, such as the Synod of the Peruvian Evangelical Church, endorse ATEK’s work.
  • Peruvian Bible Society subsidizes Bibles and publishes other Quechua literature.
  • Interested individuals donate funds and offer occasional assistance.

Like the strong winds that blow across the valleys, mountains and high pampas of the Andes, various ideologies are enticing the Quechuas to look back at the mighty Inca Empire and call for a unification of their languages and a retaking of ancestral customs. While this appeals to some, many are discovering a new and deeper kind of belonging and unity as they come to faith in Christ. Discovering the joy of reading with understanding frees them of prejudices against their mother tongue; it gives them the necessary confidence to teach from the scriptures in Quechua. They are branching out into new ministries that are serving areas of perceived need in Quechua churches and communities. Some of these areas of need have not been addressed by traditional mission approaches. But as Christians from the outside have been willing to come alongside as servants and brothers and sisters rather than dominant leaders, their training and encouragement has been accepted and acted upon, resulting in capacity building, empowerment and Christian growth in Quechua communities.

Endnotes
1. Its Quechua acronym means “The association that shines the gospel to the Quechua speaking world.” ATEK is formed by leaders from different evangelical denominations to serve the different churches.

2. “Interdenominational Association for the Integral Development of Apurimac.” The Quechua spoken in this state is different from the one spoken in Cusco. A different translation is starting for this language as well.

(This article was originally written in Quechua. Click on next page for original text.)

Perupi qheswa runakunata servinapaqmi aynipi llank′ashanku

Irma Inugay de Phelps qelqasqan

Andes nisqan qonti law orqokunapi kanmi Lamas sutiyoq llaqta. Chay llaqtapitaq huk p′unchay iglesiaq punkullamanta Rumalda sutiyoq warmi uyarisharqan ukhupi takisqankuta. Uyanpitaq qhawachikusharqan ‘haykuymanchu manachu’ nispa sonqonpi sientispa ninakusqanta. Nishutapuni haykuyta munaspapas manapuni animukurqanchu. Payqa manchakuspa yuyaykusharqan: ‘Manan munawanqakuchu. Pisichawaspa qhawakuwaspankuchá asipayawankuman’ nispa. Punkumanta ayqekunanpaqña kashaqtinmi, noqa: — Mamáy, haykumuy, nispa invitaykurqani. Payñataq p′achanta qhawachiwaspa niwarqan: —Manan munanqakuchu kay niraq p′achayoq haykumunayta, manataq castellano rimayta yachanipaschu, nispa.

Askha runakuna niqtinkupas castellano simi astawan allin qheswa simimanta nispa, yaqapas tukuy Sud Americapi kaq sierra llaqtakunapi tiyaqkuna huk niraqtaña sientiqtinku yuyayninku t’ikrakushanña. Imaynan pastor Lorenzo Ccama qayninpalla qheswata ñawinchay yachachiqkunaman nirqa: —Manan pin kasqanchismanta p′enqakunanchischu, nitaq kikin p′achanchismantapas. Maypipas qheswa rimayninchispi rimarillasunchis, takisunchis, yachachisunchispas, hinaspataq Diosmanta mañakusunchis qheswa siminchista rimaspa imaraykuchus payqa qheswatapas yachan. Yaya Dios niwasqanchistapas entienteyta atinchis pay qheswapi Qelqasqa Simintakama parlawaqtinchis. Mana ñawinchay atiqkunapaq ancha allin ñawinchay yachanankuta, imaraykuchus paykuna Diospa Simin Qelqa nisqanta ñawinchaspa yuyaymananqaku, ahinapi iñiyninkupi astawan wiñaspa kallpanchakunqaku, hinaspataq Diospa sumaq khupayakuyninmanta hukkunatapas yachachinqaku, nispa. Arí, Diospa Simin Qelqapi kaq yachachiykunata sumaq-sumaqta t′aqwispa Lorenzo yachachiqtin anchatapuni kusikuyku.

Castellanopi Instituto Lingüístico de Verano nisqa organizacionmi Wycliffe Bible Translators (Diospa Simin Qelqa T′ikrachiq) nisqanpa t′aqaynin. Kay Institutoqa Peru suyuq uray sierra partipi huk proyectopi llank′ashan, imaraykuchus yanapayta munanku yaqapas wara-waranqa pisqa pachaq waranqantin qheswa rimaq runakunata. Chay chunka watapaq proyectoqa qallarirqan iskay waranqa watapi. Manataq paykunaqa sapallan llank′ayta munankuchu aswanpas qheswa rimaqkunawan aynipi, hina paykuna imakunatachá ruwayta munashanku, chaytan yanapashanku. Kay ILV equipopiqa kanku Canadamanta tawa, Estados Unidosmanta soqta, hukñataq peruana. Paykuna aynipi llank′ashanku iskay qheswa asociacionkunawan: hukmi ATEK, hukñataqmi AIDIA. Kay iskay asociacionkunaqa sapaq kaspanku tanteasqankuman hina llapa ruwayninkunata sapanka wakichinku. Chay hinallataq Institutopas ruwayninkunata wakichin qhawaspa imakunapi yanapanman ATEK-tapas AIDIA-tapas. Institutomanta kaqkuna astawan yanapashanku yachachiy yachachiqkunata. Imakunata allinta ruwayta yachanku chayta yachachinku; hina kanman: qheswa ñawinchayta qelqaytapas yachachinankupaq, wayra wasimanta yachachiykunata lloqsichinankupaq, videokunawan casetkunawan llank′ayta, imaynata Diospa Simin Qelqata runasimiman t’ikrachinqaku, aswan allin umalliqkuna kanankupaq, hinaspa imaynatan qolqentapas ima kapuqninkunatapas chaninchanqaku.

Inkakunaq herencia saqesqankumanta hinaspataq kunan imaynataq kawsashanku
Sichus ñawpa tiempo imayna kasqanta qhawasun chayqa, astawan allinta entiendesunchis imaraykuchus yanapayninchis Diospa Simin Qelqa ñawinchanankupaq allin kasqanta. Inkakunaq kawsayninku astawan allin karqan 1400 watakunamanta 1600 hina watakunakama. Paykuna tiyarqanku sierra partipi, Qosqo llaqtamantataq inkakuna kamachiqku. Qosqoqa Peru suyupi kashan. Kunan tiempopi inkakunaq miraynin runakuna kawsashanku kay suyukunapi: Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chileq Argentinaq qonti lawpipas. Paykunaqa reqsisqa kanku qheswa otaq kichua sutimanta. Qheswa simiqa manan kaqllatachu tukuy maypipas rimanku. Simikunata estudiaqkuna ninku ichapas kinsa chunka pisqayoq astawanraq huk niraq huk niraqpas qheswa rimaykuna kasqanta. Wakinqa yaqapas entiendenakunku, wakinñataq nishu sasa entiendenakunankupaq.

Españolkuna chayamusqankumantapacha tawa pachak astawanraq wataña pasarun. Chay pachamanta wakin qheswa rimaqkunan castellanollataña rimaspa mistikuna hina kanku; wakinñataq iskay simikunata rimayta yachanku imaraykuchus huch′uy llaktakunapi tiyanku, hukkunañataq hatun llaqtakunaq muyuriqninkunapi. Chayna kaqtinpas astawan askha campollapi tiyanku runasimillata rimaspa. Paykunaqa nishu allin llank′aq kaspanku tarpunku, uywankunata michinkupas, wakintaq sumaqta awayta yachanku.

Chay 1900 qhepa watakuna qheswa runakunaman apamurqan mosoq kawsayta. Maytapas carreterakuna chayasqanrayku paykuna reqsishanku hukniraq p′achakunata, mikhunata, imay niraq cosaskunatapas. Mana chaykunata rantinankupaq ayparuspa wakinqa astawan llakisqa kanku imaraykuchus sapa p′unchay mikhunanta tarinallankupaq llank′anshanku. Hinataq askha comunidaskunapi ushaq killakunapi mana yaqa kuraq qharikuna kanchu imaraykuchus paykuna hatun llaqtakunaman riyta yachanku ima sasa ruwaykunapi llank′aq.

Kikin rimayninkupi yachachiqtinku iglesia wiñashan
Yaqapas llapallan qheswa rimaqkuna católico kani nispa niqtinkupas cheqaqta rimaspa chaqrunku cristianoq yupaychaspa ruwayninkuta ñawpa machunkunaq iñiyninkunawan. Llaqtankuq patronninpa p′unchay chayamuqtin hatun fiestata ruwaspanku mana santollapaqchu haywapunku aswanpas apukunatapas yupaychaspa haywanku. Pachak wata aswanña, qheswa rimaq runakunaman maypiña tiyaqtinkupas, Jesucristomanta allin willakuyninta yachachishanku. Diospa Simin Qelqamanta yachachiqkuna mana sayk′uspa tukuy mayta rillashanku yachachiq, chayrayku kaypi-chaypi aslla kaspankupas iñiqkuna huñunakushanku. Chayta qhawaspa misionerokuna qheswaman t’ikrachiyta qallarirqanku Diospa simin Qelqaq Mosoq Rimanakuy nisqa t′aqanta. Kunanqa llapallan Diospa Simin Qelqa t′ikrachisqa kashanña tawa qheswa suyukunapaq, chaymanta Mosoq Rimanakuy chunka pusaqniyoq qheswa rimaq suyukunapaqpas kashanña. Peru suyupitaq Institutopi llank′aqkuna qheswa rimaqkunawan aynipi llank′aspanku chunka suyukunapaq t’ikrachirqanku.

Qosqopaq 1947 watapi Sociedad Bíblica Peruana nisqa, Mosoq Rimanakuy t’ikrachisqata horqomurqan; chaymanta 1988 watapi llapa Diospa Simin Qelqa lloqsirqan. 2004 watapiñataq Diospa Simin Qelqa revisasqata Yayanchis Diosman añanchaspa presentarqaku. Kunan watakama yaqapas pisqa chunka waranqa patarakunata rantirunkuña.

Huk p′unchay Qosqoq hatun plazanpi huk warmi tiyakusharan. Payqa Ocongateq huk huch′uy llaqtanmanta kasqa. Chaymi qheswamanta napaykuqtiy mana manchakurqanchu noqawan parlayta Peru suyuq kamachiqkunata akllanaykumanta. Niwarqantaq: —Yaqapas llapa llaqtaypi tiyaqkuna pastor H…ta akllasaqku. Tiyasqaypin kinsa familiallaña manaraq iñiq kanku, nispa. Hinaspataq chunkamanta astawan llaqtakunaq sutinkunata rimaspa niwarqan: —Tukuy chaypi yaqapas llapa comunerokuna iñiq kaspanku sapa domingo p′unchay Diosta yupaychanapaq huñunakunku, nispa.

Iskay chunka qhepa watata qhawaspa rikunchis imaynan kay Peru suyu sierrapi Diospa iñiq t′aqa astawan mirashan chayta. Sichus qheswa iñiqkunaq huñunakuyman riwaqchis chayqa, kusikuspa rikunkichis imaynatan Yaya Diosninchista yupaychashanku takispa, Siminmanta yachachispa, mañakuspa ima, hinaspataq napaykushanku, imatapas willanakushanku runasimita rimaspa; ichaqa Diospa Simin Qelqata castellanomanta ñawinchashanku. ¿Imaraykutaq chay kanman?

Clemente Florentinopas Occoruropi wiñarqanku. Paykuna maqt′achaña kaqtinku llaqtankupi estadoq yanapasqa yachay wasita kicharirqanku, chaymi paykunaqa anchatapuni kusikurqanku manaña iskay horasta purispa yachay wasiman rinankumanta imaynan kuraq wayqen Eleuterio purisqanta hina. Wayqen paykunata willarqan imaynatan llaqta warmakuna nishutapuni turiyaspa p′enqachiqku qheswa rimaq kasqanmanta. Chaymi paykuna manchakuqku chay yachay wasiman riyta. Hina Occoruropi kaq yachay wasipi yachachiqqa manataq munarqachu runasimi rimanankuta. Taytankutaq castellano yachanankupaq yanapayta munaspa nirqan: —Wasinchispi mana pipas runasimimanta rimankichischu, nispa. Chaymi awilanku mana yaqa hawayninkunawan parlayta atispa llakikurqan, payqa as castellano simikunalla yachasqanmanta pisinchasqa kasqanta yuyaykurqan.

Manan kay familia ukhullapichu ahina kasqanta rikunchis; aswanpas askhallaña wasinkupipas yachay wasikunapipas kaqchallata uyarishanku, chaymi runasimimanta castellanota astawan chaninchanku. Yuyasqankuman hina runasimi mana qelqayta atikunchu. Ninkutaq: —Runasimimanta rimaqtiyku pisinchawankumá, nispa. Hinaspataq iskay simi rimay yachaq iñiqkunaq umalliqninku mana yaqa atinkuchu runasimi ñawinchayta imaraykuchus yachay wasikunapi castellanollapi tukuyta yachakurqanku.

Kunankaman askha qheswa runakuna mana ñawinchay yachaq kanku imaraykuchus tayta mamanku mana llapan wawankunata yachay wasiman churankuchu; wakinqa huk-iskayllata akllaspa estudiachinku. Hinaspa astawanraq warmi wawankuta qhepachinku wasi ruwaykunawan yanapanankupaq, uywakunata michinankupaqpas.

Qheswa simi ñawinchay yachachiymanta huk willakuy
Huk p′unchay manchakuymanta Mercedespa makin hoq′ollaña kasharqan, orqonpiñataq hump′iynin sut′usharqanña imaraykuchus ñawinchay yachachiqnin Ignacia ñawpaqman waqyarqan chayqa. Mercedesqa ñawpaqman rirqan mosoq simikunata wakichinanpaq cartonchakunapi qelqasqa reqsisqan silabakunawan. Payqa chakrapi wiñasqa chaymi tawa chunka pusaqniyoq watanpiña kaspa chayraq yachakusharqan.

Ignaciaqa Mercedes p′enqali kasqanta reparasqa, rikusqataq onqoyli kasqanta. Chayna kaspapas Mercedesqa anchatapuni ñawinchayta munarqan. Sapa semana astawan yachakuspa Mercedesqa manaña manchakurqanñachu. Paymanta Ignacia nin: —Mercedesqa Diospa Simin Qelqata ñawinchaqtiyku kusikuq imaraykuchus sapa yachakuypi ima sasachakuymantapas parlayku, chaymantataq qhawayku Diosninchis chaykunapaq ima nisqantapas, nispa. Huk p′unchaytaq qosan ima nisqanta Mercedesmi Ignaciaman willarqan. Ahinata qosan nisqa: —Manan ñawpa hinañachu upallalla kanki. Kunanqa niwashanki imatan Diospa Simin Qelqa tukuy imamanta yachachiwanchis. Niwankitaq imaynatan portakusaq, imaynatan rimasaq, nispa. Ignacia nisqanman hina sut′illatas rikuyta atinchisman Mercedes huk niraqña kasqanta. Nintaq: —Kunanqa ñawinchayta yachaspa Mercedesqa mat′in hoqarisqa purin, manañan ñawpa hina: ‘qhawaq ñawsa kani’ nispa p′enqakuymanta k′umurayanñachu. ¡Lliw onqoyninkunapas chinkapunmanpis hina manañan kanchu!

Intitutoq llank′aqninkuna kayta qhawaspa astawanraq yanapayta munayku, imaraykuchus ATEK ILV-wan chay hinallata aynipi ruwashanku askha llaqtakunapi kay Peruq uray sierra partipi. Mana ñawinchay yachaqkuna uyariqku llaqtamasinkuna asikuspa niqtinku: —Ñawiyoq ñawsa kaspayki yanqapaq iglesiaman rishanki. Chayman patarankunata apaspa rinku, nispa. Kunanqa chayraq ñawinchay yachaqkuna mana manchakuspaña iñiyninkumanta hukkunaman willashanku. Imaynan Uvaldina Condori testimonionta willaspa iglesiapi nirqan: —Ñawpaqa Diospa Simin Qelqata ñawinchaqtinku kusisqallaña uyarispapas chayllan qonqaq kani. Kunanñataqmi ñawinchayta yachaniña, chaymi mana manchakuspa willani llapa familiaykunamanpas wasi-masiykunamanpas, nispa.

Ñawinchay yachachiypa kusikuyninkuna hinaspa sasachakuyninkunapas
Sasan mana pagasqalla allin yachachiqkunata tariyqa. Qallarinapaq yachachiy munaqkuna waqyasqa kanku pisqa p′unchay taller nisqaman. Chaypin willayku imaynatan yachaqasunchis, hinaspa patarakunata qospa qhawachiyku imaynatan yachachisunchis, (parlanchis imaraykun qallarinchis qheswa qelqakuna ñawinchayta chaymantaña castellanoq qelqankunata). Sapa tutañataq allinta atinankukama qheswata ñawinchanku qelqankupas. Chaymanta qhawachiyku imaynatan sapa qelqata yachachinchis chayta. Qhepatañataq kikinku ñawpaqman lloqsispa kaqllata yachachinku. Sapakama yachachiq lloqsiqtinku yachachiqninku sumaqta yanapanku ‘allinta ruwashanki’ nispa. Taller tukuqtin yaqapas llapanku atinkuña yachachiyta sapa qelqaq yachachiyninpi kaq ruwayninkunata.

Eleuterio iskay wayqenkunawan iskay kaq tallerpi karqanku; kunan payqa iglesianpi yachachishan. Clementewan Folorentinoñataq as tiempolla yachachispa pasarqanku Instituto Biblico nisqapi yachaqakuq. Clementeqa nisqa: ‘Kunan Diospa simin Qelqa ñawinchayta atispaña astawan allinta entiendeni ima nisqanta. Ñawpaqa castellanollamanta ñawinchaspay manan allintachu entiendeq kani’ nispa.

Mosoqmanta qhawana
Proverbios 16: 9-pi nin: “Runaqa sonqonpi imachus ruwananta yuyaykun, Señor Diostaqmi imaynan kananta unanchan.” Sapa sabado tardeta Maranata iglesiapi umalliqkuna huñunakuqku qheswa ñawinchayta yachaqaq. Paykunaqa yacharqankuña castellano ñawinchayta chaymi qosaywan kuska “transferencia” nisqa cartillawan yachachirayku imaraykuchus paykuna ‘misionerokuna’ kaspanku campoman rispa Diospa simin Qelqata sasachakuspa ñawinchaqku. Paykunamanta huknin waynallaraq Albino sutiyoq karqan.

Huk p′unchaytaq Seminarioq umalliqnin Albinota nisqa qheswaman t’ikrachinanpaq castellanopi qelqasqa kaq yachachikuykunata. Chaymi Albinoqa qelqaqkunapaq yachachisqayku tallerman hamurqan. Chaypitaq Albinoqa allin yuyayniyoq usqhaylla yachaqaq kasqanta rikuspay invitarqani huk tallerman. Chay karqan ñawinchay yachachiqkunapaq.


Irma Inugay Phelps has Peruvian and Japanese roots. She was trained as a grade school teacher. Since joining Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1971 she has been involved in Bible translation and literacy work with Quechuas in different areas of Peru.