the top as decoration. While I made the
coffin, almost all of the visitors left the
village. They left quickly because they
are afraid of death.
The villagers leave those who are
dying in their villages alone and out-
side. They are afraid to have them die
inside their homes, and when it is time
to bury them, they get another tribe to
bury the body. They don't even have a
cemetery or place for burial. They don't
even know where their loved ones are
buried. They are too afraid.
The people in the village of Santa
Maria stayed to see how we dealt with
death. They were all in the church when
Pastor Victor preached the service.
Everyone heard the pastor say, “We
don't fear death, we see it as a journey
to heaven. We will see her again.”
They heard the Gospel clearly that
day. They came with us to the burial
site. We walked through the jungle to
the place where a few of the Christians
had been digging the grave. She was
placed in the grave and they began to
cover the coffin. Then her husband,
Rico stepped up and began to help cov-
er his wife's grave. I lost it there.
“Why?” is a question you aren't
A touching report
from missionary
Clint Vernoy when he
served in the
Amazon Jungle—
Clint with
his wife, Rita,
now serve
in the country
of Paraguay.
supposed to ask, but still, why? All
of those people would never have en-
tered the church nor would they have
ever let us preach in their village if
Magdelena had not died. Magdelena
always prayed with us in church for
the preaching of the Gospel in the
other villages. God chose to use her
this way. When my wife, Rita, went
to see Magdelena at her house before
they took her away in the coffin, she
came out of the house crying. The old
grandmother, Merceda, who is one of
the first Christians from back in 1970,
called Rita over and took her hand and
The International Bible
Ministry to the Nations
told her it would be all right. Magdele-
na was with God in His house now and
Magdelena was happy. Amazing—the
Indian comforting the missionary.
That is what it is all about. When we
all get to heaven, I will introduce you
to them all.
A TRAIL OF TEARS IN THE
AMAZON JUNGLE. Who would
ever care about such people…so far
away—in the JUNGLES OF THE
AMAZON? But CLINT and RITA were there
—standing in God's stead…to WIPE
THE TEARS AWAY.
es Ray
Dr. Jam
Rev. Ga
ry Spr
unger The International Bible Ministry is partnering with Rev. Gary Sprunger, Caribbean Director of BIMI,
to evangelize the city of LA VEGA – DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. The resident missionary there is
Stephen Brockell. Already some are giving toward the printing of Bibles to blanket this city with
the Good News.
TO GIVE TO THIS PROJECT, DESIGNATE YOUR GIFT TO:
THE INTERNATIONAL BIBLE MINISTRY, BIMI
DR. JAMES RAY (DOMINICAN PROJECT)
PO BOX 9, Harrison, TN 37341
12 • NATIONS
