You will ride the river and hike through dense rainforest to remote villages to share the love of Jesus. Some of these villages have welcomed missionaries before; others have not. Those who have heard the Gospel have often mixed it in with tribal religion.
Ministry
It will be physically demanding and requires participants to be both strong swimmers and in excellent physical shape. More importantly, you need to be spiritually ready and prepared for spiritual attacks in all forms as you live in and share the Gospel in an unreached area of the world.
Your primary ministry will be evangelizing the jungle villages, where you will give basic, Gospel-themed lessons (like a VBS but for adults). The goal is to disciple and raise up leaders in the church: church planting like Adventures teams have never done before.
You will fly in the first night and fly out the evening/night on the last day.
What we need:
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Solid mature Christians with a good understanding of the truth. Prayed up.
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Hearts to reach the tribes and the unreached
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Adventurous missionaries
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Strong swimmers (the current is fast on the river).
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People prepared to drink Chicha (fermented corn) or eat grubs upon entrance to each village with a calm expression. Need to have a strong stomach and a willingness to eat whatever is put in front of you. It would hinder the Gospel in the tribal villages if you are not willing to do this. It is considered highly offensive to refuse the food prepared for you.
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You must be physically able to trek through the rainforest. Think mud, machete bush-whacking, humidity, and bugs like you’ve never seen before—for up to 18 miles. You need to be honest with yourself about your physical ability so your host does not have to carry you out. You are likely to get sick at some point, so be prepared for this.
God is calling you to journey with Him, to share His love with the nations and establish His Kingdom on earth. Will you join Him in Ecuador?
Pray for Ecuador
a) The slum-dwellers of Quito and Guayaquil. Over 60% of the latter’s population are extremely poor, and many live in slums built on a polluted marsh. Few Christian workers have a vision for these deprived people.
b) The upper and middle classes are relatively unresponsive (CMA, OMS and others).
c) University and school students. Over eight agencies are involved in campus ministries among the 250,000 students (on more than 300 campuses), including CCCI, CECE (IFES),YFC, LAM and four denominational groups. There is still much room for growth.
d) The Afro-Ecuadorian people are only 0.03% evangelical. Although there are many Catholics among them, Spiritism is the true spiritual power at work in their midst. Pray for a breakthrough among this unique group.
e) The 28,000 people living on the distant and barren Galapagos Islands now have a growing ministry in their midst through MVI. The islands host many eco-tourists who, through Darwin’s legacy, are often hostile to biblical Christianity.
f) Loja province is isolated from mainstream Ecuadorian life and is only 0.1% evangelical. Operation Esperanza is a multi-agency effort to see fruit in this region through prayer, radio, evangelism and holistic ministry (SIM, OMS, WV). Good Shepherd Radio broadcasts the gospel to many isolated villages otherwise difficult to access.
(Source: Operation World)
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