Leli khasi okwamanje alitholakali ku-isiZulu.
Recently the GRN Colombia team, led by Gustavo Calixto from Ecuador, distributed 2000 CDs among the Palenquero people group living around the city of Cartagena.
Gustavo and his wife Ines produced the recordings for this needy people group in February, 2013, with the help of Jorge Ortega of Columbia.
The Palenquero language is the only Creole spoken in Latin America. Palenquero is spoken by a few thousand descendants of runaway slaves who escaped into the jungle of northern Colombia several hundred years ago.
The language was strongly influenced by the Kikongo language of Congo and Angola, and by Portuguese, the language of traders who brought African slaves to Cartagena in the 17th century. Kikongo-derived words like ngombe (cattle) and ngubá (peanut) remain in use there today.
The recordings distribution was carried out by Gustavo, Jorge, German Vega (GRN USA's agent in Columbia), Nubia Rojas, and Albeiro Santana, all of whom traveled by bus 24 hours each way to get to the distribution site.
Gustavo produced the CDs in Shell, Ecuador, and the Colombian participants printed the envelopes and inserted the CDs along with a picture booklet.
The team found Palenquero speakers at the beach, engaged in commerce near hotels, and in their nearby homes.
The Saber, our hand crank MP3 player, was very useful in sharing the gospel with this precious group of unreached Colombians.
Please continue to pray for the Columbian team as they seek to maintain contact with the Palenqueros.