Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Lord. As we emerge from the remote jungles of the Amazon basin we are encouraged by your support, in prayers and finances, as we attempt to reach those who have never been reached before.
Uncontacted Expedition AMAZON Part One: Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come.” Today we stand on the precipice of accomplishing the great commission. The last frontier is that of the undiscovered and uncontacted. Imagine there are people on earth who have no contact with the outside world and no knowledge of the good news. This is our mission.
On May 30th, 2008, images of an uncontacted tribe hit the mainstream media with shock and awe. They displayed red and black painted figures pointing arrows at the hovering aircraft above. This tribe had never made contact with the outside world. As soon as we saw this we began our preparations to reach tribes just like that one.
Almost one-year later we bumped our way over the twisted jungles in a small floatplane. Our destination—a remote Amazon tributary. Our mission—first contact. This wasn’t just first contact for the gospel, but first contact for anything. The tribe we were attempting to reach was much like the ones pictured in the spectacular photos, but living in a different area.
First contact is much more difficult than one might think. There is no known language, other than commonalities of root tribal dialects, there is no assurance of peaceful contact, and there is no knowledge that this tribe wants to be contacted. Questions, and important ones at that, but all the answers were in the jungle.
Landing on the shores of a muddy river we set up camp at a small village that would be our headquarters. Our expedition party was 7-members and thousands of prayer warriors (You!). The team on the ground was two local Bushmen from the village, two bush pastors, one translator, and the two of us. Immediately we set ourselves to interviewing locals at this small village and piecing together where we might make contact. The rivers and tributaries of the Amazon basin were now receding, as dry season approached, and this was the time of year in the past that most sightings occurred.
First, we wanted to gather the most accurate information and interview as many people in various villages as possible. In our interviews, two stories stood out the most to us. The first was of an older man, who recently while hunting a bird deep in the jungle noticed something as he aimed his gun towards the treetops. Sensing a presence he looked over and saw two males from this uncontacted tribe hunting the same bird. They approached him in a friendly manner and started to speak. He said he could not understand them, but will never forget what they looked like. He said they were naked, save a small string tied around their waste, holding up their male member. They had long hair, and strangely, beard hair that grew long below their jaw line. He ran away in fear and didn’t stop running until he reached the river 5 KM from his village. The second story occurred only 15 days ago and was told to us from the brother of one of the pastors on our team. He said he was hunting in the jungle 6-hours from our current location, and upon coming over a small hill in the jungle, he looked down to see four males from this mysterious tribe fishing in a stream with spears. He watched them for a minute and then ran away. They were close, and in the area, but nomadic, so it was important for us to head into the jungle right away.
The existence of this uncontacted tribe had been confirmed by more than just the villagers living in the area, but by anthropologists and the scientific community as well. We interviewed dozens of eyewitnesses and used resources from our previous research to pin point locations on the GPS where the tribe had been spotted the most. In rare circumstances the tribe had even been seen on the shore of the large river collecting turtle eggs. We were ready to head into the jungle and start our search.
All the stories of brief contact with the villagers led us to believe this tribe was just as curious of outsiders as we were of them. The evidence also suggested they had tried to make contact in the past, but were fearful. Both peoples seemed to be afraid of each other, setting up an uneasy feeling between each tribe. At first, before we even arrived in the village, we had heard only negative stories about this uncontacted tribe’s behavior, and even threatening stories about violent encounters, but after our interviews we concluded that this was not the case. Eyewitness reports confirmed their described behavior was more curious than threatening.
For contact, before we entered the jungle, we left it up to the Lord. Perhaps they do not want to be contacted? We cannot force contact or in the same right presume they do not want to have any. God made himself evident to all mankind through his creation (Romans 1:19-20). Our mission was to give this tribe the choice to make peaceful contact with us.
So we set off into the harsh jungles and readied ourselves for whatever we might face… Part Two coming next month.
With your help in prayers and finances we are able to conduct gospel expeditions like the uncontacted journey. Your help is needed more than ever as we attempt to bring the gospel where it has never gone before. Our mission is not only to speak the good news, but also to carry that message to all mankind. Together we can do this and finally fulfill Matt. 24:14! Let us reach beyond ourselves and touch the unknown with the life saving message of Christ Jesus! Please consider supporting us through a one-time gift or monthly support. Our next missions include: Anti-Narcotics missions in Colombia, first contacts, and island revival campaigns. You are family to us and your support is treasured and needed. Peace be with you.
In Him,
Tim and Will
