Playapamapa

“Where Jesus is, tis’ Heaven,” and Jesus was definitely in the music I was hearing from just beyond the platform where my team and I had placed our sleeping mats to retire for a night’s rest. Sister Theresa and her little group of children met us on the bank of the river when we arrived in the remote village of Playapamapa in Peru. Two days later the Holy Spirit of God permeated every ounce of my being as I marveled at the praise music in the beautiful Asheninka language. I knew the Lord would bless us as He always does, but I am always amazed at how the blessings just keep getting better and better.

Our Journey team of 10 had traveled for three and a half hours (about thirty-three miles) down river in a pecky-pecky (a 24-foot-long dugout boat) to reach the village. A Journey team is a short-term opportunity lasting several days to several weeks. These teams provide church mission teams with in-country opportunities to distribute recorded Bible stories to unreached people groups that have little or no access to the gospel. These oral stories have been selected, translated, and recorded by a trained team during a two-year storying project. Several churches partnered with StoryRunners and Extreme Missionary Adventures (XMA) on this trip. StoryRunners partners with short-term mission agencies like XMA willing to lead church teams on Journey trips.

It was monsoon season, and the river was swollen just enough to allow us to navigate it, even though we did drag bottom in a few places. With us was Sister Theresa, a schoolteacher who had become a Christian before caming to Playapamapa. She came to this village to fulfill her government requirement as the village educator. This lady had diligently prayed for God to send someone to tell her people about Jesus. As we explained why we were there, the joy of answered prayer lit her face just as it did ours. When people on both ends of the Lord’s work are praying for the same thing, you can see how He moves.

That afternoon we conducted our first Bible session, consisting of playing chronological Bible story tapes to about 40 Asheninka Indians in their own language. We were pleased that the villagers seemed genuinely interested in the stories, especially one young man, named Mario, who asked many questions about them. We wanted them to really understand who Christ is before asking them to make a decision, so we answered his questions and invited him back the next day.

We were excited when Sister Theresa dismissed school at midmorning the following day so that the children could come and hear the stories, but we were disappointed when 18-year-old Mario did not return. We did have a congregation of approximately 40 young people, ages 8 to 18, so we began playing the tapes. Mario and two of his friends arrived after a couple of stories had played. He was late because he had to work in the fields that morning.

The presence of the Lord was with us in a mighty way that whole day. The team really became fired up when one 13-year-old girl asked, “What do I have to do to be saved?” We counseled her, and she received Christ. In the afternoon 15 others trusted Christ, including Mario. He also committed to being the Lord’s “Man of Peace” in his village. This is the one who takes the responsibility of promoting the taped stories throughout the region.

I peeked out through the mosquito net to see the beauty of what I was hearing. I was totally moved as I watched more children come across the field in the moonlight to join the worship and praise fest. It had been wonderful to hear the Bible stories told in the Asheninka language, but to hear praises sung to the Lord by this thankful group of Asheninka children was beyond awesome.

As we left Peru I knew the Lord would use our guide and interpreter, Pastor Brigido Ramirez Lopez, to see that proper, timely follow-up and encouragment visits to the village would be made. Sister Theresa assured us that she would help Mario grow in the Lord, care for the tapes and use them to spread the gospel. I am anxious to make a return trip to see for myself how my new friends in Playapamapa are growing in their newfound relationship with Jesus.