GPS Village Mapping 

We have an estimated 6,000 Nahua villages in the Huasteca region. Since 1968 we have visited a good sampling of these villages. But all of the documentation and demographic data regarding these villages (and names of those people we know personally from each village) is recorded in paper form only. (Remember, Dick and Pat Beller were concentrating their energies on finishing three complete Bible translations until just one year before Pat's death. And then we finished the mammoth New Nahuatl Hymnal just before Dick's death.)

But today, the Aztec Ministry can direct more of its energies to strategically reaching individuals in the many remote villages with the Word of God that we now have in their heart languages! 

In order for us to enter this new "outreach" or "distribution-focused" phase of the ministry efficiently, we must transfer our paper records to an electronic mapping software.  

Several years ago we looked into this concept and neither the technology nor the programs existed. We would have had to hire a software company to design one custom for us and at a great expense. But not today! This software exists with Garmin GPS devices (called Mapsource). Mexico Atlas software is easy to download as well. The tools are ready for us! God is good!

We began the first phase of this project in October 2013. 

If you would like to support this adventure with your prayers or financial support please contact us. 

See also the way we can use your "old" Garmin devices below #4

Advantages:

1.The software will enable us to designate different color "way" points for each dialect. A distributor needs to know which dialect is spoken in a village before he arrives in order to know what materials to bring. Imagine that you: travel by state road, then by country gravel road, then hire transporters/colporters to carry your boxes and movie equipment (often youth carry supplies over mountain trails to earn a little money), then traverse a difficult mountain trail for a few hours--ONLY to arrive and realize that the village speaks Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl and you brought Central Huasteca Nahuatl Bibles! 


2. We can strategically select "centrally" located villages for an outreach and then also invite other villages that are within walking distance to come. 


3. Once we load the mapping software with our historical data and our personal contacts we will be able to visualize clearly the areas that are neglected or "unreached." 


4. If you would like to donate to this project, we could put to use most second hand or any new Garmin GPS devices.  This will allow, in the future, each distributor or local native preacher/missionary to see the map and be equipped with the unique longitude and latitude coordinates of the villages. When they identify a village that does not exist on the Mexico atlas, those GPS points can be easily entered into the software at the home ministry center computer. We can upload any new village (and its demographic data) accurately and permanently on the electronic maps.

5. Pertinent demographic data includes: the Dialect spoken, the Village population, Literacy Rates, the Number of Churches and the Denominations, the Church pastor's name and his Contact info, the Number of Christians, Is there Significant Persecution for Christians? Are there Strongholds of Evil? (Is there a heavy presence of a spiritual stronghold such as witchcraft or frequent offerings to the spirits?), Medical Demographics: Notes about village hygiene and health status (Do they have clean water? Do they defecate safely away from the water sources? Do they have reasonable dental health? Do the children look malnourished? Do they have any localized diseases? Are there any patients suffering and in need of transport to the city for medical care? Is there a pattern of alcoholism?) Agricultural Demographics: What do they plant and harvest? What are the sources of income? Technical demographics: Do they have electricity? Do they receive radio frequencies and which ones are best? Do they have any Internet? 


We praise the Lord that he has directed the beginning steps of this project and we are moving forward!