The vast expanse of green the first missionaries entered in the middle to late 1940’s still looks pretty much the same today as it did back years ago. The difference is in the hearts of many of the people who live in this vast jungle. This wilderness stretches over one third of the entire country. As far as we know the Gospel had never been made known in any of the few, small National towns nestled along the middle reaches of the large rivers, and certainly not in any of the Tribal groups hidden away in that vast expanse reaching out toward the headwaters of those rivers.
It was in one of those small National towns the missionaries first began to share Christ and to work toward the goal of taking the gospel to all the Tribes people. It would turn out to be an undertaking (still going on today) costing up to this point the lives of 15 adult missionaries plus a number of missionary children.
It was in that town Don Jose heard and embraced the Gospel. He became the first fruit and in a sense the representative of all the multitudes of jungle folk who would place their faith in Christ. My parents had left their very successful farm in Pennsylvania and come to begin their missionary work in Don Jose’s town. Their front room became the meeting place where Don Jose and other believers met to worship and take in the life giving Word of God. As a 6 year old I remember helping set up the wooden benches for meeting time. Years passed and Don Jose went to be with his Lord. But that new life which had taken deep root in his heart had born fruit first in his own family and eventually through out that whole jungle region.
For you see Don Jose’s son, Silverio had come to life in Christ along with other members of his family. Silverio worked closely with the missionaries as they ventured out into the largely unexplored reaches of the upper rivers and jungles. His knowledge of the river systems and of the ways of the tribal peoples was invaluable to the early efforts of those first missionaries.
Again the years passed by. Don Jose’s grandson also named Silverio after his father, became a pastor shepherding a group of believers in a large town located at the Northern edge of the jungle. Some of his flock are local townspeople and some are children and or grandchildren of the tribesman his father had helped carry the Gospel to years before. These young people who come to town for education or work opportunities benefit greatly from the stability Silverio’s church provides them in a home away from home.
As a child years many years ago I saw my Father and other missionaries disciple and work with Don Jose and Silverio as they moved toward the goal of taking the Gospel to all the tribes. Today, my two sons have opportunity to work with Don Jose’s grandson, always with the goal of taking the life changing message to those groups still out there, those groups still beyond the reach of the gospel. Yes of course, so much has been accomplished! There are hundreds and hundreds of believers, dozens and dozens of churches, the New Testament and portions of the old have been translated into four languages, and there are three more translations in progress. There are however, still language groups with no witness, and of course no scripture. Today’s reality is that for reasons beyond the missionaries control the work in the jungle is limited and very difficult these, but of course that’s the way it’s always been.
Ps: In the years prior to Don Jose going to be with his Lord, he had moved to the town where eventually his grandson would become a pastor. In that time period I was out in town training at the local hospital in preparation for the work with the health department described in a previous post, “That Awful Taste”. I became aware that Don Jose was in financial need and I also knew he wouldn’t easily accept an out right gift. I asked him to build me a wooden box to store things in called a “baul”. I was able to pay him more than his asking price which was a help to him and for me an opportunity to help this faithful servant of the Lord. In the many moves our family has made in ministry over the years we’ve always taken the “baul”, the work of Don Jose’s hands with us. It remains with us to this very day, reminding us that though the jungle looks pretty much the same today as it did in the 1940s the difference is in the hearts of many, many of the people who live there. It all started with Don Jose, a trophy of God’s Grace.
If you happen to read this post would you please pray for the ongoing work of God there in the jungle.
Kara says
Loved this post Pops! This was the first time hearing that story like that. Thanks for writing!