IN MEXICO: 

Please remember Florentina Diego Carceda in Mexico. She plans to visit many Indigenous communities where violence has recently broken out again in the Southwest. Some Christians have been driven from their homes because of their evangelical faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

A long history of opposition to the Gospel in this region of Mexico stems from a hot-bed blend of political opposition. On one side is the Zapatista guerrilla group (EZLN); they join with followers of ancient pagan practices mixed with Roman Catholicism. It’s a blend of politics, victimization. and long-standing grievances protected by saints and local deities. Pray for Christians forced to fend for themselves.

In 2020, Florentina first took the Gospel to Zapotitlan, thanks to the support of LAM and direct contact with LAM Missionary Joe Nesci. They took boxes of Bibles, gifts to families, clothing, and medical supplies. Zapotitlan is within the region where the armed conflict is presently taking place.

Florentina plans several more trips this summer. She depended upon the Lord for sufficient food for 700 people when she gathered them for a gathering in the first week of July. As we send this Prayer Guide, transportation to Chilpancingo in the mountainous area of Montana de Gro is badly affected. No one can come or go; she is locked in a small village. 

What are the blessings of trips to the indigenous areas of southwestern Mexico? People hear the Bible being read in their mother tongue, most for the first time. There is much fruit. Daily, Florentina communicates with us via WhatsApp in Spanish, thanking LAM for supporting her and mentioning Joe Nesci’s love for the Mexican people.

Florentina is an incredible evangelist and church planter. She plans to continue spreading the Gospel during this political unrest. She will go to four indigenous groups starting August 23: the Nahualt, Mixtecos, Zapotecos, and Zapotitlan, starting on August 23. 

Florentina writes, “We will be proclaiming the name of Jesus, helping with expenses for the most vulnerable people, who need food and appreciate prayer. Where there is generosity, people appreciate their needs being acknowledged through prayer. Your support in our ministry will be well received; sowing the Gospel is done in cooperation with you, beloved friends.” 

IN CANADA

Pray for Santi Benavides and a team of eight who flew from Toronto to Fort Hope, Ontario, on a trip involving two flights. They were invited by this Ontario indigenous First Nation to present their music and to teach young people. Praise God for the possibility of contacting these young people and carrying out projects to benefit the community and strengthen the Gospel’s witness. The songs these young people produced are now seen globally.

IN COLOMBIA

LAM Missionaries Hernan and Rosa Bravo have taken the gospel to the indigenous people of northeastern Colombia. “The Wayúu, population 385,000, inhabit the arid Guajira Peninsula straddling the Venezuela-Colombia border on the Caribbean coast. Two major rivers flow through this mostly harsh environment: the Rancheria River in Colombia and the El Limon River in Venezuela, representing the main water source, along with artificial ponds designed to hold rainwater during the rainy season.” (Wikipedia.)

The Bravo family, including Hernan and Rosa and Daniel and Helen, have spent considerable taking the Gospel to these needy people. The Wayuu are the only indigenous tribe to never submit to the Spanish, so they have backbone and courage. 

Their ministry to the Wayuu started with dental care. They later grew into a vibrant congregation as God blessed them with changed lives and maturing relationships. Pray for the leadership training necessary to raise a generation of godly tribal members. Pray for the young people are tempted to leave their family support network and migrate to the larger city of Barranquilla.

IN BRAZIL

Pray for Dione Santos, who loves many Brazilian Indigenous women. Two are extremely ill. They listen to church services from their bed while waiting for the Lord to call them home. Dione Santos has done discipleship studies with people in two indigenous people groups.