%20Large.jpeg)
It was already past 10:30 at night when Celso and Iolanda were heading home. The couple had spent the previous two or three days traveling along the Arapiuns River, visiting churches, families, Life Group leaders, church workers, and fellow believers in the river communities.
Now, they were finally heading home in the church’s small boat. As they passed the community of Mucajá, they saw a light flashing on the riverbank. They saw it flash three times.
In the river communities, this signal usually means one thing: someone is calling a boat and needs help.
Celso said to Iolanda, "It looks like someone is calling us over there."
The light flashed again.
Celso said, “If they signal one more time, let’s go see what’s happening. Someone may need help; someone may have been injured, or something like that."
A few seconds later, the light flashed again. Celso turned the boat around. They headed toward the riverbank and arrived at the dock of a house. Everything was dark, but the couple docked the boat, got out, and went to the house.
They introduced themselves as workers from PAZ Church and explained that they had seen the flashing light and thought someone might need help. And they did. Several people in the house were sick. According to the family, a viral illness was going around. On top of that, they had no food, no coffee, and no flour, and they had run out of cooking gas. Celso and Iolanda had food and medicine that they had brought for their own family. They gave them what they had, prepared dinner, and ate together.
After taking care of the family’s needs, Celso asked, "Which one of you was calling us with the flashlight?"
The people did not understand.
"Calling you?” they questioned.
Celso explained that they had been traveling down the river when they saw someone flashing a light toward their boat.
The people talked among themselves.
Then they answered, “No one called you."
They had all been inside the house, lying in their hammocks, hungry, and with several of them suffering from sickness.
Celso asked again, "So no one called us?"
"No. No one called you. No one signaled."
That was when he looked at Iolanda and said, "Honey, it was God who called us here!"
That night, they did more than share food. They also took the opportunity to share Jesus and the plan of salvation.
Several people gave their lives to Christ, including a young couple. And what began with a supernatural light flashing in the darkness was just the beginning of a glorious story. Today, that couple is being trained within their own community and is already leading a Life Group. There is now an adult Life Group and a children’s Life Group there. A new church is being born!
We discovered this true story, among so many others, during our most recent trip to a river community where we helped build bathrooms for the church and a Sunday school class room. We were deeply moved when we heard this story and decided to share it here.
The light of Christ has been shining everywhere that there are people willing to serve!
Today, our missionaries saw a small light on the Arapiuns River. Soon, we will see the world on fire, praising and worshiping Jesus!
Thank you for being part of this project! Thank you for being part of PAZ International!
Help us continue bringing the light of Christ to those who still need to know it.
PAZ International Team
Planting churches, transforming lives.
Social Media
