Ministry comes full circle in Colombia.

Colombia (MNN)–The Wayuu indigenous people used to live in the peninsula of the Guajira, which is north of Colombia.

HCJB World Radio missionaries Win and Frances Buckman began evangelizing Colombia’s Wayuu Indians nearly 40 years ago.

In the cycle of outreach, this weekend, 17 Wayuu graduate from seminary. HCJB’s Ralph Kurtenbach says the Buckmans’ son, Larry, describes the Wayuu as fierce fighters.

However, he says coming to Christ changes their thinking on revenge. ‘You kill somebody in my family; I’ll kill somebody in your family.’ And Christianity — as it began to grow in the tribe — that began to stop. People that should be going back and killing someone else said, ‘We don’t do that anymore. Because we’re Christians.’

The Wayuu area of Colombia and Venezuela is still violent, as evidenced by the April killings of a dozen — and possibly up to several dozen Indians.

The killings — commonly attributed to Colombia’s paramilitaries — sent villagers fleeing the area. “And it caused about 2,000 people to flee south until the danger had passed.”

Buckman plans to give a pastors’ workshop to up to 30 Wayuu in La Guajira, Colombia in December. Pray for his safe travel and for peace in Colombia.