Rivers of Fire: Revival in the Amazon
- World Missions Ministries Communications Office
On Monday, May 13, 2024, a barge filled with 347 young people, pastors, and leaders began the journey down the Amazon River with a united goal to know the person of Jesus and make Him known throughout the Amazon.
Rivers of Fire barge headed down the Amazon River.
The barge, also referred to as a floating mission school, is part of a revivalistic and evangelistic thrust into the harvest prophetically called Rivers of Fire, led by IPHC missionary to Peru, David Hodges, and dozens of leaders and pastors behind the scenes making it all come together.
This is not the first journey of its kind. The first Rivers of Fire was in 2022 when 200 youth and leaders first made their way down the Amazon and saw divine healings, salvations, reconciliations, baptisms, deliverances, and young people committed to The Great Commission in South America.
“From the beginning of Rivers of Fire, we’ve pushed for the unity of the Church under the name of Jesus Christ.” Hodges said.
And this year, according to Hodges, 80 churches and their young people are represented on board this apostolic journey into unreached towns and cities, with 120 churches positioned to rally as boots on the ground to assist in evangelism efforts.
After boarding, those on the barge made their homes in hammocks, where they will continue to sleep throughout their two-week journey. The first five days of the journey were directed towards discipleship with services on board the barge where the focus was: 1. The Person of Jesus, 2. The Person of the Holy Spirit, 3. The Call of Heaven, 4. Discipleship, and 5. How to Walk in the Spirit and Supernatural. Then, on Sunday, May 19, the 347 missionaries were sent out in faith for a mass evangelistic outreach to “heal the sick, preach the Gospel, minister to the poor, and see God move through them,” Hodges said. “At that point (day six of the journey), everything shifts into reaching the lost, taking the Gospel to the markets, taking the Gospel to high schools, junior highs, primary schools, Christian and secular schools, universities, the streets, and the neighborhoods.”
Discipleship onboard the Rivers of Fire barge.
Throughout the next week, the barge will continue to make stops in key cities down the Amazon where the 300-member team has been instructed to not stop after just sharing a scripture, but to share the person of Jesus and to see all come to know Him.
“We really push the words from Joel 2 during the time on the barge, where it says that they climb over walls. There’s nothing that can stop the word of God, and don’t let anybody resist or stop you,” Hodges said regarding the mission shared with the missionaries on board. “Go in like an army, invade the city, invade the towns, and invade the neighborhoods with Jesus Christ. Take His presence to where they are.”
Missionary David Hodges speaking to the the 347 missionaries.
The goal of Rivers of Fire is not a momentary revival. Instead, according to Hodges, it’s about discipleship. After the first Rivers of Fire in 2022, local pastors have reported to Hodges that they have never seen a movement come, stay, and make lasting changes as Rivers of Fire has. Not only are they seeing lasting results in a young generation on fire for God and willing to be sent out, but they are also seeing lasting results within the local churches.
“The young people from 2022 that were shaky in their faith; they are leaders in their churches today and are back on the barge with new young people,” Hodges said. “That’s why this is about discipleship and full engagement with the person of Christ.”
According to Hodges, there are young people who are already prepared to be sent back to the river as missionaries to help churches disciple new believers who will give their lives to Christ throughout this week.
“We are sending back young people with a passion to disciple, to work with those who accept Christ during our big crusades, and to help connect them with the local church while also helping us to plant new churches across the Amazon,” he said.
As these 347 youth, pastors, and leaders continue down the Amazon, they desire the Church’s prayers going before them.
“We need supporting prayer,” Hodges said when sharing that the intensity of the push and the spiritual atmosphere is extremely demanding. “So, we need sustaining prayer for people to stand in and pray for the move of God.”
The team aboard the barge has also requested prayers for divine rest, as it can be difficult to obtain in such a mission, and for the health and safety of all as they minister.
“When you preach the Gospel, the Gospel does what the Gospel does,” Hodges said, “Christ is risen, so when you lift Him up before men, they are drawn to Him.”
Hodges shared that his prayer is for the Lord to glorify Himself through the young people during this journey, that they would see Him move, that they would know Him and never be able to doubt again, that they would experience Him so personally that it’s not just about the salvations that will continue to take place, but the young people sustaining in the move of God throughout their generation.
Keep up with everything taking place through Rivers of Fire on the Amazon by following El Despertar on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ElDespertar.PE or missionary David Hodges’ Facebook at www.facebook.com/davidrhodgesperu. To give to this ongoing work visit give.iphc.org/project/el-despertar.
