My wife and I work with the native village of Sapani, which belongs to the Ashaninka tribe. The village can be reached by making a one-hour trip from Atalaya on a motor-bike.
• The village of Sapani is located in the State of Ucayali, Province of Atalaya.
• The people of this village are animistic.
• Because they live in the jungle, their lifestyle depends on that. Their houses are made of wood and the roofs are covered by palm leaves. They plant farms in the land near-by. They form small villages of families that struggle to make a living.
• They lack basic conveniences such as electricity, drinking water, and sewage disposal. Their transportation is by motorbikes. Their food consists of cassava roots, cooking bananas, and fish; and on special occasions they eat rice, noodles and use sugar. They have very little money because the crops that they grow are difficult to sell due to the lack of good roads to the cities.
• They earn a living as farmers, fishermen and a few sell lumber.
• Their language is Ashaninka, but many of them speak Spanish in order to do commerce.
During the months of October through December we were very busy teaching the Word of God in one of the schools of the Ashaninka town of Sapani. We thank God for the open door that He has given for sharing the message of God with that community. In these studies we shared material called Firm Foundations. In these studies we teach the Bible chronologically, laying foundations for understanding the Gospel. This material helps the child understand truths from the beginning of all things. We began in Genesis, and continued through the Old Testament to the New Testament, finally telling them about the life, death and resurrection of Christ. We made photocopies of the lessons for the children to fill out, according to the lessons and their age level.
We are very happy and grateful to God for giving us this great opportunity to share His precious Word and serve these children. It doesn’t matter that to get there we have to travel one hour each way on a motorbike on a gravel road, sometimes having to push the bike when a tire goes flat in a place where there is no repair shop nearby. In those situations we have to push the bike to the top of a hill from where we can call by cellphone for someone to come to help us. Sometimes we find a bridge in bad condition and too dangerous to cross. When it rains, the shallow streams that we usually cross easily become so full of water that we cannot cross them. In spite of these difficulties, we continue helping the village of Sapani. Jesus said: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Pray that the Word may be understood by each one of them, and that it reach their hearts and give fruit in the right time.
We travel twice a week to Sapani, on Mondays and Fridays, for teaching the Bible lessons. After teaching the lesson, we give out the photocopied material for the children to fill out.
The first week in December we taught the Christmas story, then distributed small gifts to 180 students (from kindergarten, primary and secondary schools). The gift consisted of a cup of chocolate milk with oatmeal, a slice of fruit-bread, and a small bag of assorted candies and cookies. (For most of them this was the first time in their lives that they tasted these kinds of treats!) In His faithfulness, God provided us with the resources for the trips to Sapani, for the teaching materials, then for climaxing everything with the Christmas treat. We thank those of you that backed us in prayer and giving to make all of this possible.
Before Christmas we left the jungle and went to the coast, to the city of Chiclayo, where we spent Christmas with our daughter Stephanie and with other relatives. We remained in Chiclayo the rest of December and most of January and February visiting churches and supporters. Spiritual bonds were strengthened so that we could continue our ministry in the jungle. Once the heavy rains in the jungle had let up, the three of us returned to Atalaya in mid-March and coordinated with the Director of the schools in Sapani for renewing the Bible teaching this year. (In Peru the school year begins in April.) The Director gladly accepted. Thus, once more we are teaching the Bible in the two schools two days a week. Please pray for this outreach.
I will share the testimony of Jeidin, a sister whom we are helping in her spiritual life. Recently she was in a spiritual crisis. She sent me a telephone message saying that she wanted to cut her veins. I went looking for her to find out what was happening. Thank God, nothing terrible had happened with her yet. She told me that she was very tired, oppressed by economic problems, and afflicted by the emotional problems she was having with a brother in the church. She had broken off the relationship with him but he continued to bother her. In a moment of anger and helplessness she had thought of taking her life.
Thank God that, with the help of my wife, we talked with her, encouraging her to seek God and to read His Word in order to be strengthened inwardly so as to not yield to what she had thought of doing. After our conversation with Jeidin, she felt very relieved, with a better attitude, and with the desire to continue struggling in her Christian life, with the help of the Lord.
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We thank our God for having helped us carry out our ministry during the past six months, carrying out missionary work from Atalaya to the native community of Sapani. This has made us continue seeking dependence on God for His guidance and provision every day. Especially in our health trials we have laid hold of our God, believing what He has shown us in His Word. We have seen God work:
- in our spiritual life (helping us grow in the knowledge of His Word, getting to know and understand who is the God that we serve, and learning that suffering is part of growth in the Christian life),
- in the emotional (in the times when we have been concerned over the health of Lucy, of Stephanie and other family members, the Lord always comforted us with His Word, and brought us emotional health),
- in financial matters (the Lord has always provided funds for our material needs),
- and in health issues (He has placed His powerful hand relieving our physical pain, and in other moments He has used medicine to bring us relief in our sicknesses).
These experiences are helping us to continue maturing, and to continue growing spiritually in our relationship with God every day.
Our family: we have two daughters. Stephanie, the oldest one, is 19 years old and is studying computer information in the university in Lambayeque (Chiclayo). Sue Abigail, our second daughter, is 17 years old and will be finishing her High School studies in Atalaya this year.
Health: X-rays and CAT-scans revealed that Lucy has osteosclerosis in her neck, which is now being treated. She also has a problem with large cysts (or myomas) in her uterus. The doctors have found in Stephanie the beginning of glaucoma in one of her eyes, and her treatment will last one year. She also has hormonal problems caused by cysts in her left ovary. She is undergoing a treatment for correcting this problem.
Tests showed that I had high cholesterol and glucose levels. I thank God that I am recovering due to changes that I have made in my eating habits.
1) For the spiritual health of all of all our family (Lucy, Stephanie, Sue and me)
2) For the physical health of Stephanie, that the Lord heal the cysts in her ovary and correct the beginning of glaucoma in one of her eyes
3) For the physical health of Lucy, that the Lord remove the cysts, or miomas, in her uterus
4) For my physical health, that the Lord enable me to control the levels of cholesterol and glucose in my blood
5) That the Lord continue to open doors for sharing His Word
6) For the children in the schools of Sapani, that the Word of God might penetrate their minds and hearts
7) That God provide the finances for the fuel and repairs on our motorbike, in order to continue the trips to Sapani
8) That the Lord help us in learning the Ashaninka language. We are studying the language with the help of a teacher from the university in Atalaya.
9) That the Lord provide us with a good camera and laptop for our ministry
With joy and great satisfaction we can say “Ebenezer” (God has helped us until now). He has helped us and never forsaken us. We have seen God working every moment of our lives. Thank you very much for your prayers, for they have sustained us and given us courage to continue working and serving our God with optimism in the ministry.
Jehovah bless and keep you. May Jehovah shine upon you and have mercy upon you. May Jehovah look upon you and put His peace in you. (Numbers 6:24-26)
Yours in Christ’s service,
Manuel Salazar