WMFC's Work in Peru:
Misión Mundial Lugares Lejanos
.....................................................................................................................................

Misión Mundial Lugares Lejanos is the Peruvian branch of World Missions Far Corners. The home base for Peru is in Iquitos, but the work is on the rivers in the Amazon Basin.

Missionaries Phil and Marlene Blankenship give leadership to the missions work there and focus on evangelism and church planting.

Misión Mundial Lugares Lejanos is a non-profit, interdenominational, Christian organization, dedicated to bringing the Gospel to the people on the rivers in Peru. In addition to meeting the spiritual needs of the people, this organization seeks to meet the physical needs as well by providing food, clothing and medicines.

The Amazon River work was started in Peru by Ralph Barber who joined World Missions Far Corners in 1963. He worked with the tribal people of the Ucayali and Tigre Rivers. He traveled by small boat to bring them the Good News of Salvation and was instrumental in starting 16 churches. He left the field in 1991 because of failing health. He has since gone to be with the Lord, but he left a strong legacy of work among the river people of Peru.

Evangelism
The goal of Misión Mundial Lugares Lejanos is to evangelize the people of the river villages, to train local church leaders and Peruvian missionaries and minister to children. We believe that the Peruvian workers can reach their own people in a way that no North American can ever do. We see ourselves as enablers. We organize, support and coordinate the work thus enabling the Peruvian missionaries to go out to the villages and spread the message of Salvation.

The river work is based on a team concept. We have a core team of workers from Iquitos who go out to the rivers on three-month rotations in two- and three-person teams to work from the base village in each river. They live on the mission boat and travel for 20 days each month with two or three local believers who are in the training program.  When the local leaders are trained and able, they take over that stretch of the river and the core team members move on to establish work in other areas or other rivers.

Our first local team works on the Nanay, Chambira and Pintyacu rivers. At the end of three months the Iquitos team members then travel back to Iquitos by local launch for 10 days of rest. During this time in Iquitos they are involved in planning of the work and in an intensive time of worship and study to refill their spiritual stores.

In addition to four core ministry teams, we have a teaching team, a medical team and a supervisory team. The teaching team is working on a mobile basis until the structure is built on the jungle property for the Bible school. For now they spend a month in each base village teaching and training local leaders.

There are presently 57 students in the school on three different levels. The first students are expected to graduate in December. We hope to begin a new year of classes in April in the new building on the Bible School property.

The medical team is made up of our team nurse, team dentist, and local doctors who donate their time. Our goal is to have enough medical workers to send out a team every three months to provide medical help to those villages who do not receive regular attention from the health department here. We would also like to eventually have visiting medical teams help us with this work.

We compose the supervisory team along with our Peruvian director, Luis Davila. Our goal is to visit each team at least once during their three month rotation. We provide support, suggestions, bring in supplies, teach preach and help where needed. We hope to add another Peruvian staff member to help with the supervision.

Peru Ministry Locations  
The river ministry has grown from working on two rivers and five villages in a borrowed boat with a team of six, to working on the carretera and five rivers and in 25 villages with a team of 15.

We are actively working on the following rivers and villages listed below. Should the Lord lead you to pray for each work, by name, here are the specific ministry locations:

Río Ucayali
Requena
Clavero
Bagazan

Río Tigre
Intuto
Berlen
Pampa Hermosa
Lamas Tipishca
Vista Alegre
San Juan
Marsello
Caceres
12 de Octubre
Belen
Santa Elena
Providencia
28 de Julio
Paiche Playa

Río Chambira
Atalaya
 
Río Pintuyacu
Saboya 
San Antonio
 
Río Nanay
Anguilla
Monte Calvario
 
Carretera Iquitos-Nauta 
San Lucas 
El Triunfo 
El Penetración

Building Projects  
We are currently involved in two building projects in Iquitos and several more out in the villages. Projects in Iquitos are:

• The Downtown Headquarters Building
This is being constructed on Amazon riverfront property and is projected to be a three-story brick and concrete structure. This building will be multipurpose. It will provide storage and shop space for machinery and equipment. Food supplies can be purchased in bulk and stored here to be shipped out to the workers in the villages. Missionaries and Peruvian supervisory staff will be housed here as will visiting teams. There will be office space and meeting rooms as well. We anticipate having the first floor completed by the first of the year.

• The Bible Institute
This is being built on jungle property that is located on the new road connecting Iquitos with Nauta. It is being built from local materials harvested from the property itself. The structures will be “malocas” which are typical jungle buildings. They are round, wooden structures with palm leaf roofs.

This property is also our "chacra" or farm land. On this property, we are growing a variety of fruit trees. The plan is that the property will be able to grow most of the food required by the students and staff. The first maloca is taking shape now. When a well is drilled, we will be ready to open the school for the first session. Students will study in the mornings and work in the afternoons to help build additional buildings and tend the gardens. We anticipate beginning the first year of classes on the property in April.

Other building projects are:
• A church building in Atolaya, River Pintuyacu
• Addition to the church in Anguilla, River Nanay
• Repairs to the church in Intuto, River Tigre
• New church in Bagasan, River Ucayali

To support WMFC’s work in Peru, please contact WMFC or give today.