The Ends of the Earth
Could this be it?
As I reflect on Jesus’ command to take the gospel to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), I wonder if Cajapucara, an isolated village of 300 people, might qualify. Located in a remote valley 13,500 feet up in the Andes Mountains of southern Peru, the winding, narrow, dirt road that leads to it has no guardrails, climbs over 15,000-foot ridges and descends though deep gorges clinging to the steep mountainside. Landslides and falling rocks are common and could easily sweep you over the edge into the abyss 2,000 feet below.
It would be easy to get lost if you didn’t know the way. The distance from Cusco, the regional capital, to Cajapucara—as the crow flies—is only about 27 miles, but a crow didn’t make this trip. It took us all day to get here by four-wheel-drive pickup truck.
I have come to Cajapucara with JAARS Vernacular Media Specialist Marty Lange and a group of men from ATEK, a Peruvian partner organization. ATEK (The Association that Shines the Gospel to the Quechua-speaking World) was created by and for the Quechua people in this region—numbering about two million. It is committed to the spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of the Quechua through programs of evangelism, Scripture promotion and distribution, literacy, health education and community development. Tonight the men showed the JESUS video.
But how did they do that in Cajapucara, where the only link to the outside world is a truck that comes twice a week—road conditions permitting? There’s no electricity, no phones, no TV. To set the stage, two ATEK evangelists arrived before us. With a portable solar panel, they charged a 12-volt battery with enough energy to power their small 12-inch TV-VCR combo for a couple hours.
This evening, in a small adobe-walled, thatched-roof church, 60 men, women and children crowded together, keeping warm in the cold evening air. They sat on narrow, rough-hewn wooden planks set on stones or adobe bricks.
The evening began with Quechua-style music, led by an evangelist with a 12-string guitar. Portions of the JESUS video were shown, which ATEK produced in their studios with a Quechua audio soundtrack. An evangelist stopped the video and explained more about what the people were seeing on the screen. Then more video was shown ... followed by more explanation. People sat mesmerized and listened. They heard God’s message of love, His provision of forgiveness, reconciliation and hope for mankind presented in the Quechua language.
Tomás Puma, the coordinator of the ATEK Scripture video teams, has been trained by Marty in the use of the equipment. He in turn trains and supervises eight other teams of Quechua evangelists. They move from village to village, presenting these programs, not just on Sundays, but every night of the week.
Finally, when the battery ran out, an invitation was given. High in this Andean valley, seven men came forward on a crisp, starry night. They knelt for prayer and found new life in Jesus—proof of the impact of God’s Word!
About 10:30 p.m., people started trekking back to their houses in the pitch darkness of this moonless night. Some stayed around talking till midnight, wanting to hear more from Tomás and the evangelists.
Over the years, I’ve been to many places that seemed to me like “the ends of the earth.” Was this it? I don’t know. But I do know that thanks to the efforts of ATEK, the gospel made it to Cajapucara.
—Marvin Hyde is Vice President of Resource Development at JAARS. He has traveled to more than 100 countries in his 30 years with Wycliffe Bible Translators, holding leadership positions in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
This story originally appeared in "Going the Distance," the Summer 2007 issue of Rev. 7.
