"WHAT A WONDERFUL STORY OF HOW GOD WORKS THROUGH HIS PEOPLE!" |
"SUCH A BEAUTIFUL STORY. GOD IS GREAT." |
"VERY CHALLENGING, EXCITING AND ENCOURAGING" |
When Auca warriors of Ecuador murdered the five missionaries who were reaching out to them in 1956, it awakened Ivan Schoen to their need for Christ. He put in his notice at work that very day, packed up his family and headed to the heart of the Suriname jungle with three young children in tow. What began as a mission to share the message of Jesus with the indigenous people became a powerful story of redemption, hope and life.
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"My heart is overflowing with gratitude and thanksgiving to our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. It’s been a long haul, but He has brought this to fruition.
"Station number one is up and complete. We haven’t programmed the worship or teaching yet, but the training is scheduled for after the completion of the next station. On behalf of these people and all who will hear God’s word proclaimed, I say thank you, Lord Jesus, and thank you to all of you who have played apart in this project.
"I’m so thankful for each and everyone of you. We’re not there yet. We have one more station to go and all the translation of Thru the Bible. Feeling pretty overwhelmed with gratitude and thanksgiving and just praising Jesus. The first test of the system only up to 200 watts, and we’re very close to the antenna at the moment, but it’s working. Praise Jesus! We’ll crank it up to 500 watts and do some more tests. The good news is that we are near completion at the first village.” — Tom Schoen
While the programs will be in the Wayana and Trio languages, you can see and hear an English test broadcast below:
Following the Nov. 8 public release of Lifted: A Dying Tribe Encounters New Life, TWR missionary Tom Schoen reported that its impact was already being felt among the Wayana people of Suriname.
Schoen hosted a showing of Lifted at a local village using a borrowed projector and a generator, drawing a large crowd. He conveyed that everyone was moved and inspired by the film. Afterward, young Wayana elders challenged the congregation to be more active in sending out missionaries again. Seeing how others left their comfortable lives and risked everything to bring the gospel to the unreached tribe, the elders said they too should be willing to leave the comfort of their homes, gardens and church gatherings to carry that message onward.
In addition to spiritual impact, the Wayana were blessed by their history being brought to life. While they had heard bits and pieces from their parents, many of the new generation had never heard the full story of their people’s old ways and the transformation the gospel brought. Schoen marveled at how the same conviction he had prayed for global audiences of Lifted to experience was occurring among the very people the film was about.