A Letter from Gladis

Macuma, Ecuador
January 18,1958

Dear Friends

May this be a year when many souls are won to Christ through your efforts there and ours here. Maybe this will be the year that the Lord will come. Again, we want to tell you , "thank you" for your faithful monthly support. We value your prayers and your friendship. If at any time we could be of help to you friends by writing a letter or article, we would be only too happy to cooperate.

We were happy to have our little Shirley come home from school for almost three weeks. She was so happy with her baby sister and all the things she can do now. Now she is back in Quito for another four months of school. And the Lord keeps on giving us grace each day for the separation. When Bill left here, her last words were, "Send Mommy as soon as you get home." As you know that is impossible, but I do hope to pay a short visit in Feb, Lord willing. We would be glad for your prayers for Shirley as she goes to school.

We have cause to rejoice because some have come to know the Lord in the past few weeks. Some who seemed so hard and given to witchcraft that they seemed impossible to be reached. But God is able to do the impossible. Petsain had the most evil looking eyes and was so hard. One day he got sick and thought he was going to die. After treatment, he got better and started really listening to God's Word and at Christmas, he gave his heart to the Lord, or as they say "I took God's road and now I am very happy." He needs prayer because the only way he has to grow is to come to church and listen to the messages. There is no Bible for him to read and besides he doesn't know how to read.

Last week I had to play dentist again. Up to that time I had pulled about eight teeth. On Thursday a woman came with a big molar to be pulled. After four tries I gave up for the day, and she was ready to rest also. Friday she came again and I was still unable to extract that tooth. So she went home miserable and I stayed here miserable. She endured that pulling with only aspirin and did not once cry out. I was weak from the effort of trying to get it out.

Now she will have to wait until a doctor can come and if the rood is around the jawbone she will have more trouble. Imagine living where there are no dentists. She was grateful that I tried to relieve her misery. She has other troubles. A long time ago, a man bought her and her little daughter for his wives. She was his wife and raised several children. Now the daughter is grown up and the mother is thrown away while the daughter has become the favorite wife. Women's lives here are very sad. Some day the power of the Gospel will free them. There are so few of us to do what needs to be done. Pray that more come and help us.

On Monday, Lord willing, Bill and I will fly down to the Atshuaras. Bill has promised that I will come with medicine. It should be a real trip for me. These indians took years to contact on a friendly basis, now they want us to visit. I will write you about it next week.

Sincerely, Gladis Gibson
Letter to "Friends of Sooner"

Your Birth Verse

I found an interesting little website today called Birth Verse. What they have done is to assign a bible verse to each day of the year. There is an online form to enter your birth date (you can enter other birth dates too) and then they will show you your "birth verse".

There is also this nice little affirmation: You are a child of God, His treasured possession. He created you in His own image. He chose the day for you to be born. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. Cherish your birthverse.

It's pretty cool. This is the link to the website is www.mybirthverse.com. I entered my birth date, and this is the verse I got:

“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take."

~Nehemiah 9:19 NIV

Amazon Parrot

When I was growing up, we always had parrots. Often, they were traded for medicine. Today I found this article about amazon parrots, and found it interesting. I thought you all might enjoy it too.

Amazon Parrot
by Dane Stanton

The amazon parrot is a large green parrot that lives in South America and the Caribbean. They usually have accenting colors, depending on the type of species. The most common species of amazon have a shade of yellow across their breast. An amazon parrot like all parrots have four toes on each foot, with two at the front and two at the back allowing them to balance easily on treat branches in the wild.

Lots of amazon parrots are kept in households as pets due to they are lovable nature and they are amazing ability to mimic human words. They are also very loyal and have the ability to live for a great many years. No one really knows why parrots live for so long. It is often said that their intelligence is a key factor for this unusual trait.

However the occasional amazon parrot during a mating period may become strangely aggressive, therefore it is necessary to keep them well under control and in good company all of the time. The best way to do this is to have a second amazon parrot so they can communicate with one another during the periods when human company is unavailable. This will stop them from getting bored which can happen very easily!

Every amazon parrot likes to destroy things, some more than others! In the wild they tend to chew on wood often, which breaks down their cavities and helps keep their teeth nice and strong. Make sure you have lots of destructible toys for your amazon parrot to chew on throughout the day. Having these toys also stops them from becoming aggressive as they always have something to amuse themselves with.

It is important to realise that an amazon parrot requires more attention and care than any other domestic pet such as cats and dogs. It is recommended that before you buy an amazon parrot, you should first purchase a smaller bird that is easier to care for so you gain some valuable experience. Perhaps starting off with a budgerigar would be a good idea just until you have enough experience to handle a real amazon parrot.

An amazon parrot is a very serious animal and requires a lot of attention. Only experienced bird handlers have the ability to care for such magnificent creatures. This is the number one golden rule that all likely amazon parrot owners must abide by before owning these beautiful bird as pets.

-oOo-

About the Author:
Dane Stanton is the owner of ParrotTrainingReview.com which is an extensive review of the top parrot training courses on the internet. Find which course is best for you and your parrot!

Big Smiles

A cheerful heart is a good medicine.
Proverbs 17:22

Shuar children posing for a picture.
Ecuador 1954,
photo by Bill Gibson

This picture is one of my personal favorites. The children loved to have their pictures taken, and they loved Bill Gibson. He was gentle, and funny, always loving and kind with them. They loved the attention he gave them, and crowded eagerly around whenever he brought out his camera.

Bill's Message for Today

There seems to be in the heart of each of us a desire to be with others. There are a few who like to be left alone, but most of us like company. Children like to be with children. We all like to be with others of the same background.

It isn't very much fun to be left alone. A man needs a wife and a woman needs a man. We need to have the companionship of being together. The Lord said to Adam in the garden of Eden, "It's not good for man to be alone." So he made a help-mate for Adam, and Eve came, and then children.

Jesus enjoyed being with his disciples. Every place He went He had them with Him, to teach them, to love them, to eat with them. He knew that shortly He would leave them and they would feel alone, so He made a promise. "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."

Jesus knew what it was to be lonely. He knew that shortly He would know what to be forsaken would be.

It was the night of the Last Supper. Jesus had enjoyed sitting at the table with His disciples. He knew that in a few short hours He would suffer. He took Peter, James, and John and went up the mountain to pray. They slept while He prayed that the cup might pass, nevertheless "Thy will be done."

Later, they took Him and put Him on a cross and the Father abandoned Him. He suffered there alone. He took upon himself all the sin, the shame, and gave His life alone so that you and I might never ever be alone again. After three days He arose victorious from the grave and one day we will, all of us who have repented and believed in Him, might be with Him forever.

Why will you die without Christ? Why prefer to die and be alone in eternity, forever alone without him? He loved you enough to die for you so that you would forever be with Him and not alone without Him.

The decision is yours. You can say this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus,
I believe you did this for me and I now receive you
as my Saviour and my God.

Bill Gibson
Mountain Villa Rest Home
El Paso, Texas
02/10/02

Riobamba - Slide Show

Riobamba is a city in central Ecuador. It is the capital of Chimborazo Province, in the Chambo River Valley in the Andes Mountains, near the volcano of Chimborazo. It is an important road junction on the main railroad from Quito to Guayaquil. Riobamba is the trade center of the surrounding cattle-ranching area.

Manufactured products include textiles, handicrafts, leather goods, beer, and dairy products. A colorful Native American marketplace is in the city.

Also located in the city is a university-level polytechnic school (1969). Founded about 1534, Riobamba was destroyed by earthquake in 1797 and rebuilt 14 km (9 mi) from the original site. Population (1996 estimate) 114,322.

The images for this slide show were collected from various sources, most of them fairly recent. They should give you an idea of the flavor of this small city. I hope you enjoy it.

Text from Microsoft Encarta

Letter from Gladis - 1953

August 3, 1953
Riobamba, Ecuador

About eight 0'clock we heard a thud and the tinkling of broken glass. Since there was no electricity, we took the lamp to investigate and I had Shirley. We found that some one had thrown a rock at the Scripture verse in the window. It was quite a mess and we were a bit excited.

Later, I put Shirley to bed and she said, "Fraid." So when we asked why, she said "Wock, winno, fraid." No amount of words nor rubbing could make her forget, so I took her in my arms and rocked her and she was quite and soon off to dream land.

Later, we retired and were thinking about all the things that had happened. The electric plant had been damaged by high water, the train has been out for a few days, the folks in Shell are completely isolated and it will take a year to fix the road, washed away by high waters, the whole mission station at Shandia was washed away. The thought came to me of the possibility of thieves entering the house under cover of darkness and besides, we know we are hated.

I remembered that the Lord said in the last days fearful things will happen, including earthquakes. It was four years ago in this same month when the other great quake came. First thing I know, I was worrying about all this and wondering what we would do and we talked it over and decided that what we would do if there was time.

Suddenly, my stomach was a knot of fear, and I prayed. The Lord so graciously answered and reminded me of the verse "Perfect love casteth out fear" and I felt I was cradled in His arms just as I had done for my little girl a while before.

How simple is the trust of a little child, and just so should be our trust in the One who is our Father, Friend, and comforter.

Suddenly in the midst of all my mental activity, Bill asked if I was afraid and I could honestly say no because His perfect love had cast out all fear. Praise His name.

Street Meeting

The free gift of God is eternal life.
Romans 6:23

Bill and Gladis Gibson, conducting a street meeting.
Bill plays the trumpet and Gladis the accordion.
Mendez, Ecuador SA, 1958

The music would draw a crowd, and then my dad would preach. How brave and bold they were to step out in faith this way.

Mendez, the town where this picture was taken, is not in the Jungle, it is a coastal town. And the people are not Shuar, they are Spanish.

We did not ever live in Mendez, but I remember this visit. And my memories of Mendez are that the mosquitoes were terrible, the smell was terrible, the mud was terrible, the food was terrible… and it was hot. But the people were really nice.

A Missionary Story

The story I have this morning takes place in the high sierra. Riobamba a city of some 33 thousand people at that time. It is located in the heart of the Quichua Indian population.

The Quichua were descendants of the Aztecs and had been defeated by the Spaniards. They were down trodden people who dressed in dark collars, and had to ride the train on top of the cards. They had to sit in the back seat of the buses or on top of the load.

In the early 1900's a lady missionary went to Riobamba and settled in an Indian community called Caliata, some 25 miles away. She traveled by mule and came in to Riobamba for supplies about every two weeks. When we arrived and we were stationed in this, Ecuador's, most fanatical Roman Catholic city, the work in Caliata had been going on for 35 or more years. And in all that time, there were no more than perhaps 4 or 5 believers.

That first missionary lady who settled in Caliata was a single woman. she learned the language and ministered faithfully. She prayed that the Lord would send her a helper and He did. Another young lady came to work with her. She was so happy to have a companion.

Then the Pioneer missionary lady got typhoid fever and died.

The new, younger, missionary took her body early in the morning to Riobamba to bury her there. By the time she arrived, it was late morning, and the Roman Catholic Church forbade anyone to help her. She wandered all around that city all the rest of the day and NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO HELP HER. After dark, a store keeper took pity on her, and got a shovel, and they secretly went out on the back side of the mountain and there they buried her.

The young missionary went back to Calita alone.

About the same time that we arrived, the Lord also sent other missionaries. I was the only man in that whole area for quite a while before other couples came to carry on the ministry.

I often wondered, we have had missionaries serving here for 40 years, and nothing. Why not give up? I'm glad the mission didn't listen to me.

During my time there, within a period of a few years, God began to work. Thousands came to know the Lord. They received Christ in groups and added to the church was hundreds, and later thousands of brand new believers. They were filled with the joy of the Lord. They became leaders, teachers, etc. It was one of the greatest revivals the evangelical world has seen.

Why?

Because there were Godly women who were willing to leave all, and go bring the Gospel to these people, and they were willing to pay the price. Sometimes men aren't so willing.

God uses the one who is willing to go and pay the price, whether it be man or woman. It could even be you.

You will never do anything for God that will cost you nothing. You might not ever see the results, but you will receive HIS WELL DONE.

~Missionary Minute by Bill Gibson
El Paso Texas 11/18/01

Bill's Photo of the Week - Poppies

Poppies

El Paso, TX

March 2005

Photo by Bill Gibson

My earliest memory is of poppies. They grew really well in Quito. I was probably only about 2 years old, and I remember the vivid intensity of the color, and wondering why that color wasn't sticking to my fingers when I touched the flowers.

Riding the bus to Quito from Shellmera

It was raining again. We piled all ten bags onto the church steps and waited for the Quito bus to come by. For two hours we waited in drizzly Shellmera, a small town on the outskirts of the Ecuadorian jungles. Late buses and rain are a daily occurrence.

Finally, we saw the bus. It was jam packed, careening down the gravel road. The driver took one look at all our bags and almost passed us by. But when we yelled that we were going all the way to Quito, he stopped and let us on.

We squeezed aboard. People were already standing in the aisles. One man gave up his seat when he found out that we were going to the end of the line. The rest of us stood where we could.

After we got underway again, things settled down a bit. Two Quichua Indians were sleeping in one seat. They kept falling on top of each other. They were so comical that the whole bus full of people would roar with laughter as they flopped around. Riding in a bus for hours and hours makes the people inside become comradely and friendly with each other, especially Ecuadorians. They joked and laughed at each other all the time.

My mother began talking with a fellow passenger and he told us why the bus was late. The original driver had been caught driving without a license. The passengers had spent most of their time trying to get him out of jail, and finding another driver.

The roads are very narrow, and at times when you meet another vehicle, you had to back up until a wide enough section of road could be found to pass in. Once when passing another bus, our bus was on the outside edge. I was sitting by the window, and when I looked out, I realized that the outside tires of the double wheel were actually hanging off the edge of the cliff.

Another time, when the rains had washed out a section of the road, we had to drive over what looked like a little river full of large round boulders. We got to just about the middle when the bus started to float. We almost got washed right off the cliff edge, but managed to get to the other side. After that, I always got OFF the bus and crossed the washout by walking through them. I also got off when buses were passing on narrow sections of road.

I almost got sick from the swaying bus and smell of the people, so I went up front behind the driver. It was too hard to stand, so I crouched in the aisle.

The conductor, seeing my uncomfortable position, offered his seat. It wasn't much better. The seat faced the driver who kept leering at me. The scenery was beautiful, but I was too uncomfortable to pay much attention. The driver had a peculiar way of smiling at me, shifting gears, beeping the horn, and making a 90* turn, all at the same time. It was during one of these feats that we met a jeep head on. It hadn't responded to the customary 'beep beep" that announced our approach. Fortunately, the road was wide enough at this point, and we swooped by.

The custom of honking a warning as you approach a curve is an important feature of safe driving on those roads. I road a bus once where the horn had conked out, and believe me, it was scary! We had to inch around corners, and everyone made as much noise as possible.

Every once in a while, the conductor who was up on top with the baggage, would bang on the bus roof as a sign to let someone off. We would screech to a halt, then leave them in the dust, seemingly in the middle of no where.

A couple of bouncing, dusty hours later, we came to a relatively big town. My mother had secured a seat by a window, so I went back and sat by her.

While sitting there, we began talking to a Peace Corp volunteer. He was on his way to a remote mountain village. We shared our banana bread with him. It was the first American food he had eaten for months. He got off at Ambato with twelve hours of bus travel ahead.

In Ambato, we had a half hour rest stop and we changed drivers. Although it was dirty, and smelly, the town of Ambato did have a really unique feature. Public bathrooms. I might mention, that this is the only town where there were bathrooms that we could use. During that long ride, if you had to go and you were a man, it was no problem. Many of the native women would just get off the bus and go behind a bush some where. But I learned heroic bladder control!

The public toilets in Ambato often saved my life, but the were filthy! There were no doors on the facilities anywhere, not even on the stalls. The floors, walls, and seats were always covered with grime. The windows were not screened, glassed in, or anything, and people could (and did) look in at you whenever they wanted. A man sat in front and sold grungy toilet paper by the square.

The cobblestone road is better from Ambato on, and fewer people were in the bus. The man sitting in front of us had a chicken under his seat. It laid an egg on the way, and the egg rolled down the aisle. My father picked it up to return it to the owner, but his thumb went right through it, and the owner told him to throw it out the window.

The people on the bus laughed about the chicken laying the egg for hours. Each time we stopped, they hollered out the window, telling everyone in sight about the chicken, and holding it up so everyone could see her for themselves.

There was a family of Quichua Indians crammed into the back, one long bench with about four too many people on it. They were coming home from a wedding, and they were drunk, and happy, and they laughed til they cried, almost rolling on the floor laughing about the chicken and the egg. Pretty soon we were laughing at them too.

Some hours later at Latacunga, the paved section of the Pan American Highway began. Without bumps and hairpin curves the trip became extremely monotonous and most everyone went to sleep. While it was often boring, I spent many hours in pleasant day dreaming on that section of road. This was the part of the highway that went high into the mountains, and over the passes. The hairpin curves and the cliff edges were gone, but the scenery was awesome. It was a tundra like area, too high up for trees, so it was all grasslands, cool, and often either misting, or foggy and eerie.

No one lived up there except for a very few, very poor Indians who lived in sod and grass huts. Many times the fog we passed through was actually a cloud resting on the top of the mountain. Snow capped mountains ringed the area. And if you weren't acclimated to the altitude, you could certainly feel the effects of it here.

Finally, after eight hours of travel, we came down out of the mountain passes, and rolled into the Ecuadorian capital. The quaintly picturesque city of springtime, Quito, where on a clear day you can see eight snow capped mountains.

~remembrances of Shirley Gibson
from an essay written in 1968

Dangerous Roads

Someone emailed me a series of pictures of the "world's most dangerous road" and it reminded me so much of riding the bus in Ecuador, that I thought I would share them here. Most of the pictures in the slide show were taken in Bolivia, but some are from Ecuador.

We would get up at 4 or 5 am and be down at the bus station in Quito before dawn. The long ride would end sometime in the early evening hours in Shellmera where we would often spend the night before flying into the jungle via the small MAF plane.

Sometimes the ride was really scary, sometimes it was just boring and long. Always there was the amazingly beautiful scenery.

Waiting for the Bus

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace

at all times in all ways.
~2 Thes 3:16

Shirley Gibson waiting for the bus to arrive.
Ecuador SA, 1957
Photo by Bill Gibson

Waiting for the bus that would take me to boarding school. In retrospect, I think we all realize that 5 years old is too young to be away from home and on your own. But at the time, there was this idea that boarding school would be fun and educational, a nurturing supportive environment full of resources and friends. And I think for some of the children it may have served that purpose. My own experience there was quite different. It did, however, give me an inner resilience and strength that I may not have acquired had I not had that experience. So, now, all these years later, I am grateful for it. I still have that old teddy bear!

Something to hang on to: A talk by Bill Gibson

Have you ever been in a bus full of people and you didn't have a seat and there was nothing to hang on to? It is difficult when we all of a sudden find ourselves in a speeding bus with nothing to hang on to.

People come to the time when it seems the days are speeding by and it's a rocky road and there is nothing to hang on to to hold us secure.

Perhaps you feel you have lost control with nothing to hang on to? People say to us, "Hang in there old buddy," and there isn't anything we know to hang on to.



There is, thank the Lord, something to hang on to. The Lord gives us his solemn promise ant that is what helps the believer, the Christian, to stand solid when all around us there is everything happening.

The promise is a good one. I have a friend who has blood cancer and he tells me he is hanging on to this promise and is confident that he will not fall.

The promise is in Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Beloved, the Lord is worthy of our trust. He never fails and He will never fail you. It's so easy to trust in our own strength, our own will, and our own thoughts. But God says not to trust anybody, not even yourself because friends will fail, and you will fail, but the Lord never fails.

Does it seem that nobody cares and you are seemingly tossed about like a feather on the waves of the sea?

The message we have for you is that there is hope. There is help. There is something to hang on to that will never ever fail you.

Why not this Sunday morning put your trust in Jesus and let Him take over and hold you tight? He wants to do just that.

• Confess to Him that you are a failure, a sinner
• Believe that Jesus is your Savior and trust Him.
• Then thank him for the gift of salvation.
• Thank him for the gift of security.
• Thank him for the gift of hope.

Bill Gibson 06/03/01
Mountain Villa Health Center
El Paso, Texas

Chief and Sons

I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
~Isaiah 41:10

Chief Chiriapa and his two sons.
Macuma Ecuador, 1953 Photo by Bill Gibson

The original photo is less than 1 inch square, dog eared and well worn as you can see, but I just love it.

The traditional dress of shuar man was a skirt or kilt made of hand woven fiber. Surprisingly, the men did all the spinning, dyeing and weaving of the cloth which was made from home-grown cotton.

The man in this picture is also wearing a headdress made from toucan feathers, and a necklace that he most likely made himself.

The Chief is on left, his two proud sons are on the right.

Bill's Talk on Brotherly Love

"Let brotherly love continue."
~Hebrews 13:1

One of the key words
in the life of the believer is the word "let".
"Let the peace of God rule in your hearts," Col 3:15
"Let this mind be in you," Phil. 2:5

In chapter thirteen of Hebrews we have the secret.

The secret of the believer's life.
The secret of the believer's life of service.
The secret of the believer's life of joy.

The word "let" speaks to me of: to loosen, turn on, not hinder. It's what happens when we turn on the faucet and the water runs free. We let the water run. It does it by itself. It comes from an unseen supply. We don't have to force it out, blow it out, push it out, or draw it out. It just flows.

The problem lies in the fact that there are hindrances. A kink in the hose, for example. These must be straightened first to let the water flow. So it is in the life of the believer. It's not the blowing, pushing, drawing, and trying, but in the letting the love for the brethren that is in us flow. Six kinks are mentioned.

Forgetting to be hospitable.
Forgetting to care and share in suffering.
Forgetting to not be critical or judgmental
Forgetting to be content with what we have.
Forgetting to trust.
Forgetting to obey those who led us to the Lord.

"Now may the God of peace... equip you with every good thing to do his will, performing in us through Jesus Christ that which is well pleasing in His sight to whom be the glory forever and ever amen."

~Heb 13: 20,21

It is my sincere desire
that this will be a blessing and a joy to you.
Bill Gibson, February 1983
El Paso, Texas

On a lighter note...

This should bring a smile into your day!

Gospel Missionaries

Each one helps the other, saying to one another, 'Take Courage!'

~Isaiah 41:6

The Gibsons, the Drowns, and a visiting family friend.

Macuma, Ecuador 1957

I love this old photo. The original is quite small only about an inch square, and it is a little blurry—but it has this wonderful nostalgic quality that melts my heart.

What you can almost see on my shoulder, is my pet monkey, Chit Chat. I spent a lot of my time pretending to be Dale Evans, and so the dog’s name, of course, was Bullet.

The other family in the photo is Marie Drown, with 2 of her children, Timmy (he has a parakeet on his shoulder), and Lolly, and a family friend whose name I have forgotten. Frank and Marie Drown wrote a book called “Mission to the Headhunters”. It is still available for sale, and a link to it can be found on the side bar of this page.

Bill and Gladis Today

Bill and Gladis are still actively sharing the Gospel Message of love and hope.

Bill is an Elder-Preacher at Grace Chapel in El Paso, TX. He leads and teaches at a weekly Bible Class in a mobile home park. He also leads a hymn sing at a Retirement Community weekly,and is the leader of the Jesus Team who does programs of music and message to different groups. Every morning he prays for many folks.

Gladis identifies her self as a "helper", this she does by letter, phone, and the Baptist clinic. To serve there, she has kept her RN license current so she can do the cancer screening for the Spanish speaking women who prefer a female to do their private tests. To each she gives her own special gift of love and comfort, and an religious tract provided by a friend.

Together, they act as a source of compassionate love and support to many folks in El Paso and beyond. Here you see a picture taken at the Tuesday Bible Class, Dec 2006.



UPDATE: On August 13, 2009, Bill went to be with the Lord. (You can read about it here and again here.) Gladis continues the ministry. She particularly enjoys her work with the Jesus Team at The Village Oaks, as well as the weekly Bible study, letters of encouragement to her many friends and supporters, and her work at the cancer clinic.

Bill's Message on Calm

Perhaps one of the words we hear little about is the word "calm". We are living in a world that knows nothing about being calm or even what calmness is.

As I was reading in the Chronological Bible NIV, I came across a verse that stuck to me. Ecc. 10:4 in the NIV (New International Version) the word "calm" is used. In the NAS (New American Standard Bible), the word "composure" is used.

"If the anger of the ruler rises against you,
do not leave your place,
for calmness will lay great offenses to rest."

~Ecc 10:4

The dictionary says that calm means: not excited and not agitated. In our modern language today it would be "cool". Don't lose your cool.

Now in the new testament and the Psalms, the word calm is used to describe the sea after a storm. Jesus calmed the sea. The matter of being calm is not NOT listening or acknowledging. Sleeping is not calmness. Dead people are not calm. Calmness here has to do with what is in your spirit when everything seems to be out of control. When facing a storm, or a stormy person. DON'T LOSE YOUR COMPOSURE.

Last week our friend and Bible teacher lost it at the business meeting. He got mad and angry and stormed out saying he was finished. It is easy for us to lose our cool. The world in which we live pushes us to react violently. But the WORD says "... calmness can lay great errors to rest." "... composure allays great offences."

When some one or something opposes you, don't push the panic button. Be quiet, still, and sweet even though on the inside the bats or butterflies are beating their wings. The one thing that destroys churches.. destroys friendship.. destroys marriages is the lack of composure.

In 1st Peter, Peter tells wives to have a quiet gentle spirit. Also he says the same for men. Only God can give us calmness in the midst of trouble. We need to trust Him for that.

Anger is not the answer. Jesus never lost His cool. Look with me to 1st Peter 2:21-24. Over and over Peter tells us to follow in Christ's footsteps, to see His example. After every exhortation, he points to the example of Christ.

Am I prone to anxiety.. panic, fear, worry when things seem to come out of the blue?

YES!

One more word. Calmness is not just sitting down resting, trusting, sleeping, deadness to all around us. Calmness is not stagnation.

In life, there is a need to be stirred up, excited, and moved. If we are in a state of perpetual calm, we will never go any place. Calmness, composure is what we need when we are attacked, or when we are confronted by a storm.

Calmness is not a state of being numb either. We see in Haggi 1:14 "For the Lord stirred up the Spirit of Zarbable." God wants us to be enthusiastic and moving forward with our lives.

We are to be calm in the storm..
We are to be stirred in the calm.

May the Lord help us to recognize a storm and may we look to him for composure and calm when it comes.

It is my wish that this little talk be a blessing to you.

Bill Gibson

GMU 07/25/00

Chit Chat

The love of God is creative to infinity.

–St. Vincent de Paul

Small ecuadorian monkey named Chit Chat,

owned and loved by the Gibson Family. Ecuador SA 1957

Photo by Bill Gibson

This little monkey was traded for medicine. I think he might be a pygmy marmoset, but I am not at all sure. In the photo, he is sitting on someone’s shoulder, eating a grasshopper. And as you can see, he was very small. We all loved this little guy. He was very sweet and dear. He lived on the back porch, and slept in a doll house my dad had made for me.

He rode on my shoulders almost everywhere I went, loved bananas, insects, and fruit. He was quite a little acrobat and enjoyed showing off for anyone willing to stop and watch.

Mercy - A talk by Bill Gibson

What is mercy?
Mercy is the kind and compassionate treatment of an offender, enemy, prisoner, or anyone under one's power... clemency.

Have you ever had a boss or a teacher or someone who was over you that was kind and compassionate even when you didn't do it right? Isn't that the one you remembered and liked? I suppose our parents were like that. Back in our early days, fathers were better than many are today. They had mercy.

Did you ever way back in your youth do something really stupid, something that you were told not to do but you did it anyway?


I remember my dad changing the tires of the first car we had. It was, in those days, not easy to take the tire off of the rim. You had a split rim, and if you didn't let the air out of the tire first, it would blow out.

My dad gave me the tool and said, "Be sure you let the air out first." But I forgot that, and when I split the rim, WHAM! the tire blew out. It ruined the tire, and the rim, but didn't hurt me. Then I remembered what my dad had said. (Let the air out first)

It was costly, but my dad didn't get mad. He didn't read me the riot act. He showed mercy. I had disobeyed him and it was a costly disobedience but he showed me mercy and I felt bad about it for a long time - but I loved my dad a lot more.


The bible speaks so often about the quality of mercy.. God's mercy.

If you look in your bible, and turn to Psalm 89, you will see that David had sinned and committed murder. He was punished, but God forgave him and had mercy on him and so David opens this Psalm with a song. When we receive mercy it will always bring with it a song.

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever"
~Psalm 89:1

God's mercy is forever:

• It will not change
• It hasn't changed
• It will not wear out

And in verse two we see that God's "mercy shall be built up forever." If God has been merciful to us once, He will continue to be merciful. He will be faithful in mercy.

For the believer, those who have trusted in Him, whose names are written in His book. He is merciful to you even when you fall and fail. Remember this: God is not mad at you. He loves you, He likes you, and He will show mercy on you.

Now look at Psalm 89:14. God is just, and judgement is his habitation. He must judge the sinner. You cannot escape His righteous judgement except by only one way. That is by believing that Jesus died in your place and took the judgement that was meant for you, and paid the price. Then you become a child of God and forgiven. "Then mercy and truth shall go before you."

Because God is a merciful God, we can have fellowship with Him, and walk with Him no matter where.

"Blessed is the people that know that joyful sound."
~Psalm 89:15

Thank you,
it is my wish that this will be a blessing to you,
Bill Gibson, El Paso Texas 2002

Letter from Gladis - Ecuador, 1957

I found this letter yesterday, and I thought I would share it with you as I found it interesting and inspiring as well; a little peek into the day to day life of a missionary nurse 50 years ago.

Macuma, Ecuador
Sept 27, 1957

Dear Friends,

Your letter was so very, very welcome. The first from your part of the country since we have been here. It seems that I have already answered since I started a tape to you folks and answered some of your questions. We started a tape once before but it was such a jumbled conglomeration that we thought it best to make another. So in a week or so you should be hearing us. And that will mean in the near future we can expect to hear the voices of some of you. At least if we could have a recording of the service, say on Sunday Morning with Brother Claude preaching. My we miss hearing the Word in our language but all the more reason to master this tongue, the Jivaro language.

Bill is away at present, has been gone for over a week. He and the other missionaries went to an Indian Conference in another part of the jungle. Those tennis shoes that you folks got for him are being put to good use. He is walking back - a three day hike. He should arrive tomorrow and he will tell you all about the trek on the tape.

The day after everyone left, I delivered my first baby, and the first baby in the little bamboo clinic. And since we are talking about "firsts", the first baby for a little girl wife. She is about fifteen. I felt as if some one was praying for me because the Lord gave wisdom and it was a normal birth. Was I scared? Well, if I had stopped to think, I would have been but I felt the presence of the Lord and knew that all would be well. That was the first time that any Indian woman had asked for help during childbirth. So it was a real victory. Praise Him.

Shirley is very happy. She has six rolly polly puppies to play with. I am sorry to say that they are the source of about two dozen chigger bites that she has tonight but she will get over them. We just have to get used to bites. She is having Kindergarten every morning when I can possibly have it. One day she drew a man with his arm sticking out. She explained that he must be a missionary since he was shaking hands with some one. She carries a puppy to church like all the Indians. Yesterday, she said she wanted to grow up to be a Jivaro woman.

It is hard to say what effect the martyred missionaries had on the work here. To me there seems to be a much better spirit among the Christians and so many more have taken Christ as Savior. On the other hand two of the seemingly most stable believers are now walking far from the Lord. Just today Mrs. Youdarian was here for a few hours before going to an out station. She is radiant and you marvel to see how the Lord has brought her through. She is endeavoring to learn the Jivaro language. Her mother visited her for about two months and it was a great blessing to them both.

The tape recorder has been a real help already. We use it in language study and will do more with it when Bill gets back. It is so important to get the language from the Indians. They are amazed at what the recorder will do. We want to record them talking for you. It has worked just fine. Bill had to build a dry cupboard to put it in. that is a box with a light bulb so it will be kept dry, there is lots of moisture in the air. We have been so grateful for it and think of you folks every time we use it.

Until your letter we hadn't known about the gifts you were sending. We praise the Lord for His supplying our every need. We pray that He will richly bless you as you give so that these here may be reached. We have just taken on the financial responsibility of the clinic. the Indians pay some for the medicine but they cannot pay the cost. Would you folks object for the money to go toward medicine? Or for helping pay for the trips of the little airplane to bring in supplies? Just be frank with us, we feel it is better to have everything out in the open between God's people.

There are a few things that would be so helpful. For instance: rubber bands, paper clips, scotch tape, string, shipping labels. We have to mark everything. Just plain needles and Singer needles that will sew size 30 thread. Imagine my forgetting that. How can I ever use the thread that you all gave? I have already done some canning with the lids.

Well, I see I am getting long winded, so I'll sign off for now. We will be looking for another letter. Greetings to all the friends and tell them that we praise the Lord for every one.

Love to all,

Gladis

Curious Faces

By the Grace of God I am what I am,

and his grace toward me has not been in vain.

1 Cor. 15:1

Shuar children.Ecuador SA, 1958

Photo by Bill Gibson

The children loved to have their pictures taken, and they loved Bill Gibson. He was gentle, and funny, always loving and kind with them. They loved the attention he gave them, and crowded eagerly around whenever he brought out his camera.

No Place to Run

We tend to try to run from the things that we are afraid of, hide from the ones who know all about us. But there is someone who knows all about you and where you are hiding.

There is an account of a very interesting event in the lives of the disciples in John 6: 17-21

The disciples had been with Jesus as He fed the multitude with five loaves and three fishes. It had been a wonderful time. Now it was night. The disciples wanted to return to the village across the sea of Galilee, but Jesus did not go with them. They got into a boat and rowed three or four miles out and a storm came up.

It was dark. It was dangerous, and it was scary. Then they saw somebody walking on the water. They wanted to run but there was no place to run and no place to hide. Then Jesus spoke to them and said. "It is I; be not afraid". and they welcomed Him into the boat. And they didn't have to row anymore. They arrived on land at the place they wanted to go.

There isn't a lot of water here. But perhaps you are rowing in the dark. Rowing really hard but not getting anywhere. No purpose. Hoping to arrive in heaven - a safe haven.

Now it's late and the night and the storm of life has you frightened. Note this: Jesus knows where you are and what you are suffering through.

Jesus will come to you in the time when you need him most. It will be scary perhaps, but Jesus wants to come into your life and when he does the storm will be over, the rowing will be over. There will be peace and purpose.

On the ocean of life you cannot hide from God. You cannot run from God.

You can let Him into your life and have peace, or you can refuse to believe Him and work, worry, and tremble until you perish in the dark waters.

The disciples let Jesus come in with them. They believed what He said.. "It is I" and then they arrived home again.

Haven't you been trying, working, and getting no place. Let Jesus come in and you will be home and happy and at peace with God forever.

You won't get there rowing, working, and worrying. You will only get there by believing and trusting. Just confess that you are a sinner lost, and ask Him to become your savior. Believing that He is who He said He was and that He will do what He says He will do. and that is all.

Do it now.

Bill Gibson
Mountain Villa Health Center
El Paso Texas, 6/04/00

Bill Gibson

I saw the Lord always before me, therefore my heart was glad.
Acts 2:25-26

Bill Gibson, Christian missionary.
Ecuador SA, 1957

There aren’t very many photos of Bill, since he was the photographer. This is a photo taken as he was leaving on a long trek to visit some natives that had never before been contacted by the “white man”. Bill talks about his visit to Wari Entza in this missionary story.

Bill was not a hunter, the gun was a necessary precaution, not just because of snakes, wild pigs, jaguars, and other wildlife, but also because a few years previous, several missionaries had been killed by the Huaroni, a tribe living deep in the jungle. So, Bill had no idea of what to expect.

I suspect that one of the reasons this picture was taken was in case he never came back.