Walking Man: A Modern Missions Experience in Latin America

by Narciso Zamora, Michael Cassidy (Afterword), Donna Schillinger (Editor)

Winner 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Religious Nonfiction! Narciso Zamora walks the message of Christ into the mountains, jungles, fields and forests of his native Peru and throughout Ecuador and Chile. Dreading the life of hard labor offset by nights of drunken stupor that his father modeled, Zamora ran away from home after high school. He lived a vagrant's life, surviving through delinquency, until through the generous support of a Christian family, Zamora came to know Christ. He left the jungle to study at a seminary in Lima. Walking Man recounts Zamora's winding and treacherous path, literally and figuratively, toward finding his calling in missions. Characteristic of Zamora's more than 25 years of mission experiences is his determination to go anywhere he felt called to preach and teach walking day and night into the jungle or trekking from valley to alpine zone and back down the other side of the mountain, just to reach an isolated village. With half a dozen well-established congregations in place in Peru, Zamora affiliated the churches with an international denomination and later moved to Ecuador and Chile planting churches. In Chile, a new trial faced the Zamora family when his wife's kidneys started to fail. Dealing with the emotional turmoil of a chronically ill spouse wore more heavily on him than any adversity he had encountered in his ministry. Zamora became depressed and in this chapter of his life, he learned new lessons and gained new insights about what it means to carry the cross of Christ. Walking Man, 198 pages, includes discussion primers for each chapter for use with book clubs; map illustration; translator's note; and afterword by Michael Cassidy, renown evangelist and founder of African Enterprise, on being a missionary where you are.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 2007

About the author

Narciso Zamora has walked the message of Christ into the mountains, jungles, fields and forests of his native Peru and throughout Ecuador and Chile.Dreading the life of hard labor offset by nights of drunken stupor that his father modeled, Zamora ran away from home after high school. He lived a vagrant's life, surviving through delinquency, until through the generous support of a Christian family, Zamora came to know Christ. He left the jungle to study at a seminary in Lima. With half a dozen well-established congregations in place in Peru, Zamora affiliated the churches with an international denomination and later moved to Ecuador and Chile planting churches.
Zamora is currently working towards opening the Inter-American Missiology Ministerial School (IMMS) in Peru, the first institute that will allow Latin American students to become missionaries to their own. For more about Narciso and his work visit "

Reviews

[Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narciso Zamora's story is an interesting one of faith and perseverance, as he follows the Lord's guidance to speak about Christ and start small churches. In spite of the many hardships of poverty -- lack of food, income, housing, medical help the Lord works through him and shows His love and concern through him. He is quite a testimony to the faithfulness of God.

I enjoyed the parts about living in and around northern Peru where my daughter spent 2 years as a Peace Corp volunteer. Having traveled a little, in Peru, I found the stories very real.

The last section was interesting: about how to give one's testimony, how to evangelize (John 4 model)and move toward completion and closure (use the A,B,C,D method --- Admit something, Believe something, Consider something, Do something).

Best line: "...He only asks us to give up what is ruining our lives."

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read for this time in my life. Many of the challenges faced by the author spoke to our own situation in profound ways. Delinquency, changed lives and paths, hardship, physical difficulty, overcoming poverty, there are a number of different aspects to the journeys that Zamora undertakes. He traveled mostly by foot throughout various areas of Peru, Ecuador and Chile. This Peruvian pastor is an inspiration in many ways.

This is a translation from Zamora's native language and in some places is a little more stilted than one would like. However, his translator knew him personally which has helped, I believe, the readability of this book.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of the hardships one man in South America faces throughout his life as he goes on his mission to spread the word of God. Some of the things he faces are things some of us have faced in our own lives, and others we could not even imagine, but he did not give up and even today continues to walk and spread the Word. A great read.