Robby
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Argentina: Ministry Evangelizes Unreached Wichi Tribe
 
These children of the Wichi tribe in northern Argentina have little hope for the future. They have little educational opportunity, except that provided by Argentinean missionaries. In their own culture they are often abused and taken advantage of.
The Wichis, a people group overwhelmed by poverty and immorality, are now having their spiritual and physical needs addressed by an Argentinean ministry.
Long neglected by the government, the plight of this isolated tribe in northern Argentina touched missionary Rino Bello's heart. He and his staff began bringing the gospel to the Wichis in 1991.
Yet the more he worked with the tribe, the more Bello's heart was broken by their physical suffering. The Wichis have no skills for employment and are treated as outcasts by the nation's leaders. They lack proper drinking water, electricity, medical care and education. The mortality rate is unnaturally high, especially among children. Bello also reports that a moral vacuum in Wichi society has led to promiscuity and violence. Girls as young as 12 are raped, often by family members, and become pregnant.
Missionaries provide hope by meeting the Wichis' material needs. They give vocational training and tools, drinkable water, student scholarships, first aid, house repair, electricity and food to the tribal people. Proper hygiene and childcare are also emphasized.
Already Bello's ministry has reaped a great harvest. Of the approximately 10,000 Wichis among whom he works, 3500 have made a decision to follow Christ. Nineteen of these new believers have taken leadership positions among their own people. There are 45 established worshiping communities. Even though these "churches" often consist of no more than people meeting in an empty field, God is present in them to unite and strengthen His children.
The need remains great, however. Every day Wichis, particularly children, face poverty and disease. Three young children, still practicing antiquated rituals of their forefathers, recently wandered into the jungle and ate a strange root raw. They died of poisoning shortly thereafter. Another ten-year-old girl died in a car on the way to the hospital to have her baby. She had been raped.
Please pray that native missionaries will be able to reach all 80,000 suffering Wichis of northern Argentina. To learn more or to send support, write insider@christianaid.org and put MI-423 280-AMA on the subject line.
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