Meet Maritza, Claudia and Selmira. They’re part of the Napo Quechua translation team in Peru, and are about to take several boat rides through the Amazon River system — the only way to reach the Napo Quechua villages.

Maritza (left) is a literacy specialist. She isn’t a Napo Quechua speaker, but saw a great need for God’s Word in that language, which inspired her to get involved with the project. The Napo Quechua people have struggled for a long time with alcoholism and shamanism, and most families are plagued by domestic violence, poverty and suffering.

“The project hasn’t so much affected me in what I get out if it, as much as thinking about the people — the Napo Quechua — and the suffering they go through, the hurt in their lives and how much they need the Lord,” Maritza says. “People need to know the God that I know. There is still so much to do.”

Right now Maritza’s helping the team create Napo Quechua Bible storybooks to share in the villages. “I’m most excited that we now have a number of books that we’ve produced, and we take them out to the villages and people receive them with gratitude. They’re happy to have them,” she says. “That shows that they’re interested in knowing God.”

Her biggest challenge, she says, has been working without financial help. “I’ve been trying to find help, but it just isn’t here [in Peru]. I have approached Peruvian churches, but it’s just very difficult to get support from them.”

* Photos by Katie Kuykendall