Hello! We are Mark and Jennifer Morris, and we are thrilled to be missionaries in the Amazon. Watch our About the Ministry Video.

Mark was raised in Salinas, CA and graduated in Computer Science at Whitworth College. Mark lived in the Bay Area for many years where he wrote computer software and worked as a business development consultant with multiple start-up companies. Mark was involved in Bible Study Fellowship for eight years, three of which he served on the leadership team. He was also a deacon and a worship team leader at Menlo Park Presbyterian church. Mark has traveled to dozens of countries and spent five summers overseas doing mission work. He has been a missionary in Peru since May 2012 after marrying Jennifer. He enjoys mountain biking, white water rafting, singing and playing the piano.

Jennifer was raised in Salem, OR and majored in Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University. In 1997, she left for the jungle of Peru to serve with Food for the Hungry, working on projects related to agriculture, health, education and church growth. After finishing her 3 years with Food for the Hungry, she became involved with a local Peruvian church, Luz Divina, helping with their youth group and worship team. Over time she was invited to join the pastoral staff.

From 2000-2013, Jennifer lived with an extended Peruvian family and helped raise 26 children in a 1,100-square foot home. What an amazing experience! She enjoys her pastoral responsibilities of teaching, counseling, visiting parishioners and praying for the sick. She has never seen so many miracles in all her life! Jennifer enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, singing, and reading historical fiction books.

Mark and Jennifer were married on April 22, 2012 in Salem, OR.
View wedding videos on YouTube: Part 1 and Part 2.
Their son, Silas, was born on March 7, 2013.
Their daughter, Liana, was born on January 6, 2016.

Thank you for your interest in our ministry. There are many ways that you can get involved like joining our prayer team, becoming a monthly supporter, sponsoring a college student, donating for a specific need, and visiting Peru to help with our latest ministry projects.

We hope you will join our team!

To receive our Newsletter, please contact us at JungleMinistry@gmail.com

Many people in our city and surrounding villages are desperate to find work so they can provide for their families. They have time, talents and great ideas, but they lack the financial resources to get started. In the last two years, our church has administered 177 micro loans. People have done amazing things with their loans, such as starting a plant nursery, selling fish at the outdoor marketplace, setting up a small pharmacy in their home, selling breakfast on their front porch, and putting a roof on their house.

A total of 756 people have benefited directly from these loans. Many more people have benefited indirectly such as the store that sells supplies to start the plant nursery, the farmer who sells papaya to run the breakfast stand, and the lumber yard that sells wood beams in order to build the roof. People are very responsible about paying back their loans and they are generous about giving something "extra" back to the program like free papaya juice, discounted taxi rides and homemade cookies. Thank you to everyone who has helped enable these families to support themselves!

In September 2010, we started an Animal Husbandry Project with 15 participants, each of whom received $100 to buy animals and food for their animals. So far, participants have purchased a total of 461 chickens, 21 ducks, and 20 guinea pigs with their project money. Once the animals are full-grown, each project participant will give 2 female animals and one male animal back to the project, so we can help more families raise animals in the future.

The majority of participants in this project are women because they spend most of the day at home taking care of their children, and therefore can look after the animals. The husbands of these women are deeply appreciative of this project which provides supplemental income and food for their families.

In 2007, we built a church facility that includes a sanctuary, office, bookstore, coffee shop, and 2-room apartment for visitors. The sanctuary is idea for conferences and anniversaries. The bookstore and coffee shop provide employment for two parishioners, as well as encouraging our neighbors to visit. 

Our church offers a host of social services including field trips for children, dentist and doctor appointments, wedding rings for couples who are getting married, emergency food boxes, and school supplies, tennis shoes and P.E. clothes so children can attend school. I am continually amazed at how far every dollar can go! Our church is also involved in a variety of projects like teaching children to raise animals, organizing neighborhood clean-ups, helping people build their homes, and teaching kids how to brush their teeth.

Our church serves as the mother church for 30 satellite churches throughout the jungle. We organize 4-6 mission trips per month to these satellite churches in order to teach discipleship classes, lead children's activities, distribute Bibles, share the Good News, and help with construction projects. I love the adventure of bathing in the river, sleeping under mosquito nets, and eating new foods like turtle stew and duck soup. Even the grilled alligator and fried worms have become tasty treats!

This year we built 5 roofs for satellite churches, two roofs for pastors' homes, and a Sunday school building…all for $3,800. Each church contributed building materials and provided all of the labor. It was truly a team effort!

Many pastors in the jungle region of Peru have a deep love for the Lord, but they do not have any formal training. Therefore, in January and February each year our church runs a 3-week Bible Institute to train pastors, leaders and youth from both our church and the 30 satellite churches. This year we had 50 students in the Institute and we offered 22 classes. I had the privilege of being a 5th year student and the sub-director of the Institute, as well as teaching Homiletics (how to preach) to 17 first-year students...what a delight to see these energetic learners give their first sermons! 

In 2001, I dreamed of investing in a business that would provide jobs for people and help fund our ministry programs. After lengthy prayer and research, I bought 300 acres of land along the Pachitea (PAH-CHEE-TAY-UH) River for the bargain price of $6,500 (or $22 per acre). This land bordered 200 acres of land already owned by my Peruvian co-pastors; we combined our lots to start "Emanuel Farm."

On our farm we raise chickens, pigs, goats, and cows. We originally began with 22 cows, and now there are over 230. Most of them are Brahman and Brown Swiss breeds. Over the years, we have donated cows to families and churches. We have also sold cows in order to support our Bible Institute, build churches, and send kids to school. Fortunately, the cows continue to multiply…this year (2010), 80 calves have already been born!

Of the 500 acres on our farm, 185 acres consist of overgrown jungle where you can find a variety of old growth trees, flowers, butterflies, wild mushrooms, fruits, wild animals, and beautiful creeks. Three hundred acres of our farm are comprised of pasture so the cattle, horses, and goats can graze. We are in the process of partitioning the pasture into rotation grazing stalls of about 25 acres each; this should maximize the productivity and longevity of the pasture, as well as provide enough food for up to 300 cows.

Thanks to supporters in the States, we recently purchased 700 acres of jungle near our 500-acre farm. We are in the process of putting together a Sustainability Plan for these 1,200 acres. This plan includes projects of reforestation, agroforestry, restoration of riparian areas, preservation of the jungle, and eco-tourism. It is a collaborative effort of local farmers, environmental specialists from Oregon, and agronomists from the National Agrarian University of Peru. Thank you to everyone who is involved in this effort!

During my first years at our church, I was amazed at how many intelligent, dynamic young people were graduating at the top of their high school classes and wanted to attend college, but their parents could not afford to send them. I learned that for only $100 to $250 per month, these young people could get a college degree. In response to this need, in 2008 I started a youth scholarship program called Young Leaders of Integrity and Excellence. My dream was that these youth would become leaders in their communities, showing integrity and excellence in all that they do.

We now have 24 students in the scholarship program. Two of them are in high school and 5 of them are taking computer and English classes. The other 17 are in college, studying a variety of professions like obstetrics, law, dentistry, nursing, English, engineering, computer science, and culinary arts. Most of them are leaders in their churches, and all of them study with passion and deep appreciation for the opportunity they have been given. 

Scholarship students tutor younger children, pray regularly for their supporters ("amigos"), and write two letters per year to their supporters. The scholarship program pays for the students' tuition, books, school supplies, and transportation. The parents are expected to pay for uniforms and registration fees.

At the end of each month, the students turn in a list of their expenses and receive their scholarship money for the following month. When the students graduate from college, they will give 10% of their salary back to the program for 3-5 years, depending on the number of years they received support from the program. This will allow more youth to attend college in the future.

Peru is located on the west coast of South America and has a population of nearly 30 million. Peru is approximately 5 times the size of Oregon, or 3 times the size of California. The capital is Lima which lies on the SW coast and has about 8 million people. Peru is divided into three sharply differentiated zones: the arid coastal region, the Andes Mountains, and the Amazon jungle.

I live in the city of Pucallpa, which is located 8 degrees south of the equator in central-eastern Peru, 80 miles from the Brazil border. Pucallpa has an altitude of 488 feet and an estimated population of 300,000. Visitors travel from Lima to Pucallpa either 19 hours by bus or one hour by plane.

The major industries of Pucallpa are: agriculture, timber, fishing and petroleum.  Pucallpa has few paved roads, and many neighborhoods still do not have electricity or running water. Temperatures frequently range from 80 to 90 degrees, and the average humidity is 83 percent.