Emberá Radio Project

We just wanted to give you an update about an upcoming ministry opportunity.  For the last 3 years now, we have been working with a certain Emberá village called Piriatí.  The church in this village represents one of the main congregations of the only Emberá-led denominations of Panama.  This is the church that we did our first song-writing workshop with, recorded our first c.d., and from which another Emberá village composed the dance that we filmed.  We love these brothers and sisters in the Lord and have always looked to how we can partner together.

Last week, our family took a day trip down to Piriatí to start up communications again after not having worked with them in a while. Our good friend, Tulio, also accompanied us to meet our friends there.  Tulio works with us as staff on Project Sounds of the Jungle here at YWAM Panama, and who is also an Emberá leader who we really feel called to raise up and sow into. When we introduced them they all started speaking in Emberá and I had to kindly ask if they could speak so that I could understand.  What came out was a kind of Emberanish, of sorts. With the Spanish I know and my limited Emberá, I could get the gist of what they were talking about.

They are working on a project to record a 17-lesson chronological Bible study.  This study goes from Genesis to the end of the Gospels in story form.  After each story, a practical application, that applies to the Emberá as a people is implemented.  Their vision has been, for some time now, to record these lessons in Emberá and put them on a radio program that will reach all of the Emberá native areas, even into Colombia!  They have raised the money among themselves for this project but do not have the resources to record at their church.  The radio station will allow them to record at the station, but this is lengthy and costly trip for them.  Our idea, then, was to record the lessons for them and put them on all on one CD and then bring it down for them in one trip.

The next week, we went back to record these lessons and bring them to the radio station.  We are excited about the fact that the Emberá will hear Bible teaching in their own language, maybe for the first time ever!  This opportunity is right up our alley.  We really have been feeling that our call here amongst the indigenous is to support and disciple the church, and help them in their felt need as well as encourage them in using evangelism and training that is uniquely indigenous.  Our end goal in this, is to finally see an indigenous-led movement that does not rely on outside missionaries to keep it running.  We are already seeing glimpses of this, and for this we praise God!

One more detail is the trip that we are planning in partnership with this church.  Tentatively in January, a group of our YWAM staff and the youth of this church in Piriatí are planning to go on a big outreach into the middle of the jungle in the Darién Gap.  This is where most of the Emberá people natively live.  Our goal will be to share the Gospel in culturally relevant way, through music, dance, and storytelling.  We will also be promoting the radio show and the songs that were recorded in the traditional style.  The YWAM staff will be mostly indigenous.  I am planning on going, but my friends say they will paint me dark brown so that the police who don't let foreigners within 40 miles of the Colombian border for "safety" reasons, won't notice me. No, I will be careful, and they will go without me if I can't go past a certain point.

Please pray for the success of the recording trip(s) and for further excitement to raise up among the young Emberá for the things of God.

Thank you again for your support and prayers of our ministry! We couldn't do any of this without you.

Your friends,
The Henry's