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In December 1999, while visiting a shanty
town in Rio, we met an
Indian from the Ticuna tribe in the Amazon, who told us of
his people and the need amongst them.
He invited us to go in January to
the inauguration of the first All Indigenous Bible School in the Amazon. Noel
had the privilege of being one of the guest speaker at the opening of the Ticuna Bible Seminary and God gave him a
vision of a ferry boat full of Ticuna evangelists carrying the gospel message up
and down the Amazon River. Wherever they landed a little church was formed
and glorious colours of the rainbow
spread out in all directions.
Bible
School building
Indians studying
We met the Indian leaders of the Bible Seminary,
Pastors Aristides and Eli
Leon, president and vice
president respectively of OMITTAS, a Ticuna Christian organization and
learnt of their vision for the evangelization of their people.
There are approximately 62,000 Ticuna Indians in 125 villages in the Amazon.
Only 25 of these have any evangelical presence. Eli believes it is time
for Indians to evangelize Indians and the Bible School is
preparing men for that mission, so that
his whole tribe might know
of the love of Jesus. Some of the Indian students have already gone out
to surrounding villages, after just one session of studying and
new churches have been started. Each year, in January they return to the school for another module until such time as the school has the conditions to
operate on a full time basis.
 
Pastor Eli
Omittas
HQ
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With this visit the Lord opened up a whole new area of work to us.
God joined our hearts to Pastor Eli e
OMITTAS and funds have already been raised to build a HQ, replace
some of the Bible school buildings and provide motorized canoes for some of the
pastors. Our aim in the future is to help build churches and schools for the villages and fund training for teachers.
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New Dormitory
Pastor with canoe
In the summer of 2002 LAM joined forces with two
teams of young people from "OVERLAND MISSIONS" to minister in the 2nd
Ticuna Pastor's Conference and in various Ticuna villages round about.
There was great blessing and many lives were touched, both Indians and young
people alike.
American and Indian youths together
In 2003 LAM joined forces with Clauber and Deonora (daughter of Ticuna chief
Aristides) to start the first Christian school among the Indians and at the
present moment there are 260 children attending.
First building
New building going up
  
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.......Reaching
out to the needy children of South America
