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During Easter weekend, Tom woke up in a hut surrounded by mosquito netting, a rooster crowing, and howler monkeys calling. Thankfully, the bat that was flying around his room the night before was now gone. His body ached from the six-hour ride up the river in a dug-out canoe, but his heart was full. The journey to get there was long, but worth it.
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It was a long but gorgeous journey upstream to the village.
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Tom traveled to this rural land in the Darien Gap to partake in an Easter celebration with the Embera tribe of rural Panama. The Darien Gap, infamous for human and drug trafficking, is a narrow strip of no man’s land connecting Colombia to Panama. Yet here, on this weekend, Jesus shone. Missionaries to the area have worked tirelessly to reach the Embera people with the saving message of Jesus Christ. In order to provide them a Bible in their own language, the missionaries first needed to create a written form of their native tongue, teach the people to read, translate the Word, and then provide it in printed form. The journey to get here was long, but worth it.
On this weekend, ten churches were congregating together to celebrate Easter. Each church is led by an Embera pastor and elders, and the weekend was funded by the churches themselves. There were baptisms, singing, teaching, and fellowship. It was beautiful. And it was exactly what most missionaries dream of—to have a community accept Christ, learn His teachings, lead their own churches, and be financially independent. So, what was Tom doing here? He was doing what SonSet Solutions (where we work on loan from MissionGO) does with over 150 ministries around the globe—supporting them in their efforts to reach their own people by helping them overcome technical challenges in advancing the Gospel.
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The communities shared food, fellowship, and the Word together. Many long-time followers of the Lord, and Michael — a brand new one!
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In this very rural land with no electricity, cell service, or internet connection—in the jungle where humidity quickly destroys paper, and distribution of printed materials between isolated communities is exceptionally difficult—the church wanted a better way to provide teaching material to pastors and congregation members. Tom brought them a LightStream device, a battery-powered Wi-Fi replicator, to provide a way to distribute content electronically and wirelessly. Surprisingly, although there is no cell service or electricity, most everyone in this land has a smartphone. Tom loaded the JESUS film and an Embera audio Bible onto the device, and over the weekend over 100 different cell phones connected to it and downloaded content. After providing training in how the device works and the potential of what it can be used for, the pastors now use it to distribute evangelistic material throughout the communities of the region. They intend to add even more content as they create it.
Tom (‘Señor Technico’) was also able to tweak or repair computers, an amplifier, recording equipment, and a gas generator on his visit. He worked with the local pastors who are recording a teaching series and trained them in how to improve audio quality using post-production software. He also provided mentorship to a new engineering intern at SonSet Solutions who accompanied Tom on his trip.
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It was such a blessing to walk with these brothers and sisters, and help out as the Lord provided opportunities.
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Friends, thank you for your faithful support of our ministry. Your financial and prayer support is what allows us to come alongside ministries and support them in reaching their own people. It is also what allows us to mentor young minds in using their professional skills for the sake of the Gospel. Thank you for your support and your faithfulness.
We recognize that it has been a while since we’ve been able to visit most of you. Know we certainly miss you and yearn to be with you. If you’d like to hear more about the ministry or (if we live far away from you and) you’d simply just like to get together for virtual a coffee date, let’s set a Zoom date and spend some time together.
In Christ,
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MissionGO Canada
PO Box 1210
St. Catharines, ON L2R 7A7 |
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MissionGO USA
PO Box 2010
Buffalo, NY 14231-2010 |
MissionGO thanks you for financially supporting our Mission and missionaries. All gifts are tax-deductible and should be made payable to MissionGO. When mailing your gift, please include a note indicating our names and any projects you wish to support. You may also give online using the button above.
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59015 Azelea Court, Elkhart, IN 46517 USA
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