Steve Sanford, leader of Ethnos 360, shares his powerful journey of bringing the gospel to the previously uncontacted Joti tribe in South America, and how this isolated people group developed into a mature, evangelistic church community.
• Growing up as a pastor's son, Steve developed a passion for reaching remote tribes
• The Joti were one of the last uncontacted people groups in northern South America
• Despite being feared as "the ha-ha people" who would spear outsiders, the Joti were actually peaceful and likable
• The missionaries had to learn the Joti language without translation aids as they were completely monolingual
• Creating an alphabet and teaching literacy to the entire village became a gateway to Scripture
• The Joti had no word for love in their language, requiring creative translation solutions
• All 150 people in the village embraced the gospel after hearing the complete message
• New believers described Jesus as "like Noah's Ark" and "the stairway man" from their understanding of Old Testament stories
• The Joti developed into evangelists who taught literacy and Scripture to other Joti from surrounding areas
• After six years with the believing community, the missionaries were expelled by the government
• Today's estimate puts Joti believers at approximately 50% of their population
• Ethnos360 works in about 40 countries with strategies for both open and restricted access areas
If you feel called to missions, you don't need to have everything figured out. Start by connecting with your local church, getting Bible training, and reaching out to organizations like Ethnos360 that provide structure, training and experienced mentorship.
Follow @unreachedpodcast on Instagram for more!