The Mission Work

Our Mission: 

Equipping the local church to make disciples by being the heart, hands and feet of Jesus

The Why and How?

At 414 Missions we believe it is crucial to create relationship with people before we begin the true mission God has given us of making disciples who make disciples. This is mainly accomplished through short term teams who come throughout the year.

There are hundreds of thousands of indigenous people who inhabit the Amazonas Region and they have been forgotten by their government and civilization. Due to a distorted caste system, even those who live in the larger villages of the jungle look down upon those in the smaller indigenous villages. This is why they call themselves “the forgotten people.” The Amazon River, and its tributaries are their only thoroughfare, and their only transportation is by boat. They are without access to modern medicine, basic needs, and the conveniences you’d find in developed cities in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil.

Why? 

  • The people in the Amazonas Region feel like they have been forgotten. Not only by their government, but by civilization in general.
  • Most Villages have a hybridized view of Christianity; mixing Spiritism, Catholicism, Voodoo, and any other religions that have been brought to their village by various mission groups over the years - They purely need JESUS!
  • Many villages are leery of outsiders coming in, however because they have such limited if any, medical / dental care, they are more open to Americans coming in to tend to their urgent physical needs. 
  • The Amazon River rises and falls an average of 40 feet each year, which limits the accessibility to many villages, as none of the villages are accessible solely by road.
  • There are very few organizations along the Amazon River in the Amazonas Region who tend to the needs of the jungle villages.
  • Most villages do not have access to clean drinking water and suffer from many illnesses due to drinking the river water.
  • There are many miscarriages and child deaths before the age of five due to water-related illnesses.

According to the Joshua Project, there are approximately 64,000 Ticuna in the Amazonas Region of Peru, Colombia, and Brazil.  414 Missions is one of the few ministries mobilizing indigenous pastors and ministry leaders in the Amazon. We have currently mapped over 150 villages in need of the gospel, and we estimate at least 150 more. Although we have been successful in launching leaders in new areas, there is still so much work to be done. We invite you to join in this rapid movement God is accelerating in the Amazon jungle. 

How?

Discipleship is at the heart of everything we do at 414 Missions. Every ministry team that comes has the opportunity to share Christ in a variety of ways. The following are some of the teams that we facilitate on short term mission trips:

Medical

It is amazing to see how meeting the basic medical needs of the villages in the jungle bring so much hope to their daily lives. This has been a huge segway to sharing the gospel in areas that have never heard the name of Jesus. If you have any experience in the medical field or even an interest, we would LOVE to have you join us on a short term mission trip.

  • General Medical
  • Doctors & Medical Training Teams
  • Nursing students
  • Chiropractic
  • Dental
  • Reading Glasses
Construction

The jungle consumes everything in its path if it is not maintained and made stronger. There are always miscellaneous projects coming up that need to be tended to. For example, replacing the flooring and walls the termites have destroyed, fixing stairways, plumbing, electrical, water drainage, building additional facilities for short term teams and buildings to store equipment from the elements and from being stolen. 

Water purification

Although the Amazon Rainforest receives an average of 118 inches of rainfall each year, the people of the jungle continue to use the Amazon River water for cooking, cleaning, bathing, and drinking, teaching basic hygiene and giving them the resources to purify their water is life changing and keeps them from contracting water-borne illnesses..

  • Basic hygiene
  • Water Wells (teams come to build water wells in the larger communities)
  • Water Purification Systems
  • Rain Catch Systems
Discipleship

The majority of the world learns through orality, and the jungle is no different. Telling God’s story with intentionality & relationship is the beginning of discipleship. If you have a desire to share the love of Jesus with the intention of making disciples of all nations, you will thrive on a short term trip w/ 414 Missions.

  • Pastoral training
  • Small Group Training
VBS

Every village has a vast amount of kids who feel left out, or who are living a life that negates their desire to just be a kid. Many of them are caring for their younger siblings, or are they themselves are young mothers. We love to engage the kids and teens in the villages with activities, music, bible stories, and conversation. And of course there are always snacks and soda involved. We want to help guide the young people into an intimacy with Jesus as the source of their hope, love, and purpose He has for them.

Micro-enterprise
  • Trade skills (welding, mechanics, carpentry, etc)
  • Fish farming
  • Raising chickens / ducks
  • Raised gardening
  • Basic Computer Skills
Worship / Music

The people in the jungle love music and learning how to simply play an instrument, and or in some cases, sing and lead worship is refreshing to their souls.

Support Teams

Some people just come on teams to serve those who are serving (cook, clean, tend to basic needs, etc.)

… each one of these opens the doors to sharing the gospel with the people and leading souls to Christ.

Relationships & Skill Building

In each village we minister to, the people are hungry to hear about life as an American and eager to share their lives with us as well. They love to show us how they do life: fishing, hunting, fashion, sports, etc. This time together often breaks down cultural barriers and allow spiritual conversations to take place.

Once we have gained relationship and trust with people in a village, we begin forming a relationship with the local church leaders and pastors. We invite them to be a part of the pastoral leadership, training, and discipleship that God has placed us there to do. This then creates an opportunity for them to dive deeper into God’s word and learn what it means to be a disciple maker of Christ. They also learn basic skills like how to resolve conflict biblically, how to be the church outside the walls of the church, how to identify leaders, and many other essential topics involved in pastoral leadership.

Biblical Training at IBIETA COLLEGE

Our 414 Missions leadership team also teaches an accredited training called BTCP (Biblical Training for Church Pastors and Leaders) at a college in Cushillococha. This is a training center called IBIETA and is owned by our missionary partners, the Andersons at Amazon Mission Foundation. Those who complete the training courses can then go on to teach others the same program. We believe that multiplication is the key to discipleship, and we cannot do it all ourselves. Sending out local pastors as missionaries to their own communities and other local villages is our ultimate goal.