Since 1962, SAMAIR, South America Mission’s aviation ministry, has been a catalyst for the Gospel taking root in some of the most remote areas of South America. By using airplanes as tools to move people and equipment, we have mobilized thousands of missionaries, medical personnel, and development workers to share the love of Christ with people living in communities unreachable by road.
In Peru, the people we serve live in dense jungles along the headwaters of the Amazon River. Many of these people live secluded from modern civilization and face geographical and environmental challenges. Imagine living in the jungle and being bitten by a poisonous snake, but the closest hospital is 200 miles away and there are no roads leading to it. Imagine being without clean water, without basic medical care, without access to God’s word. These things we struggle to imagine are poignant realities for the people living in Peru’s Amazon jungle. Engaging these realities to offer spiritual hope and physical relief is our purpose and passion.
Four miles down a hardpan dirt road branching from Pucallpa’s main highway sits the SAMAIR Peru hangar and missionary base. Positioned on the banks of Lake Cashibo and surrounded by thick jungle vegetation, our aviation ministry provides the only lifeline connecting hundreds of villages to the outside world, and Christian workers to those villages. Three small Cessna aircraft (one of which is a float plane) use grass airstrips cleared from the jungles, rivers, and lakes to connect thousands of people with desperate spiritual and physical
needs to the life-giving message of the Gospel.
Today, there is a 50th anniversary celebration happening at the SAMAIR Peru hangar. SAM missionaries, ministry partners, and local Peruvian government dignitaries are gathering together to celebrate the impact SAMAIR Peru has had on thousands of people. We are thankful for God’s faithfulness over the past 50 years and look forward to many more years of Kingdom-building through aviation.