Freddy and Joye (Kiester) Garcia
Freddy, Joye, and their sons Enoch and Elijah have lived and served among the Nhïühü (Texcatepec Otomí) people (pop. 12,000) of northern Veracruz since 2016. They minister to people’s physical needs through dentistry, their spiritual needs through Bible translation, and their educational needs through developing literacy materials in the Nhïühü language. As a native speaker and the only dentist in the entire region, Freddy is uniquely equipped to provide affordable dental care and communicate God’s love and peace, both in the dental office and at the translation table. As a linguist, Joye serves as a consultant to the team of Mother Tongue Translators (MTT) and develops lessons and books in Nhïühü for people to learn how to read and write in their mother tongue. Freddy and Joye’s greatest desire is for the Nhïühü people to grasp the immensity of God’s love for them in the language they understand best.