When Ty Harris visited the Amazon River for the first time four years ago he immediately fell in love with the region and its people. At the time Harris was a participant in a 10-day missions trip and realized that though the trip was wonderful, it was cost-prohibitive for many people who would likely be interested in going in the future.
Inspired to help reach people in the 30,000-plus villages along the vast river, Harris, a member of Sardis Baptist Church, Boaz, began to raise money to start a nonprofit organization that would allow for more frequent and affordable missions trips to the Amazon River basin. Amazon Hope was the result.
Cost reduction
“With so many villages along the river that haven’t heard the gospel, you can send out a team every week and they’ll still take years to reach,” Harris said. “So we needed to go more often and the price needed to come down. Now we’re able to take people on a nine-day trip for $1,000 plus airfare, so about $2,000 total on average.”
This cost reduction (the trip used to be closer to $3,300) comes largely from Amazon Hope’s purchase of a large boat, which they can use to take 25–30 Americans plus Brazilian translators down the river. According to Harris, there are other missions groups that reach out to villages along the Amazon, but few groups are able to travel as far down the river as Amazon Hope, which travels up to 48 hours down the river to reach some of the more isolated groups. Many of these villages haven’t had exposure to the gospel, and the ones who have usually have a Catholic background with more of a works-based interpretation of faith and salvation.
Amazon Hope recently took a vision trip with a group of 17 pastors.
Once in a village, the missions group went door to door sharing the gospel through translators and leaving Bibles in each home. They were welcomed into schools where they shared God’s Word with students. Sometimes they did open-air preaching in villages.
During the vision trip the group saw 283 professions of faith.
A group of Brazilian church planters plan to follow up to continue the momentum going on in those villages.
“The Amazon people are really loving and caring,” Harris said.
“People ask if they’re poor. Compared to American standards, they would be very poor, but they’re not poor. They’re so blessed. They’re able to access food from the river or jungle. The only thing they’re hungry for is the gospel.”
But Harris doesn’t do all the work for Amazon Hope alone. He’s partnered with Zac Goforth, associate pastor of students and family life at Sardis Baptist. Goforth also serves on Amazon Hope’s board of directors.
Harris said Goforth “organizes people and I organize mechanics. You could say I’m in charge of all boat-related issues and he’s in charge of the evangelical stuff.”
Involving other churches
Since the vision trip went so well, Amazon Hope is now preparing for its first church-wide missions trips, scheduled for summer 2016.
Goforth said, “Part of our desire is not just to go share the gospel but to involve other churches along the way, because we know how missions have changed our church.”
Through Amazon Hope there are currently trips scheduled with three church groups in June and July 2016.
Union Grove No. 1 Baptist Church, Albertville, is one of those churches. Pastor Jonathan Powell said he is “so excited” about his congregation’s enthusiasm for Amazon Hope and for the upcoming trip — the first international missions trip for many participants.
Catching the vision
“This church has caught on to the vision of what God wants us to do,” Powell said. “They’re very active in home missions and now are delving into international missions as well. When God’s people catch the vision of doing God’s work, [He] can do amazing things.”
Powell said he envisions Amazon Hope trips becoming a tradition for his church — something that isn’t restricted to once a year but instead takes place multiple times a year.
Beyond the chance to share the gospel with the unreached, Harris said the trips are like “bucket-list trips.”
“Whenever I’m there, I always think, ‘I’m on the Amazon River — I never thought I’d be here.’
“You see sloths and get to hold them. We go out hunting and catch piranha. You try a multitude of fruits you’ve never seen. There’s such beauty, and parrots, monkeys and capybara surround you.”
To learn more about Amazon Hope and how your church can schedule a trip with the nonprofit, visit AmazonHope.org.
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