Last unreached tribal group in Panama is the focus of evangelistic outreach

Panama (MNN) — It’s a people group that worships rocks. They number only about 4,000 and these people still haven’t heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. So, New Tribes Mission is making them a priority with their Chronological Teaching program.

New Tribe’s Jim Repke says they’re called the Naso People. “They live in the northwest part of Panama. The only way to get up into their villages is by river travel. There hasn’t been anybody there to teach them through the Bible.”

Bible translation is currently underway, says Repke. “They’ve done Old Testament parts of Scripture that we need for teaching and they’ve finished that and now they’re working on the New Testament and they should be done with that in a couple of years.”

Repke describes their current form of worship. “Ancestral worship (is what) they have. They have a rock that they call their grandma god and the river is even called their grandma.”

18 to 30 Naso people have been participating in the New Tribes teaching which began two weeks ago. Pray that many more will participate and, as they do, will understand and will eventually follow Christ.