Under a blazing sky that seems to stretch into infinity, Santa Rosa and the indigenous Wayuu communities in Colombia’s Guajira Desert face daily challenges and hardships.
Families depend on fishing and selling colorful handmade bags called mochilas.

Manuel Villadiego
But here, where temperatures regularly exceed 95 degrees and basic needs like water and healthcare are a rare luxury, a new message of hope is transforming lives.
This message comes not just through words but through the life of a man who, from his wheelchair, has become a living testimony of God’s grace—Manuel Villadiego.
“Life in these communities is not easy,” Manuel explains as he looks out over the arid landscape around him. “Here, if there’s no fishing, there’s no food. If the water trucks don’t arrive, there’s great need. But despite the scarcity, God is opening the hearts of Wayuu families. They are receiving the Gospel with joy, and that is a victory.”
While the Wayuu culture is open to hearing the Gospel, it often struggles to let go of deeply rooted ancestral practices.
“There is a spiritual battle here, and our mission is to show them that only Christ can bring them true freedom,” Manuel declares with determination.
From Rebellion to Redemption
This community didn’t always have the Gospel, however. In fact, neither did Manuel. There was a time in his life when he didn’t know Jesus. Only after a motorcycle accident that permanently paralyzed him did Manuel receive Jesus into his heart. As he healed, a friend, a pastor, spoke life into him.
From that day on, Manuel left his past behind and began living for God.
“Today, I can say that this wheelchair has been a blessing because through it, I truly came to know God. He awakened in me a love for souls that cannot be extinguished. That love is what drives me and moves me every day.”
He repented of his rebellious life and gave it to Jesus. Since then, he has wanted the same for his community.
Manuel wanted the Wayuu community to see the same grace, mercy, and peace that only the Gospel could bring.
Growing the Church in La Guajira
But how? – That’s every visionary’s halting question.
Manuel wasn’t a very charismatic man.
Meeting people wasn’t easy for him. As a new believer, talking about Jesus wasn’t necessarily easy for him either. Even if he was charismatic, knew everything there was to know about Jesus, and everyone he talked to immediately believed, he didn’t have Bibles to share with those around him.
Even so, God still called him to expand the kingdom. As the saying goes, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”
Encouraged by His call, Manuel searched for anyone who could help him. Eventually, the Holy Spirit led him to a Bible League trainer, Alexander Romero.
Not only could Alexander provide him the Bibles, but he could help him with, arguably, the most difficult part of any Christian’s ministry: meeting, connecting, evangelizing, and discipling the people around him.
After training Manuel in all this, Alexander provided him with Bibles and Bible study booklets to reach the Wayuu people.
In that training, Manuel learned that while Jonah could turn Ninevah with seven harsh and brash words—“In 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:4)—it was better to build relationships with individuals. With patience that only God could give, he spent significant time with each family building trust.
Like Elijah, God gave him the endurance to weather the extreme heat and long distances. Unlike Elijah, he wasn’t running away; he was running towards his community. In time, he’d describe to whole families that it was our triune God who created the world and not their local god, Mareiwa.
He would share with them that it is God who resolves illnesses, family conflicts, and plagues. It is God who gives every good thing and not Piache, another local god, nor his acolytes. It didn’t happen overnight, but soon these families were open to joining him in walking through the Gospel, they wanted to learn more about our God.
As God promised, His Word did not return void (Isaiah 55:11).
These families became small groups. As these groups finished studying the Gospel of John with Manuel, they received their very own Bibles.
Now, they can read God’s Word and come into a greater relationship with their Creator, and the Bringer of Life.
After some time witnessing to this community, the next step for Manuel was to form a church.
Again, he asked: “But how?”
Again, the Holy Spirit led him to Alexander.
Again, Manuel enrolled in training—Bible League’s Church Planter Training—to plant churches where people believe the Good News.
Again, God worked through Manuel.
The impact of the ministry is reflected in the numbers: a church that began with 18 people now gathers more than 70 each week. Manuel enthusiastically reflects:
“We started with a small group, but God has multiplied the work. Today, we don’t even fit in the church, and we’ve had to organize services in other communities. People are hungry for the Word of God!”
Today, Manuel leads Bible study groups in new places like Santa Rosa and Tucuraca, using materials provided by Bible League. “Since I received these materials, I’ve seen them as powerful tools,” he says. “They help us teach the Word of God in a practical way, allowing everyone to participate and learn.”
Manuel has seen how God’s Word transforms hearts through these Bibles and Bible study materials. He explains, “Not long ago, a family that always relied on witch doctors decided to give their lives to Christ. Now they are active participants in the Bible studies, and their home is an example for others. That is God’s work: transforming lives from the inside out.”
Gratitude and a Call to Donors
Manuel cannot stop expressing his gratitude to Bible League and its donors.
“Thanks to your materials, we have been able to reach people we could never have imagined reaching. The easy-to-read Bibles and discipleship booklets are an enormous blessing. I don’t know how we could do it without your support,” he says with emotion. “Every time we open one of those booklets and someone finds an answer to their life in the Gospel, I can see God’s hand at work. It’s something I will never forget.”
He concludes with a heartfelt message for those who make his work possible:
“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Every contribution you make has an eternal impact. You are part of this mission. Thanks to you, we are seeing lives changed, families restored, and entire communities opening their hearts to God. Please, keep supporting us. This work cannot stop.”
In the middle of the Guajira desert, where material needs and ancestral traditions once seemed to have the final word, a wheelchair has become the throne of a heavenly ambassador. With his unwavering faith and your support through Bible League, Manuel Villadiego continues bringing living water to those who need it most.
And though the road is hard, he sums it up simply:
“If God allows me to keep going, I will. Because this desert is crying out for hope, and that hope has a name—Jesus Christ.”