The three men knew they were just beginning their trip as they left Pucallpa, Peru, for their one-hour flight aboard a SAMAIR Cessna 206 floatplane. Once Jairo, Leonardo and Hernán, Peruvian nationals, landed at the mouth of the Nucuray River, they transferred to a “peque peque” – a motorized canoe, so named because of the sound the motor makes as it chugs up and down the murky waterway. They would travel all night and most of the next day on the river, arriving at their final destination, 27 hours later. This is one of those remote places on earth, to which only the most determined of men will attempt the journey.
Some 75 pastors and church leaders, and over 100 women of the Pastaza Quechua-speaking people, awaited them at Unión Sancudo del Rió Nucuray. They were gathered this evening for the opening session of a Bible conference organized by the outsiders. The following day, Leonardo Alicea, a national missionary, kicked off the workshops with a course on suffering, alcoholism and family violence. Pastor Hernán Zumba followed up that evening with a devotional before Pastor Jairo Sangama, Director of Radio Logos, brought a message entitled “The Glorious Gospel.”
Bibles, study materials, and 80 SonSet® radios, tuned to Radio Logos, were distributed to those in attendance. Jairo recounts, “We had 12 churches represented, some of whom traveled 4 days to attend. God, in His grace, allowed us to baptize 32 people. We had a number of professions of faith, and many were reconciled [to Christ].” He added, “There is a good signal here,” referring to the reception of the radio station on the SonSet radios.
Radio Logos will continue to encourage and strengthen these leaders via their solar-powered SonSet radios even after they return to their widely dispersed villages. As Jairo reflected on his latest missionary journey into the Amazon Basin, he praised the Lord saying, “May God be glorified through this advancement of His Kingdom.”
Written by Doug Weber, May 2021