Sustainability Model
Missions in the Amazon is devoted to developing and expanding the ministry of Jorge Montero and hundreds of leaders throughout the Peruvian Amazon Jungle. Our shared vision to bring holistic transformation to the villages throughout the Loreto Region has united us and allowed the Spirit to work amongst our ministry in amazing ways! We have gained the respect and trust of the indigenous leaders by remaining committed to learning their culture as we humbly build on the strategy and foundation that Jorge started 26 years ago.
Sustainability Model
Our Sustainability Model is built around the hope and power of the local church. Starting with evangelistic efforts amongst indigenous leaders, the Adopt-A-Village Program is a 5 year, 4-stage process consisting of a Gospel, Foundation, Development, and Commissioning Stage. Each of these stages is dependent on one another and crucial for the long-term sustainability of the church and its ministry inside of a village. Once an indigenous leader has developed a congregation of 20 families, a systematic discipleship process is created and a local church is established. The local church then becomes a beacon of hope to the surrounding community with a self-sustainable strategy to be implemented and released. This consists of building a church structure, establishing a business (which is explained in the following section), and building a Community Center that is a gathering place for the entire village. In the Community Center, villagers can receive language and vocational training, clean water (through a Water Treatment Facility that is built beside the Center), medical supplies and purchase the goods that the business produces. The final stage of the model becomes a reality when we see a leader emerge with the passion to take the Gospel down the river to a new village. With this model, we are already seeing villages being holistically transformed through the transcending power of God’s love and support from people like you!
Self-Sustaining Businesses
The vision behind forming a business inside of a church comes from our belief in the redemptive heart of Jesus. Though we understand there is great power in the Gospel and God’s supernatural powers, we also believe that He has given us the mandate to use our resources and gifts to provide financial security and hope for the families of our churches. Through a one-time investment from a donor (or group of donors), we are able to establish a business that will provide financially for the pastor and key leaders of the church indefinitely. With every church, we come together in prayer and seek discernment in what business will best utilize a church body’s natural resources and gifts. Thus far, we have 3 bakeries, 1 rice factory, 2 boat building businesses, and 3 fishing businesses. As we look to the future, the possibilities are truly limitless as we continue to develop our leaders and unlock the paradigms of the villagers. All we need is you! Currently, there are 10 villages ready to be sponsored for a business!
A Rice Factory Impacts Thousands – San Antonio’s Story
Two years ago, the rice farming village of San Antonio was riddled with fear and starvation. They had experienced several years of extreme flooding, and their latest harvest season had produced minimal crop. To make things worse, in order to make any money from their crop, they would have to pay the national shipping company to transport the rice to Iquitos to be processed and sold (which would take more than 4 weeks!). They would also have to pay for someone to watch their crop the entire time. By the end of the process, San Antonio had barely made enough money to purchase seeds for the next year’s planting and there was very little hope throughout the village.
Hearing of the situation, Butch and Freida Prewitt of Atlanta, Georgia and Pioneer Outreach began praying about how they could help. They reached out to us and we let them know that 1 year prior, we had met with the leaders of the church and discerned that the best option for a self-sustaining business would be to construct their own rice factory. This would allow San Antonio to process their own crops and sell them directly to villages in the region (instead of having to pay for the shipping and processing of their harvest each year). Within a few months, they had raised the necessary funds and we constructed the rice factory in October of 2014.
Within 2 months, the word had spread throughout the region and villages began bringing their crops to San Antonio to process their crops. The pastor and all of the key leaders of San Antonio were able to make enough money to provide for their families, and also expanded the amount of land they would farm the following year!
1 year later, San Antonio is thriving and has become a major agricultural market for the region! The church is growing in numbers each week and they are now brainstorming ways to assist nearby villages with their abundance!
Contact us if you would like to get involved in a similar initiative!