Thank you so much for your generosity to this ministry and those God calls us to reach in remote areas of eastern Panama and the Chocó region of Colombia. Your prayers and sacrificial giving undergird the operation and maintenance of the
Aventuras Jaqué, a boat helping our team and national partners take the gospel to those who have never heard the name of Jesus.
Gospel explodes where sadness prevailed. In the 1970s, the Panamanian government constructed a hydroelectric plant dislocating several indigenous communities. One of these was an Emberá community relocated to the new village of Piriatí. This violent uprooting shakes the core of an indigenous community in ways that are hard for most of us to comprehend. People began to suffer depression, and Satan seized the opportunity. Even the tribal witch doctor could do nothing to help the people.
Several hours east, other Emberá heard about the people of Piriatí and traveled with local missionaries to the village. As they shared the gospel—Emberá to Emberá—several from the one family decided to follow Christ, and over time, more and more did the same. The only family member who could read, a 12-year-old boy, was appointed as “pastor” so he could read the Bible to the believers, and they could continue to learn God’s Word.
Blessed to be a blessing. Those who came to Christ in Piriatí soon began to visit other Emberá villages in Panama, taking the gospel to many of their people. One of those earliest believers dreamed of sharing the gospel beyond Panama to other Emberá villages in Colombia. He passed away five years ago, never having realized this dream.
Today, however, three of his children and three of his grandchildren are actively working to make this dream a reality. They have traveled to Colombia several times, sharing the gospel story in their language in places where whites and Latinos cannot go, sometimes staying for 6-7 weeks at a time in villages far upriver. The more remote an area is, the more difficult and expensive it is to get there. Most of the region they are reaching has no roads, so travel is sometimes by air, but more often by boat—on both the ocean and local rivers. We continually praise the Lord for His faithfulness in calling out missionaries from among the Emberá and using them to reach their own people with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Please join us in prayer.
Please pray for Emberá missionaries who have a heart to share the stories of Jesus just as their father and grandfather did.
- Ask God to protect and guide the three grandchildren, working as full-time missionaries in remote areas of Panama and Colombia.
- Pray for the resources needed for them to continue to serve.
- Ask the Lord to bring Emberá who are seeking Him into direct contact with missionaries who can share the message of salvation.
We are so thankful for you, our partners, who make “Indigenous Ministry in Jaqué by Boat” possible. Your sacrificial gifts and intercession are truly transforming lives as we partner together to solve the world’s greatest problem, lostness.