AMAZON MISSIONS

BUSINESS PLAN

Reaching unreached Indian Tribes with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Amazon Jungles of South America

1. A) VISION

• Introducing Amazon Indians to Jesus Christ

• Reaching the ends of the earth speeding His Return

• Global revival caused by penetrating pre-adamic turf

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19 – 20)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Signs of the End of the Age (Matthew 24:14)

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

B) MISSION

• Praying and interceding to reach the goal

• Creating means to assist in funding

• Physically going in and reaching the tribes

2. PERSONAL TESTIMONY

At the age of 11 years old, in 1971 in Durban, South Africa, I attended a Gospel crusade where Cliff Richard sang and testified about his conversion in finding Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. The Holy Spirit convicted me very powerfully that I wasn’t saved (that I didn’t know the Lord and that He didn’t know me) and that I was on my way to damnation. I was devastated! One night, shortly after that crusade, God heard my plea and entered my room with a tangible presence. I didn’t hesitate or think twice but invited Jesus into my heart as my personal Saviour. I immediately felt him entering my whole being, filling me from the top of my head to the bottom of my soles.

3. Origin of the Amazon Missions (A.M.)

Arnold van der Spuy - 2007

At the age of 33 Arnold finally felt challenged by God to start reaching out to some of the last and most remote unreached people groups of our day, the Amazon Tribes. He started travelling to South America and the jungles of the Amazon region in 1993 and up till date.

It all really started after travelling overseas with his parents. He noticed that most people would more likely visit all continents except South America. This intrigued him very much and after pursuing a research, he discovered that:

1. The average person is bent on comfort and doesn’t like to venture into areas which would demand more commitment and extra energy from what is needed if they could go to alternative places where such a sacrifice would not be necessary. 2. Unless there were profitable reasons for entering a challenging and unconventional area, they just, wouldn’t go there. 3. As a result of these conclusions, many people groups within the Amazon region have never been in contact with western cultures, let alone ever hearing of Jesus Christ, with the possibility of being their Redeemer. There’s no connection between existing global structures and these “stone age” people groups with a lifestyle of 3000 years ago. These reasons ‘cry out for recognition with conviction.’ As a result to this he started with field trips to the Amazon Indian Tribes.

At the age of 19 years old in 1979 and - 80, Arnold fought in a live war as a military soldier under national government law in the Namibian/Angolan war of Southern Africa, 1975 - 89. During this, time of military duty, being a successful leader with rank and authority, he worked towards entering the Military Reconnaissance Unit as a mercenary………. God stopped him! Another challenge was laid in front of him, winning his enemies over as friends, not killing them! This is in exchange for the greatest cause of time, that all could come to know Jesus, the Christ, as Lord and Saviour and spend eternity with Him. After an intense struggle with God, he was challenged to trade his rifle in for the Bible. Then, as mentioned, in 1993 he answered God’s call to go into unconventional areas like the Amazon Jungle. He believes this to be one of his God ordained purposes for life. Today Arnold strategises for Jesus Christ, giving people hope in unconventional areas and a chance to eternal salvation, bringing the light of Jesus Christ. He feels compelled by God’s love and this is one of many ways in which he can thank God for what he did for us on the cross.

He started working with Brazilian Amazon Indians in cooperation with YWAM and Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1993 and through God’s inspiration learned to speak Portuguese within 5 months. Alternatively he speaks Spanish as the Amazon also shares in part with the Spanish speaking countries of South America where he also works with Good News Mission in Peru. God has blessed Arnold with an alternating ministry of music and where ever he goes, he sings Gospel music accompanying it with guitar. In 1997 he brought out a gospel CD which was recorded in Brazil. It contains songs in Portuguese, English, Zulu and Afrikaans.

Often travelling, he addresses churches, schools, colleges, Christian business people and various groups in other regions sharing the amazing works of what God is doing in the Amazon Jungle. The results of these performances are salvations, baptisms, Holy Spirit infillings, healings, recruitments for missions, deliverances from the occult, deliverances from addictions etc.

For interest sake, besides knowing the Lord personally over many years, he’s been involved in tertiary training as laid out below:

a) One year Biblical Studies (University) 1982

b) One year Bible School Training (College) 1987

c) 3 Courses with YWAM – (Total 1 year) (Mission) 1990 – 1994

4. Amazon Statistics

The Amazon Jungle is an area larger than the surface of South Africa with measurements of approximately 2 500 km by 2 600 km square (6.5 million square kilometres). It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the foot hills of the Andes Mountains in Venezuela, Ecuador, Columbia, Peru and Bolivia. It’s so large that it penetrates the land areas of French Guiana, Suriname, English Guiana, the previous 5 mentioned countries and of course Brazil of which it constitutes the largest part. So, it integrates 9 countries of Southern America, truly the world’s largest single jungle.

This jungle contains 20% of the world’s running fresh water and is a large contributor for oxygen, generating up to 50% thereof, through photosynthesis from green foliage. (Most scientists hold to opinions that greater volumes of oxygen are actually manufactured through cellular organisms at sea). Amazon fresh water currents can be found as far as 500 km from the river mouth, out, into the sea and the river rises just over 150 m above sea level at a record distance of as far as 3000 km inland. The total length of the river, as the crow flies, is over 4000 km and its origin is in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia.

5. Origins of the Amazon Indians

It is in this large area that several hundred Indian tribes are still hidden away up till present day history, untouched and unreached by western civilisation. These people groups migrated from the Far East, which is today’s China, Japan, Mongolia, North East Siberia etc. This happened over a great period of time dating back as far as 5 000 years and further back in time. They tracked across the Bering Strait, which lies between modern day Siberia and Alaska, then having been dry ground, and at times mostly frozen due to the Ice Age.

What we actually term as North - and South America, could better be described as the “Far-Far East” due to this ancient migration from the East. For ages man has searched for better pastures because of over cultivation, over population, weather changes, unasked for war, politically divided and dominated areas or merely just because of adventure, curiosity and the God given instinct to pioneer. These migrations have also come to pass because of such similar reasons. The fact that they came from the East is no mistake and therefore they are Asian of origin.

6. Biblical Perspective

It is to these people groups, the Amazon Indians that God’s Word will be preached, in re-acquainting himself with them. It has been forecast and prophesied, before time, that this is God’s uncompromising will and plan for all of mankind up to the ends of the earth, and the Amazon Indians.

We have to take precautions because just as it is an inevitable fact that God will watch over the completion of his Word being carried out to the finest detail as planned before the creation of this world, just so, it is inevitable and of historical fact that our greater and fast developing technological civilisation will soon overtake and stampede these unprepared people groups in the diminishing Jungles of the Amazon basin. We are accountable, responsible and have a privileged com ”mission,” to go:

Habakkuk 2:4     

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge [His Word] of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

1 Chronicles 16:8 

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what the he has done [His Word].”

Matthew 24:14     

“And the Gospel of the Kingdom [His Word] will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Matthew 28:19     

“Go and make disciples [His Word] of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …”

Acts 22:21             

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go, I will send [His Word] you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”

2 Peter 3:9           

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance [His Word].”

QUESTIONS WHICH ARISE:

A) Should we try and make contact with these unreached people groups?

B) Or should we work to restrain any possible contact and interference from our side to them?

These are the big questions and intrigue which has caused much debate and conflict throughout many decades. In my own experience and involvement on this subject since 1993, I have drawn up the following conclusions:

1. God in all finality overseas and involves himself in all matters on Earth but calls mankind to responsibility and accountability in how they will cooperate with him in seeing the last plans of creation fulfilled and completed.

2. The intervention of every individual, whether by reasoning or decisive will and action has brought about the events of history and therefore we are accountable.

3. I have seen and experienced cold - and real war battles between beaurocratic and individual entities concerning matters about Amazon Indian Tribal situations but this has not stopped the encroaching modern day development and expansion of western civilisation into the Amazon Jungles. Not only does it change the face of their culture at a rapid rate, but also the characters of the individuals themselves.

 4.  Some one has to go in and reach these people with the truth of God’s Word allowing them answers to the very base questions of life, origin and heredity in coming to know Jesus as their Saviour.

 5. Jesus, the Christ, not only gives solutions to basic human questions for life but also exchanges our lost situations with his resurrected life forever. God split history into two, by sending and coming to us in the person of Jesus Christ, and changing lives and the course of history for all time!

 6. For these Indians, to receive and accept the Gospel doesn’t just give them eternal salvation but also an identity and strong sense of belonging into real life on earth. They are being reunited with the knowledge of their Source (God) of origin. It builds and regains self worth and moral dignity, enabling them to fend their ground against oncoming intrusions. There are many testimonies hereof.

According to statistics, approximately 95 out of more than 200 Indian tribes (yearly revised) in the Amazon Jungle have never been reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, these unreached groups of people are dying without being reinstated back into a right relationship with their God, the Creator, unless somebody reaches them in time! Of the mentioned 95 tribes approximately 16 haven’t even been reached even with base articles of society not mentioning domestic animals.

Islamic people in the 10/40 longitudes and latitudes window can tune transistor radios and disk TVs into Trans World Radio or God channels, hearing the Truth preached in their own languages. The Amazon Indians don’t even know what a “radio or TV” is, not even to mention the absence of their languages transcribed, written or recorded for reproductive purposes! There’s no ways they’re going to hear the Good News ‘cause of fear for the unknown! They will never come out of their temporal hidings. It’s the only security they know! The only way they’re going to be reached is if we go in, to them!

The Indians themselves have related that they “have to” (must) serve and worship spirits in the jungle. Not out of free will, but, because, they have to! That doesn’t sound like freedom to me? They’re doing it out of fear! They tell us that man once had contact with the Creator but that somewhere in the past somebody did something very wrong and this destroyed our contact with God, up till now, and since then, no contact could be re-establish with Him?

Surely they have the right to hear the Truth, at least once!? This is the Truth, that not only gives us eternal hope but the real thing, in that Jesus Christ was the only one in history who ever made the following statement: John 14:6, “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me.”

7. NATURAL DANGERS to which they are exposed and ONCOMING THREATS

Many of the Indian tribes face a continual threat caused by snakebites and disease in the Amazon Jungle. There are other dangers like terrorism, drug abuse, and drug trafficking. Many Indians are bound by superstition and paganism. Other Indian tribes take hallucinogenic drugs (eg ayahuasca: “vine of death”) which allow them to see and interact with demonic forces. It’s in such a contrast and comparison with Jesus being the “Vine of Life!” John 15:1.

The latest threat on indigenous groups comes from oil and gas exploration and the like. Some governments began doing exploration in the east of the Andes, including the Upper Amazon basin. The pipelines that will stretch across the Peruvian coast, and possibly across Brazil would also be a potential source of conflict with the indigenous tribe’s habitats.

Biological exploration is yet another danger. Several pharmaceutical companies visit the Amazon basin and harvest the land vegetation diminishing the jungles.

All these factors eventually result in immorality, alcohol abuse, prostitution, cheap labour (slavery) with other various domestic problems to the Indian tribes because of their inferiority to their exploiters. Amazon Missions also plays a vital role in creating buffers between the above inevitable changes and oncoming destructive threats to the Indian tribes. We buffer them in equipping and training them to deal effectively with their changing environment based on their renewed sense of origin through their God given dignity. Besides bringing the Gospel, preservation of the Indian groups in there original culture and identity is an essential focus of the mission’s outreaches as it aids in guarding their existence against corruption.

8. RESOURCES NEEDED FOR THE AMAZON MISSIONS

Our continual goal is maintaining the Amazon Missions reaching our objectives set forth, in this business plan. In order to progress the A.M., it needs supporters and committed people with the same vision and passion for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to - and establishing buffering zones for the unreached Indian tribes of the Amazon Jungle.

The A.M. would like to work in cooperation with people who feel called to dedicate time, skills, prayers and finances in seeing God’s commission completed in reaching the end product of salvation and securing these people groups. For those who are not called to go, your prayers and financial backup is of essential and unsurpassed value, really, being the back bone of this mission. Without prayer and funding the A.M. can not exist. Herewith we petition and challenge people from any institution to become a part of this mission to the Amazon by:

1. Involvement: Planning to recruit mission support team workers who feel called to be involved in the Amazon project in practical administration back home.

2. Praying: Prayer teams to pray for the spiritual, psychological and physical functioning in the execution of the work.

3. Giving: Throughout the years the source of financial contribution to the A.M. has come through individuals who supported us of there own giving.

To achieve the A.M.’s goals as set out in the “Vision” and the “Mission,” in this business plan, we are looking at creating fixed support for longer periods of time in a possible partnership with larger institutions and entities as a next step forward. We envisage various fundraising and sponsorship initiatives from people that share the same vision as us, in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to unreached groups. This is making an investment in eternity but also in this life with visual tangibility as you see your investment taking effect in the lives of the Amazon Indians.

9. PROVISIONAL Financial Requirements

                               Finances are generated through the giving of God’s people to enable this mission and all that we have laid out in this business plan in what we find ourselves doing in God’s Kingdom.

The financial needs of the Amazon Missions are reviewed on an annual basis in order to accommodate any necessary needs or expansion.

Here follows a lay-out of A.M.’s current financial estimated requirements for the expansion of the work and to secure the continuation of the mission outreaches into the Amazon (estimated currency difference R to $ US is 8:1 – [2003]). Please note that we aimed very high in what we need but one could get along with less.

Special Project Costs
Resources	Quantity	Cost Dollars US	Cost Rand
Boat with outboard motor	1	$ US 10 000-00	R 80 000-00
Light aircraft	1	$ US 60 000-00	R 480 000-00
Private Pilot’s License	1	$ US 15 000-00	R 120 000-00
Vehicles (Local and abroad)	2	$ US 50 000-00	R 400 000-00
Technical equipment:
1.Laptop Computer	1	$ US 2 500-00	R 20 000-00
2.Digital camera	1	$ US 1 000-00	R 8 000-00
3.Video camera & accessories	1	$ US 4 000-00	R 32 000-00
4.Satellite Telephone	1	$ US 500-00	R 4 000-00
5.Photocopy machine	1	$ US 375-00	R 3 000-00
6.Printer	1	$ US 300-00	R 2 400-00
7.Solar Panel	1	$ US 250-00	R 2 000-00
8.Generator	1	$ US 2 000-00	R 16 000-00
9.Video Production on AM	1	$ US 37 500-00	R 300 000-00
		$ US 183 425-00	R1 467 400-00

Annual Operational Costs
Resources	Quantity	Cost Dollars US	Cost Rand
Annual flight tickets	3 Return tickets	$ US 2 750-00	R 22 000-00
Accommodation	-	$ US 3 000-00	R 24 000-00
Food supplies	-	$ US 2 500-00	R 20 000-00
Medical supplies	-	$ US 800-00	R 6 400-00
Tropical Accessories	-	$ US 1 250-00	R 10 000-00
Literature (Bibles & Training materials)	-	$ US 625-00	R 5 000-00
RSA Office Support Office Rent Computer Photocopier Printer Scanner Binder g) Stationary	- 1 1 1 1 1 -	$ US 7 500-00 $ US 1 000-00 $ US 1 250-00 $ US 375-00 $ US 88-00 $US 375-00 $ US 1 875-00	R 60 000-00 R 8 000-00 R 10 000-00 R 3 000-00 R 700-00 R 3 000-00 R 15 000-00
Sundries	-	$ US 3 000-00	R 24 000-00
TOTAL		$ US 26 388-00	R 211 100-00

10. CONCLUSION

As mentioned in a previous paragraph, Arnold addresses groups of people on the Amazon Missions by invitation at any time praying and ministering to churches, schools, colleges, Christian business people and various other groups etc. with the express purpose of leading people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ, testifying of God’s miracles and promoting the A.M. Anyone is very welcome to invite him where ever the venue may be. Arnold does not ask any fee for his talks but entities give to the ministry as they feel lead.

The A.M. is one of those special units in God’s army breaching the defences of Satan’s domain in areas where people do not want to go!

Help us to bring the light of Jesus Christ into the dark corners of our globe. Your action to support will bring more people to eternal salvation, expanding the Kingdom of our God and speeding up the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord, bringing more revival as a practical solution to changing our globe.

11. CONTACTABLE REFERENCES

MOBILE / CELLPHONE:        0742273224 – South Africa 

MOBILE / CELLPHONE:       + 27 742273224  or 0027 74 227 3224 – International

EMAIL ADDRESSES:             amazonmissions@gmail.com

WEBSITE ADDRESS:            www.amazonmissions.com

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING AND PLAYING SUCH A VITAL ROLE IN BRINGING TO COMPLETION THE REACHING OF THE UNREACHED

 - AMAZON MISSIONS -