04/08/2026
This is Brother Alberto, who serves as the apu (community leader) of the community of Chapi in the Amazon region of Peru. He has been working with the Moravian Church in this area for a few years, and recently traveled from his community to Bajo Canampa to participate in workshops led by Br. Will Cuthbert on behalf of the Board of World Mission. He first heard about the Moravian Church and John Hus in his theological studies, and years later, encountered BWM staff members Justin Rabbach and Sam Gray during a visit to the Amazon region. His story, as told by Pastor Alberto himself, and communicated to us by Br. Will Cuthbert:
"I am so happy to see so many people in church, especially younger generations, because if there is something that will make a difference in their lives, it is the Word of God. I can assure you of this because before I met Jesus, I was very heavy in the world: I drank a lot, and I got to the point where I had no control over the liquor and what it was doing in my life. I was completely heading to destruction when a dear friend of mine told me about this group of believers who lived about an hour's boat ride away. It's curious because I never heard about them before, but I guess the timing of God is always perfect. Because of the disaster of life I was living, I had no way of getting on the public transportation, so I put some stumps together, tied them together, and traveled down on the heavy current towards the village of Bajo Canampa... and I made it! I came to this town and went looking for the pastor, and there he was: Pastor Edwin. He and I have been friends since that day, and he invited me to church. I heard about the gospel of Christ, who forgave my sins and would give me a new meaning to my life. It was so refreshing and interesting; I had never heard something like this before. I stayed two entire weeks in the community learning about the love of Jesus, and I then knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I became a preacher of this gospel, the gospel of love that accepted me the way I was, and then the Holy Spirit would do his work in me and change whatever needed to be changed. I am now part of this community of faith, and I am always encouraging others to listen to what Jesus has to say."
