05/13/2026
Paul Etheridge and his GOLD Pathfinder Missions team recently returned from an extended river trip into the Peruvian jungle with Missionary Ricky Hendon where they built two new churches in two jungle villages.
At the church dedication in the second village, the team encountered a witch doctor, a fierce looking woman. Ricky recognized her right away and was expecting trouble. However, when the invitation was given to those who wanted to accept Christ as their Savior, she was the first person to come forward for salvation. Everyone was completely shocked.
We give thanks to the team for their perseverance and their adventurous spirits to push through the difficult trip. We praise God for salvation among the villagers and for the two new churches where new believers can be discipled.
However, we do not recommend building two churches in one trip ever again. The length of the trip and the logistics of such an ambitious goal took a physical toll on the men.
Paul reports, “It was the end of the rainy season, but it rained almost every day. Lots of mud. Lots of insects worse than the missionary has ever seen. Our boat hit an underwater object in the Pastaza River, and it destroyed the new engine. We drifted to a small island and camped overnight. The island was covered with huge ant nests, and the ants had a fierce bite that could bite through a glove. Fortunately, all the men brought all the recommended equipment and we could purify our water and sleep up off the ground in the “Night Cat” hammock which has a built-in mosquito net and rainfly. We had plenty of food. We had StarLink communications and help arrived the next morning.”
Thankfully, the memorable difficulties of this project in Peru are not the norm for our Pathfinder Missions teams. Come with us to Cambodia or to the Philippines in 2027 to find your own adventures on the mission field. Both of these trips will be Silver projects, meaning you'll have a real bed for sleeping, bottled water for drinking, and "normal" food for meals.
Check the website for more information about these trips. https://pathfindermissionsorge