Iquitos
Iquitos, Peru is the largest city in the world (500,000+) without an access road in or out. The only way into or out of the city is by boat (3 day journey), or by plane (1.5 hours from the capital of Lima). Iquitos is an island surrounded by three rivers: Amazon, Nanay, and Itaya. It is the capital of the state of Loreto. Loreto is 1/3 of the land mass of Peru, encompassing 142,414.53 sq mi, has a population of 1,000,000 plus and borders with Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. Loreto has a poverty rate of 70% and only produces 2.51% of Peru’s GDP. The main source of income is agricultural 142,414.53 sq mil. The average income is $2350 a year per family.
Maijunas
Formerly known as the Orejones, because of large discs placed in the ear lobe, the Maijunas are a very small tribe of only 500 people in 4 villages, 3 of which are located on the Napo River, and 1 located on Algodón0 River. They live a primitive lifestyle, hunting and living off the land.
In 2011 we began a partnership with Sovereign Grace Baptist Church (Mongtomery, TX), to evangelize and disciple the Maijunas. David Mozombite and Pedro Shupingahua are the missionaries to the Maijunas.
In 2011 we began a partnership with Sovereign Grace Baptist Church (Mongtomery, TX), to evangelize and disciple the Maijunas. David Mozombite and Pedro Shupingahua are the missionaries to the Maijunas.
Our work began in 2011 during our initial visit to Sucusari with Ralph Clements and Gerald Coleman. This trip was a vision trip to meet the Maijunas. Since that initial trip we did a cultural study on the Maijunas that was the basis of all our work. Once we finished the cultural study we began to form a set of 50 Chronological stories from the Bible that we taught over the next year and a half in Sucusari. Upon finishing the stories in March of 2013 we baptized 9 Maijuna believers. Since that time we have taken them through the book of Acts, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, stories on marriage, etc. We are currently helping the village of Sucusari develop a doctrinal statement as the foundation for them starting a new church.
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In 2014 we began traveling to the Maijuna village of Nueva Vida where we began teaching the stories. In late 2104 we baptized Walter and his wife Jesusa after they professed faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior. Several weeks after Jesusa was baptized she passed away from a snake bite.
Please pray for Pedro and David as they continue to travel 2 weeks of every month to both villages.
COCAMAS
In 2013, First Baptist Church in Rosenberg, TX made their first trip as a church to the village of 9 de Octubre (a Cocama tribe village) to share stories of the Bible. Sam and Marcie Nicholson were part of that trip. One night Sam and Brandon were sitting around the table thinking of how to build relationships with the men of the village. The topic of building boat docks came up having the men of the village build them. That next morning Sam told Brandon he knew the two men from the States that would help in this project.
Several months later Sam returned with Gary Wallis and Al Drewitt to survey the land and get a design for the boat docks. Tito a 9 de Octubre Resident cut the wood from the jungle, and the men of the village built them under Al’s supervision. Shortly before this trip Sam and Marcie felt the Holy Spirit leading them to be missionaries to the Cocamas. Sam and Marcie retired in 2014 and have formed an organization called The Cocama project. You can go to Cocamaproject.org to read about their ministry.
Several months later Sam returned with Gary Wallis and Al Drewitt to survey the land and get a design for the boat docks. Tito a 9 de Octubre Resident cut the wood from the jungle, and the men of the village built them under Al’s supervision. Shortly before this trip Sam and Marcie felt the Holy Spirit leading them to be missionaries to the Cocamas. Sam and Marcie retired in 2014 and have formed an organization called The Cocama project. You can go to Cocamaproject.org to read about their ministry.
The Cocama people are comprised of 18,000 people in 57 villages along 5 rivers of the Amazon Jungle (Marañon, Pastaza, Nucuray, Ucayali and Urituyacu). The Cocama Project purchased 70 acres of land next to 9 de Octubre (Marañon River) that will be the outpost for ministry among the Cocamas. Sam and Marcie are constructing a school to teach English, and a medical Center for the Cocamas.
In 2016 The Cocama Project began building a training center on the property using Cocama men. This training center is allowing us to train pastors from the region as well as allow us to use the site to train future missionaries.
Cocama Project and IAM are working together to reach the Cocama people for Christ. If you would like to work among the Cocamas of the Amazon alongside our ministries contact sam@cocamaproject.org.
FAEINAP
Faeinap stands for the fraternity of Amazon Tribal churches. It is based out of Pucallpa, Peru and currently has 17 member tribal groups. In 2017, we began a formal partnership with Faeinap to help train pastors in their member tribes. In 2019 we began a by training the Ashaninka pastors in the upper Ucayali region and we will begin training the Yanishas and Shipibos in 2020.