Last Updated on Friday, 26 December 2008 19:18

"When I saw the two motorcycles coming down the mountain, and then the truck, I was so happy I almost started crying!" These were the words of the pastor of Cajapucara, as he shared how excited he was that we had come to their village to witness the showing of the JESUS film, a Scripture video dubbed with the Cusco Quechua language. Four of us had traveled five hours over winding mountain roads to be a part of this event. There was no electricity in this village, so the TV/VCR unit was powered by a small 12 volt battery that had been charged with a solar panel. That night, as the video was shown, all fifty people watching, including children, were absolutely silent as they saw the story of Jesus unfold before them.

The battery died before video finished, but that didn't stop the pastor from inviting people to give their lives to Christ. Five people gave their lives to Jesus that night, and two more re-dedicated their lives to Him.

The pastor of this church, and many others, have received training in how to evangelize and disciple people using these portable video units. There are eight sets of equipment currently in circulation in the department of Cusco, all under the supervision of Pastor Tomás Puma, the coordinator of Audiovisual Scripture Promtion for ATEK. Pastor Tomás coordinated this visit to Cajapucara so that we could witness firsthand the effectiveness of presenting the Gospel to people who live in an oral culture.

As we left, the pastor again thanked us for coming. They get very few visitors. But the smile of the pastor and seeing five people give their lives to Christ made every minute of those five hours worth the trip!

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