Anelio, Silverixia & family

About two years ago a young Kuna couple were sent out by their church to work as missionaries in an unreached village upriver. This was a complete miracle as God opened doors that were previously completely closed to the Gospel.

In these first years of ministry in the village, Anelio & Silverixia have faced opposition and hardship. At first people didn’t want to hear God’s Book. They ridiculed, humiliated, and opposed Anelio & Silverixia in every way. But eventually the children of the village began showing interest in hearing God’s Book and began listening to the chronological Bible lessons. Little by little adults asked for Bible teaching until there were about 80 adults hearing God’s Word and over a hundred children.

Now there is a small group of new believers in the village who are taking stands in obedience to Christ, refusing to participate in the village drinking ceremonies. This puts them under intense pressure from the village and their families. They have to pay monetary fines. They are accused, questioned and threatened. Most of us cannot even imagine the pressure they live with each day. And yet this little group of believers stands tall for Christ, “counting it ALL joy!”

Would you pray for Anelio and Silverixia as they lead this little, hurting flock? Pray that they will have God’s wisdom, peace and strength. We will be meeting together in November for the annual Kuna leadership conference. Pray that they and other Kunas ministering in difficult locations will be encouraged and prepared for their ministries. 

A new, short film portraying the journey that brings a Moi man of Papua New Guinea from a life dictated by fear of the spirits to faith in his Creator. This is what we are about!

four generations in Christ

Twenty-three years ago a baby girl was born in a Kuna jungle village. That same year God sent the McDaniels family to that little village as missionaries. So little Silverixia grew up with memories of her mother hearing the Gospel message for the first time and then trusting Christ.

Recently Silverixia with her husband Anelio and their two small children were sent as missionaries to an unreached Kuna village. This is the story of their first year in the ministry:

“God has been so faithful in my life. I heard about God\’s trail from my mother. And she learned from you, Joyce. Some of my earliest memories are of you sitting in the hammock at our house, teaching my mother. I remember you would talk to us children, too and ask us questions. I was really too young to understand, but I knew that you spoke the Truth.

Later my mother taught me about salvation. I put my faith in Jesus and His work on the Cross. I guess that makes you, Joyce, my grandmother in the Lord! My spiritual grandmother!

Then again I saw God’s faithful leading in giving me Anelio to be my husband. God knew my heart’s desire to serve Him. There are many men who don\’t share that burden. But God gave me Anelio, one who is willing to serve and even suffer for God’s work. In the beginning our marriage was a disaster. Then we faced sickness. But God raised us up from all these things to serve Him! God chose us to work for Him.

“People did not understand us leaving our village to serve as missionaries. “What in the world will you do? You have no relatives there. Here you have a coffee garden and plátano. Who will help you there? No one! You will suffer. Your children will suffer because of your foolishness.” But nevertheless we went, depending on God’s faithfulness. And although it has been very hard as Anelio explained, God has never let us down.

“Now there is a small group of true believers in the village. They are your spiritual great-grandchildren! And there are many more that are hearing God’s Word for the first time. We trust Him for a good harvest.

“But it is hard. It reminds me of one afternoon when we went out of the village with our children. We just needed to get away and alone for a little while. We had crossed a river and then all at once a flash flood came. With two little ones how could we cross the raging river? Big trees had been snapped off and were floating down. It was dangerous. We tied together some banana plants and made a raft of sorts. Holding onto this we were able to slowly and painfully get across the river and back to the village.

“As we were struggling to cross the flooded river, I thought, “This is just like our ministry here in the village. We are struggling to go against the flood. Our energy is gone. Things are desperate. We fear for our children.” But just as God got us safely to the other side of the river, He will faithfully get us though these first difficult years of ministry. We have nothing but Him to depend on. And He is enough.

“To be honest, a part of me dreads getting back into the pressures in the village, to always be struggling against the flood. But a stronger part of me is willing and ready to go back and watch God continue His work. Please pray very much for us. Pray that we will be faithful and not discouraged. Pray for God\’s protection and wisdom.”

Update: we received a message that the other Kuna couple that was serving in the village as missionary partners with Anelio and Silverixia have left the work because of the difficulties. So please pray all the more that Anelio and Silverixia will be encouraged in the Lord and faithful to His calling on their lives.

Greetings from Panama! We have already enjoyed several days with our dear missionary co-workers and been able to visit with some Kuna friends. What a joy to see those we have discipled, reaching others who are reaching others for our Lord! It is such a beautiful picture of the chain we all form in the Body of Christ. And we are a link in that chain with you!

Early on Thursday morning we will travel to where the annual Kuna leadership conference will begin that same morning. We are anticipating about 110 church leaders and their wives for the 8 days of conference! They represent the Kuna churches on the islands, jungle villages and cities. During the seminar we will be teaching through Ephesians and have study books completed in Kuna that will be given to each of those who attend. It is always such a thrill to fellowship with our Kuna brothers and sisters and mutually be encouraged in the work that God continues to do in the churches and new outreaches into unreached villages.

How we appreciated your prayers as I traveled to a country in Latin America where we examined the possibilities of placing missionaries in a new area to reach a tribal group. The evaluation went well and it looks like this location may indeed work. More and more, we are looking to the Lord for creative ways to see the Gospel continue to expand its reach.

As you can see, I crossed the gorge on the cable bridge just fine. Trekking through the mud wasn’t much fun, but we got where we needed to be. Be sure to check out our photo tab for some “interesting” pictures. I know that one picture will especially catch your attention…but don’t even ask!

God has continued to orchestrate some awesome things among the Kuna villages. A little Kuna church in the jungle has been purposefully building relationships with neighboring villages with the goal of one day sharing the Gospel with them.

Ten years ago the villages were very adamant that they wanted nothing to do with “God’s Book.” But the love and patience of the church was used by God to break down walls and literacy programs became an entrance into the people’s hearts.

Recently these two Kuna villages asked the little church to send missionaries to teach them through “God’s Book!” Only God could have done this! Anelio and Silvericia were chosen by the church to move into one of the villages with their two young children. The chiefs are so excited for this that they have built a hut for the couple and sent canoes to help them move.

Please pray for Anelio & Silvericia as they adjust to life and ministry in a new location. Pray also for them as both sets of their parents have pressured them not to leave, saying that it was corn harvesting time and they should stay and work.

In the other Kuna village, the church has sent Bredio and Edilda to teach the Bible. Joyce & I look forward to spending time with these young couples at the Kuna conference in November.

In July, 1989, a ginormous event occurred in a Kuna village in Panama.

Ginormous is a new adjective combining “gigantic” & “enormous.” It certainly describes what God did as we, along with our missionary partners Joe & Sharon Goodman, were able to present “God’s trail through Jesus Christ” for the first time to the Kuna village in which we were living. On that day, you gained Kuna brothers and sisters in the Lord. A church was born! And since that time, this ginormous event has led the believers down a path of both persecution and great joy. 

We recently received another phone call from Edelfonso, and he chattered on and on about all that God is doing as the little jungle church has stepped out in faith, bringing the Gospel to two neighboring unreached villages. Building is going on right now in the villages to provide housing for the Kuna missionaries who will systematically teach God’s Book. This is GINORMOUS!

The Kuna churches are experiencing growth in their desire to dig into God’s Book.

Edelfonso and Eneida have people in and out of their house all day, asking for teaching on different passages of the Bible. Edelfonso is excited about this, but said, “We are busier than ever before in teaching and explaining God’s Book. I’m learning how much more I have to learn to be a faithful leader of God’s people!” 

The other day a group of ladies came to Edelfonso’s house with a question. They had been reading from the book of Revelation and wanted to understand the meaning of the seals. Edelfonso called us for answers. After giving him an overview of the end times and the seals, I asked for prayer as Joyce and I are working right now on a commentary on Revelations in Kuna. That made him really glad and he told us, “We are already waiting to work with you when you have the lessons done and ready to be checked. I will tell the women that a study book is on the way.” (No pressure on us, huh?)

Recently Edelfonso and eight other believers went upriver to two neighboring villages. They met with the village chiefs to work out the details of placing Bible teachers in their villages. The chiefs wanted to charge the Bible teachers for the right to teach in their village, but Edelfonso explained that these Kuna missionaries are not being paid in any way and that the people of the Kuna church will use their own gardens to provide for their missionaries. The chiefs didn’t know what to say to that! They commented that they have not seen such teamwork and willingness to sacrifice. The Kuna believers’ dedication has spoken volumes as to the importance of the message in God’s Book.

So the flabbergasted chiefs agreed to allow these Kuna missionaries to teach God’s trail in both villages without having to pay the village. The lives of our Kuna friends motivate us and they are our heroes in the faith!

The larger of the two villages has 16 chiefs. Only 8 of these were in agreement with Bible teachers coming into their village. But this was enough to sway the decision in favor of the Gospel.

So rejoice with the Kuna churches but don’t forget to keep praying as there those who are still very much opposed to the Bible being taught in their villages!

Back in 1996 a group of Kuna believers and missionaries traveled to two Kuna villages, asking the chiefs for permission to place Kuna missionaries in their village. They rejected the proposal and remained closed to the Gospel. So we all began praying.

Now, ten years later, because of the faithfulness of the Kuna believers, they have an open invitation to place Kuna missionaries in these same villages.

In the words of Edelfonso, “God has done a big work and those villages have changed, so that now they want to hear God’s true trail. We are asking God to work the same way in other nearby villages that still stand against the Truth.”

Literacy programs were the way that God opened doors. The Kuna believers began building relationships by teaching the people in the two villages to read and write in the Kuna language.

Pray as church leaders meet with the village chiefs to work out the official permission to place Kuna missionaries in the villages.