In Peru’s challenging geography, where entire communities live isolated between mountains, rivers, and dense forests, the sky has become a road, and faith, fuel. Seventh-day Adventist mission aviation is fulfilling a singular mission: to save lives and open hearts to the gospel one flight at a time.
Although the Adventist Church has had projects involving aviation since the 1960s, it was only in 1997 that Peru Projects was born. A group of Adventist pilots, inspired by a program of the General Conference implemented in Nebraska, United States, decided to launch an initiative with an exclusive focus on mission.
In the 1980s the previous project that used aircraft for preaching was shut down, and the planes were sold. But the money was saved for a single purpose: to invest in the future of mission work in the air as soon as circumstances allowed it.
A Dream Come True
At just 4, little Eben Ezer Espinosa already knew what he wanted: to be a pastor and a missionary pilot. He finished a theology degree in Mexico, his home country, and began pastoring churches. But his dream was still there.
“After four years in ministry, the opportunity arose to go to Andrews University, in the United States, to study aviation,” Espinosa recalls. But since he had no money, he learned to depend on God completely. “I asked God to give me the provision for the entire course right away, to calm my anxiety,” he shared. “God gave the funds I needed little by little, something that strengthened my faith.”
When Espinosa graduated, his plan was to go to New Guinea. He worked on his documentation, but the door never opened. It was then that one of his teachers, who had already been a missionary in Peru, introduced Peru Projects to him.
“At that time what had been a large project was going through a rough patch,” Espinosa shared. “There was no major infrastructure or a fixed salary. We used to purchase food as a group and cooked together, trusting that God would supply every need.” Espinosa arrived in Peru 10 years ago, and now he’s the leader of the project.
Today the base in Pucallpa, Peru, has about 14 missionaries—some local, some foreign—who work on a voluntary basis for weeks, months, or years. At the same time, in the jungle dozens of mission partners bring hope through giving Bible studies.
A Bridge Between Heaven and Hope
The routine in mission aviation is intense. The small planes take off four to six times a week, some days on double shifts. They carry critically ill patients, doctors, medicines, and on every trip, the message that someone cares—and that God does not forget anyone.
According to Espinosa, the biggest request people make is “We want Bibles!” Last year the project received a donation of 20,000 copies from Light Bearers. They are now being distributed in every trip.
“We pray before each flight. Sometimes we don’t know exactly what we will find or whether the patient will survive. But we trust God,” Espinosa said. And against this background many miracles happen, he said, be it successful risky landings, unexpected healings, or lives saved in challenging situations.
The mission, however, faces technical limitations. Today’s aircraft are small and old, with little payload capacity and restricted range. The current 60-year-old planes need to take turns to operate. While one flies, another is undergoing maintenance, which is expensive, and can take months for a specific part to arrive and be replaced.
At the recent mid-year meetings of the South American Division Executive Committee, leaders of mission aviation discussed the Peru Project, a supporting ministry of the Adventist Church. One of the group’s dreams is to acquire a more robust, larger aircraft that could be used to expand operations in even more isolated regions. “We know that God will provide at the right time,” Espinosa said.
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.