Access to good information is vital to succeeding in any cross-cultural missionary ministry. This is certainly the case in the Amazon Basin where an understanding of geographic, cultural, and political constraints is merely the starting point from which to develop a successful ministry strategy. We help missionaries, many of whom are tribal, to succeed in their ministries by equipping them with the ability to gather information on the go. Through onsite visits and investigation, we discover needs that would otherwise remain unknown. This information is across a network known as the Three Waves Movement, or MTO (Movimiento Tres Olas) in South America. The focus of this movement is to connect tribal churches and equip their missionaries to make disciples among other jungle tribes.
The MTO is active across 11 South American countries. Spanning an area larger than the continental United States, the Amazon Basin and its lowland periphery contains half of the world’s remaining tropical forests and one tenth of the world’s animal and plant species. It is also home to between 500 to 700 unique tribal people groups. Some of these tribes are relatively large in population, residing in well-established traditional lands; many others are small bands of nomadic to semi-nomadic groups scattered across some of the most remote and inaccessible corners of the earth. Over 60 tribes are known to exist in complete isolation. As many as 200-300 tribes across this region have yet to hear the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
The lack of information currently available to Christian ministries serving in the Amazon Basin is astounding. Basic data about tribal divisions, languages, locations, Gospel presence, and strength of tribal churches often remains questionable or unknown. As the Research Coordinators for the MTO, our objective is to equip the laborers – tribal Christians, national ministries and foreign missionaries – to be well informed for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission. To God be the Glory!