At Coffee 4 Missions, we aren’t just Christian coffee roasters—we’re missionaries at heart. We exist to support people like Reinaldo and Blanca Bernal, who are faithfully serving the Waorani Indians deep in the jungles of Ecuador through their work with Ecuadorian Harvest Ministries.
I (Sandy) first met Reinaldo and Blanca when I served as a missionary pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) in the mid-1990s through 2002. We were based in Shell, Ecuador—a town made famous in Christian missions history by Operation Auca, where five missionaries, including Nate Saint (MAF), Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Pete Flemming and Ed McCully, were martyred by the very people they came to reach: the Waorani (then known as the Auca).
Here is a link to a thorough article on the event.
So now fast forward to the mid 1990’s
Reinaldo, Blanca, and their young son Michael had recently arrived in Shell under the mentorship of veteran missionary Lloyd Rogers. Lloyd, who had served in Ecuador since the 1960s, was so well respected that he was once nominated for provincial governor by local leaders. That’s the kind of impact he had—and Reinaldo was one of his brightest disciples.
Reinaldo had a deep burden for the Waorani. During a prayer circle before one of our MAF flights, he shared a conviction: the Waorani needed to take ownership of their faith and begin evangelizing their own people—on foot, without always depending on the airplane. Out of that conviction, the vision for the Waorani Bible Institute was born.
Renaldo was one of Lloyd’s shining stars, working with the Waorani principally. However he shared with the pilots one day during a prayer circle before that day’s flying began, that he was sensing God’s call to establish a Bible Institute among the Waorani Indians actually in the jungle. He said his concern was that they had become to comfortable with the missionaries doing the heavy lifting. He had challenged the “Wao” leadership to consider their responsibility to evangelize their own people. Going further, he said he believed they needed to get accustomed to doing it without the use of the MAF airplane as much as possible.
A Vision Takes Flight
Over the next few years, MAF supported the vision by flying in supplies, construction materials, and even volunteer workers to help build the Instituto Bíblico Waorani. I had the privilege of flying Reinaldo and Blanca many times into the village of Daimontaro as the Bible Institute took shape.
Their son Michael was obsessed with airplanes. Every time we flew, he wore his own pilot’s helmet and sunglasses. Trish, my wife, even stitched epaulets onto a little blue shirt to make him his very own “pilot uniform.” We all became deeply fond of the Bernal family—not just for their friendship but for their unwavering commitment to the Gospel.
Eventually, the school was completed, and I was honored to represent MAF at the dedication ceremony. It was a rainy day when we flew into Daimontaro in our Cessna 206. Despite the weather, the celebration was full of joy—Waorani believers prayed, sang, and feasted together, committing the new institute to the Lord.
Arriving over head the strip was very wet but workable. We landed and the next four hours included a feast, lots of singing, preaching (in Waorani, so I didn’t get much of it 🙂 ) then with the 100 or so people gathered there joining hands around the main buildings to pray. I along with several others was honored to be asked to pray over the Instituto.
Ministry That Walks, Not Flies
The mission of the Waorani Bible Institute is powerful: to train Waorani believers to walk—literally—from village to village, preaching the Gospel and building up the Church. Graduates are encouraged to rely less on outside help and more on the Holy Spirit and their own hands and feet. The Waorani, once labeled as unreachable, are now reaching their own people.
Despite decades of missionary work since the 1950s, the percentage of Waorani believers had declined—until recently. Thanks to the vision of the Bernals and the establishment of the Institute, the tide is turning. The Gospel is alive and well in the rainforest once again.
How Coffee 4 Missions Supports Ecuadorian Harvest
Since returning to the U.S. in 2002, I served as MAF’s Eastern U.S. recruiter—but Trish and I never stopped supporting the Bernals. Today, we continue to do so through Coffee 4 Missions. A portion of every purchase you make helps fund Ecuadorian Harvest Ministries, the U.S.-based affiliate that collects and distributes financial support to the Bernal family without taking any administrative fees. That’s rare—and it’s just one more reason we love partnering with them.
We know Reinaldo and Blanca personally. They are among the godliest, most faithful people we’ve ever served with. And we are honored to keep supporting them—one bag of coffee at a time.
Want to Help?
If you’d like to learn more or support this ministry directly, contact us directly. They do not have a US based website but we can connect you.
However the best way to make immediate impact is to purchase Coffee 4 Missions for your home, business or church. A significant percentage of our revenues goes back into ministries like Ecuadorian Harvest each month.
“Great Coffee Supporting the Great Commission”
