The Jaqaru people of Peru, population 2,400, had never heard the name of Jesus. That was until 1997 when members of Grace Life Church of the Shoals, Muscle Shoals, took the gospel high into the Peruvian mountains.
On the invitation from then-International Mission Board (IMB) missionary Mike Weaver, a small group of Grace Life members went on a vision trip to see if the Colbert-Lauderdale Baptist Association church would “adopt” the unreached, unengaged Jaqaru.
Today some of the areas have roads and are accessible by motorcycle or car but 18 years ago the Grace Life team hiked several hours to get to the villages of Aiza and Tupe, southeast of Lima. Weaver led the way on that trip but told the team there were no IMB workers assigned to reach the Jaqaru and that if Grace Life did adopt the people group it would be up to them to take the gospel there.
Created for His glory
Steve McAlister, Grace Life’s associate pastor for missions and congregational care who was on the first trip, said, “After we hiked and hiked to reach the people I remembered a Psalm that refers to all nations praising His name. Here was an unreached people that God created and He created them for His glory. We were convinced early on that we wanted to go preach the gospel (to the Jaqaru). … One night on that trip we shared the gospel through our translator and one man and one woman were saved.”
After returning from the trip and conveying what the team had seen in Peru, church members began to pray about adopting the Jaqaru and in 2000 decided they wanted to “be more personally involved in missions.”
Since 2000, Grace Life has sent teams to Peru several times a year to take the gospel to their adopted people.
Around 2005, Grace Life sent former youth group member Chad Haygood as a short-term missionary to Peru. Haygood preached in Spanish in the villages and made connections in the town of Cathawasi. During his two-year assignment he also built relationships with other believers in the area, which led to meeting pastor Juan Tasca.
McAlister said, “We knew we needed a national that could do so much more than we (Americans) could ever do (in reaching the Jaqaru).”
So as Haygood was finishing his time in Peru, he passed the torch to Tasca and Grace Life began to support him in his outreach to the Jaqaru.
Now there are two Baptist churches in the area — Grace Life Church of Aiza and Grace Life Church of Tupe — both shepherded by Tasca with about 50 Jaqaru believers each.
“Now there are groups down there in Aiza (and Tupe) that are worshipping God and they weren’t doing that 15 years ago,” McAlister said.
Carlos Verdeguer is another national believer who has been vital to Grace Life of the Shoals. He began to serve as a translator several years ago, McAlister said, and the two formed a close relationship.
Those close relationships are why Grace Life of the Shoals asked Verdeguer and Tasca to speak at its annual missions and preaching conference — True Church Conference to be held Feb. 19–22.
In it’s ninth year, True Church is expected to host more than 350 participants representing more than 70 churches from around the world, McAlister said.
Speakers include Tedd Tripp, Grace Life pastor emeritus; Barry King, general secretary of Grace Baptist Partnership of the United Kingdom; David Miller, former pastor and director of missions in Arkansas; Jeff Noblit, Grace Life pastor; and Brandon Elixson, pastor of Grace Life Church of Lake City, Fla.
For more information about the True Church Conference, visit the ministry arm’s website, anchoredintruth.org.
Verdeguer and Tasca will both share a report Feb. 20 on what has taken place in Peru and what God is doing, as well as their testimonies, McAlister said.
American football league
According to McAlister, Verdeguer loves American football and started an American football league with about 35 players — Dire Wolves — as a way to share the gospel. Grace Life of the Shoals sponsors the league and has provided helmets and other equipment.
Verdeguer said he is excited to meet with other believers at the conference and expects to “learn many things and apply all this” to his life.
“Also, I would like to do some missions in the town, talk with people about the Good News and share with them that God’s love is for everybody.
“The Lord invited us to do simple things: believe and be saved. Also … it is very important as Christians to ask the Lord what is our personal mission to be accomplished for Him,” he said. “Maybe you don’t need to travel to Peru. … The most important (thing) is to receive a God-calling and obey and trust.”
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