All Aboard “El Misionero”

All Aboard “El Misionero”

August 14, 2014
It’s mid-morning, not oppressively humid yet, with a threat of rain in the low-hanging clouds. The only exterior sounds are the caws of the jungle birds and the whir of the motors as the two boats churn through the murky brown water of the Mamoré River. The view doesn’t change much—mile after mile of wide sandy shorelines and marshland.
Suddenly a pink river dolphin springs out of the water. Just a few passengers catch a glimpse of the beautiful creature before it re-submerges. Perhaps there will be opportunities for photos later.
This isn’t a pleasure cruise, after all, and the focused volunteers and crew aboard the riverboat, “El Misionero”, and its supply vessel, “El Ballimena”, are busily preparing for their next stop. Some assemble collections of bandages, antibiotics, and medical instruments. Another group discusses lesson plans for a children’s Bible study. Two people tune their guitars.
Up ahead the crew sights several men in dugout canoes, a sure sign that they are closing in on their destination.
The men’s shouts echo good news. “El barco médico está aquí!”
Within minutes about 25 people from a nearby village have gathered along the shore. Some of the children clamber down the grassy bank for a better view of the double decker green boat. They have never seen anything the size of “El Misionero,” and for many of them today will be their first encounter with a doctor or dentist.

Paradise at a price

The 1,200-mile-long Mamoré River is the largest tributary of the Amazon in northern Bolivia and is the lifeblood for numerous fishing villages along its shores. Both friend and foe, the waterway supplies a steady source of food, but it also overflows its banks during the rainy season. This year the rains were unrelenting, making travel by boat even more challenging than normal.
While a simple life off the beaten path may have its benefits, these remote communities find themselves sorely lacking when it comes to medical care. Hospitals do not exist here, and even clinic outposts may require several hours or a day’s journey to reach by boat.
Aware of the great spiritual needs in the region, the Guayaramerín-based ministry, Serving Jesus Christ (SJC), began to reach out to inhabitants of the river villages 30 years ago. The initiative was part of SJC’s primary goal to share the gospel and to plant churches in northeastern Bolivia. As missionaries made successful in-roads into the hearts of the people, they felt led to address their physical afflictions, too.
“We wanted to be an instrument used of God to change lives, to give hope and counsel to the poor, to help those who suffer from pain and sickness,” said a spokesperson for the ministry. “Most importantly, we want to free people from the worst kind of sickness, the sickness of sin.”
In 2004 SJC expanded its riverboat ministry to include medical care. Teams of Christian doctors, nurses, and dentists volunteer their time for two- to three-week mission trips on the Mamoré, Machupo, and other headwater rivers of the Amazon. SJC schedules three main trips a year on its bigger boats, like “El Misionero,” and uses small motorized watercraft as needed for emergency medical responses.
Since its founding, SJC has sent gospel workers to minister to people in some 50 riverside communities, where they have planted dozens of churches. Christian Aid Mission has assisted SJC with missionary support and program funding for over 25 years.
Far removed from civilization, most of these villagers have never laid eyes on a medical facility of any kind or received care from health professionals. Natural herbs and plants provide their source of medicine.
The medical boat teams treat patients for a variety of maladies that can be cured or at least controlled with proper medications. Fungal infections, parasites, and diarrhea are common among children. The elderly suffer from hypertension and rheumatism. Malaria and respiratory ailments also plague villagers.
No wonder young and old alike line the shore when “El Misionero” arrives.
“The communities look forward to our medical services, and we return to some of them each year,” said the SJC ministry leader. “The villagers don’t know the exact date, but they do know what month to expect us. Sick people are waiting to be treated, but people are also eager to hear the Word of God.”
One of those individuals was a man named José. For days he had experienced a painful toothache and was unable to find any relief. He could not sleep. But José was fortunate that an SJC medical boat with a dentist on board docked outside of his village. The dentist pulled José’s tooth and gave him antibiotics.
That was not all the dentist did for José, however. He also cared about José’s soul. After hearing the gospel message, the young man received Christ as his Savior. Now José is a faithful servant of the Lord.

Youth on a mission

With evangelism as the core purpose of its riverboat ministry, SJC partners with Bolivian churches to recruit medical volunteers to serve on the expeditions. Churches are also called upon to invite members of their youth groups to take part in the annual January mission trip.
It’s a great experience for the teenagers, who don’t seem to mind the hard work and long hours.
Their day starts at 6 a.m. when everyone on board—even the boat’s captain—gathers for morning devotions. This is the only time the motor is shut off in transit. Otherwise, the boat stays on the move night and day as it travels from one community to the next. The boat operators take turns working six-hour shifts.
When they arrive at a village, the youth and other church volunteers host a variety of activities they have prepared for the people. The Bibles they hand out are gladly accepted. Events for children, including songs, Bible stories, and games, are usually well attended. In the evening a community-wide worship service may draw 200 or more people to hear a message from God’s Word.
The youth also help prepare meals on the boat, which sometimes entails catching their own dinner.
“On all of our mission trips, we take some food with us, but we also fish in the river. You might say we go by faith,” explained SJC’s leader. “The Lord provides food for His children every day. Sometimes we eat once or twice a day. Other times we may eat three meals a day. It all depends on what He provides.”
After a full day the youth can rest in the supply boat, which also serves as the sleeping quarters for passengers and is towed with chains behind “El Misionero.” Accommodations—a long row of hammocks—are comfortable enough, thanks to exposure to the gentle night breeze.

Shipwrecked!

Fortunately students were not traveling on the boats during SJC’s most recent medical mission trip in June.
The team of 20, which included two doctors, two nurses, and a dentist, were near the end of their long journey that started in Guayaramerín when “El Misionero” rammed into a partially submerged tree floating in the river. It was nighttime and the boat operator did not see the tree trunk until it was too late.
The boat began taking on water quickly, and efforts by the crew to keep “El Misionero” afloat proved useless. All passengers spent the night in cramped quarters on the smaller supply boat, waiting until daybreak when they could summon help.
“Thank God nobody was hurt,” the ministry leader told Christian Aid. “The accident took place near a town where there is a military base, and the officials there used equipment to turn the boat upright so we could have it towed back to Guayaramerín.”
“We are blessed that the motor is still working fine, but there are repairs that we have to make to the boat in order to get it ready for our next medical mission trip in November,” he said.
Churches in the area are raising funds to help pay the costs for repairs and refurbishing of “El Misionero.” Christian Aid sent financial assistance last month, but more is needed to complete the work.
Donors can also support the ministry by providing funds for medicine (an estimated $1,000 per voyage) and Bibles (about $500 per voyage). Fuel costs approximately $900 per trip.
Despite the unwanted drama that cut their excursion short, SJC’s leader said the ministry team was grateful for their impact on the 12 villages they were able to visit before the accident.
Forty children and 17 adults prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior at events held in the villages. It is likely more have committed their lives to Christ since then. That’s more than ample reason for the ministry to remain true to its name and to press on with the calling God gave SJC more than three decades ago.
A 10-year-old girl named Milagros can attest to the difference the riverboat ministry has made in her life. In fact, she would probably not be alive today if it weren’t for God’s intervention and the missionary doctor who did his utmost to assist her mother during a difficult delivery.
Milagros’ mother went into labor on the day an SJC medical boat arrived in her village along the banks of the Blanco River. She was able to give birth to the healthy baby girl, but complications from the delivery left her in serious condition.
In an all-night journey, the new mother was transported by the medical boat to the closest hospital. The mother was given transfusions, but she had already lost too much blood and died soon after arrival.
“The miracle in this story is the community of believers who helped raise her child these past 10 years and became family for little Milagros,” the ministry leader said. “Milagros is doing well, and the congregation in that village is growing. It’s people like her who motivate us to continue to offer these important services to the river communities.”

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