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Walking Man: A Modern Missions Experience in Latin America

Narciso Zamora
The Quilldriver (2008)
ISBN 9780979163906
Reviewed by Dr. Michael Philliber for RebeccasReads (3/08)

Many mission books focus on theory and how-to. Some focus on missions from an Anglo-centric perspective. That’s what makes Narciso Zamora’s book, “Walking Man,” so unique. The book is a story of his life’s work as a Christian from Peru, planting churches in Peru, Chile and Ecuador. It’s written for a generally broad readership, but especially those interested in mission work in South America, as well as those interested in the Church’s life in that region of the world. The book can be found in a Spanish edition (the original text) as well as English.
Zamora begins his tale from his impoverished, non-Christian upbringing in Chugar Peru, running away in his adolescence, conversion to the Christian faith, and the unfolding development of his maturation as a Christian leader and church planter. In “Walking Man” Zamora is upfront about his life, so the book is full of his earlier mistakes and some of their immediate and long-term consequences. He tells his story in the sometimes disjointed fashion that the reader might hear if she were sitting with him over lunch in a café. There is a real humanness about the way Zamora has written the book, a personable recounting of his struggles within the various churches and his family.
The reader may be put off at points in the book, especially with regard to the energy of author’s actions. But most of the difficulty is simply a result of the cultural differences between the Peruvian and American view of life and the world. For example, the North American reader, who has probably two cars and has to travel 20 miles to the bank or grocery store, might be taken aback by the primitive nature of Zamora’s travels. He walked most places, having no other form of transportation, thus the reason for the title of the book, “Walking Man.”
One of the pleasures I had was in reading of his journey to places in Peru where I had recently been in 2007. Yet more importantly, in “Walking Man,” I found a deep satisfaction in hearing Zamora rehearse the story of his commitment to Christ even through all the adversities.


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