July 24, 2022 Update From Mike Dawson
A powerful tool. A light in the darkness.
July 24th,
Dear Praying Friends and Partners, This July has been busy, as along with all that goes on in this village, we have really been trying to reach villages that we have had very little or almost no contact in for the last 15 years due to gasoline shortages and other issues, but on the 8th of this month, Lanzo and his outreach team, left for the far away village of Juduawei. This is a barely contacted village located two days of hard travel up the Wadamo River. They are going to be placing 6 torches in this village. There is much white water between here and there.
Then, before he was back, I took another outreach team up the Mavaca River to take Torches and show God’s Story, the Jesus movie, and Passion Of The Christ to some far away villages. We had plans to visit 14 villages. I had hoped to make it as far a Mayebööcöobäteli, and I was excited to hopefully get that far as I had never been in this village. To my knowledge, I don’t think any non Yanomamö have been. So I was really looking forward to sharing with them about a God who loves them dearly. We did not make it to this village however, as when we got to the village of Siboi, there was a guy from that far away village and he told us his people had all gone on trek as their village and gardens had flooded. Although his information saved us two days of traveling, we were all disappointed to not get up there. We did give him a torch and he was able to watch the videos twice the two days he stayed with us. Lord willing, next time we will make it to his village.
Lanzo and his group got back on Tuesday the 12th and they had a very good trip. He said there has been a lot of deaths in the village he went to, with 5 young men just having died within the last two weeks. He said the village was very broken and he is asking for prayer for them. He said they listened to his group really well and were happy to get the 5 torches he placed in that village.
We got back a few days after Lanzo did and we also had a great trip, not physically, but we were welcomed in all the villages and our torches were very joyfully received. Now, if I were a complainer, I could go on and on about the incessant rain, clouds of mosquitoes that would not quit and fleas that go in your skin and lay eggs by the hords, they are called niguas down here and I tell you, again, if I were trying to whine, my niguas had niguas. It took Keila over three hours to pick them all out of me. Mercy! But no whining nor complaining from here. I am awefully glad to be home though.
Then, on the 18th, we took off again. This time for the headwaters of the Orinoco River. We know Faith comes by hearing, so we are trying to give many villages that would not have any opportunity to hear, a chance to hear. Along with our own preaching and showing the different videos we have translated, we are trying to place audio Bibles, the Torches, in as many villages as we can. We know the torches can’t do the job of evangelizing on their own, but they are a great tool. Lots of unreached villages on the upper Orinoco River.
I am not sure if I am getting a bit older or if climate change is real and is effecting all aspects of travel, but I seem to return a bit more tired and drug out than I used to. But we placed 85 Torches in 23 far away villages on this trip. The furthest we placed one was at N 2.354159 W 64.690728. Sad thing is, when I tell my GPS to go there from here, it happily skips across jungles and mountains in a straight line to that far away village and according to this mindless machine, it is 60.44 miles away from where I sit typing. However, if you have to go like I did, via a twisting, turning upon itself river, it is quite a bit further I can assure you.
We still have 20 torches earmarked for 4 different villages to place. Very far away villages, I might add. Not sure if I will go this next week or just let two of our outreach teams to go. They will have to go in two teams as the 4 villages are located on two different rivers. So Julio and Abram and team will head up the Butaco River and Lanzo and his team will head up the Jölöta River. I had really wanted to go on this trip up the Jölöta, as, if you remember, that is the river we had to turn around on a year ago due to a huge tree blocking our way. We figure, now, with the rivers still in flood stage, passage should be easier, but unfortunately, our upcoming trip is close enough that I need to be here finishing up “King Of Glory a Chronological Bible lesson book we are trying to finish so we can get it published while back in the USA.
I wish we could post all the pictures we took, but “tribal garb” does not lend itself well in this medium, not to mention, internet is too slow to post that many anyway. I have posted a few on our Facebook page, If you do go to my FB page, remember, Every effort was made to make sure pictures are presentable. Not many people have access to clothes and cultural garb is skimpy at best the further you go.
“Faith comes by hearing…” and God has also promised His Word will not return void, so pray with us that this Word would find good soil and grow. The Yanomamö tribe as a whole are having a very rough time. Their gravest danger and most don’t relize it yet, is the ever increasing presence of illigal miners.
Thank You for your partnership with us in thi
PTL for sure.