Jungle Church

This I know, that God is for me.

-Psalm 56:9

Church built by believers. Unknown location. 1950
Photograph by Bill Gibson

What I remember most about church was that the split log benches had no backs, and so it was really hard to fall asleep during the sermon.

The natives who came loved to sing, and they especially loved to learn songs in English. They sang loudly, enthusiastically, and always off key. It was wonderful! My dad played the trumpet, my mom played the accordion, and there was an old pump organ that she also played.

Dogs, chickens, children, everyone came to church. One Sunday, someone saw a wild pig, and that was the end of the service. Everyone jumped up and ran out to try to catch it.

After church, my mom would open the clinic, and we’d share homemade bread, meat, and whatever else we had with all those who wanted to stay after.

There were no roads, no cars, everyone who came to church walked through the jungle. For some the walk could be as long as a couple of hours, maybe longer. So, every effort was made to care not just for the spiritual needs of those who came, but for their physical needs as well.