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.

Missionary Story - On the way home

It had been a long trip. John Stuck, myself, and three of our shuar friends from Sucua had spent several days at Wari Entza (fast river) a place where missionaries had never been. It was high in the mountains and virgin jungle of southern Ecuador.

The chief there had asked us to come. He wanted a school for the children, medicine, and a place where an airstrip could be made so that the missionaries could come.

Now this was rugged mountain country, jungle covered, and John and I, along with the chief had looked around until we could find a place level enough to be cleared and an airstrip built. Our visit had ended, and it was time to return. We were a long way from home. It had been a grueling three day walk up the mountains, through the dense virgin rain forest, and now we had to make that three day walk back to the place where the missionary plane could come and pick us up.




We were so glad that the trip had been such a blessing, but we were tired too. The first day, on the way back, about 4 in the afternoon, we came to a house right in the middle of the trail. There were no doors on the house, and the trail went right up to the one door, and out the other door. This made for an excellent place to spend the night. There were palm trees, bananas, and plantain, and our shuar friends made themselves at home.

Now, I knew that someone must have built this place for themselves. We were really in somebody's house. What if they came back and found us all here eating their food and burning their firewood? It worried me a little bit.

But the natives with us were not bothered by such things. They just took over. Peasa, the one who had invited us to Wari Entza went hunting and killed a monkey so we could have some meat.

It was as if the Lord wanted us to have a good place to sleep that night. Peasa roasted the monkey over the fire all night. It was a night to remember. We sang hymns, choruses like:

"It's true, it's true that Jesus died for me."
"Necas necas, jaruktram gamiaji"

Necas means "it's true". Jaruktram gamiaji means "he died for me". In the word jaruktram gamiaji - ja is the word for "death".

There is nothing like a song to restore our souls. The Lord not only prepares a table before us even in the presence of the enemy. But He restores us to joy and the peace of being His children. As we sang those chorus's together, John and I, and the shuar that were with us that night in that house that wasn't ours, eating food that wasn't ours, God restored our souls.

We forgot about the cold nights, and the long hard days on the trail. We forgot about the bugs, the snakes, the rain, and the mud. We remembered what Jesus had done for us, and who He was.

There were long and hard days ahead. The evil one was not pleased that the Lord had fed us and restored us.



In your lives, there will be long hard days too. But if you keep looking to Jesus, and thinking about Him, the hard days will soon be over, and God will lift you up in His arms and hug you, and love you. The whole world is a jungle, and there He will prepare for you food, and rest, and blessed restoration.

Thank you very much,
Bill Gibson, 11/03/02

Ecuador

Ecuador is the Switzerland of South America. There are snow capped mountains and volcanoes.

The capitol city, Quito, is located on the Equator and is at an altitude of 10 thousand feet above sea level. It is located at the foot of Mount Pichincha, which recently erupted.

Ecuador is divided into three distinctly different area. The Sierra (mountainous areas) with fields of grain and herds of sheep. There is the coast with it's huge banana plantations, rivers, and farms. And on the other side of the Andes Mountains is the Oriente (eastern) part. This is the rain forest and the head waters of the great Amazon.

There are many tribes of native peoples:

• The Cofasin of the lower coastal area
• The Colorado who love red and paint their hair red
• The Quichua of the high sierra. It is among these people that the Lord did a work of grace and thousands of them became christians and found the freedom that is in Christ
• In the Oriente there are the Shuar, the Huaorani, the Quechua, Achuara, and others.

Gladis and I went to Ecuador in the summer of 1950. we were there for over 16 years and then spent 2 years in Colombia.

We labored in the rain forest, or jungle area, with the Shuar. Many people from the embassy asked us why we went to the natives to preach hell fire to them. They were happy in their environment. And so it would seem. But once you live among them, you find that they aren't so happy as it might appear on a sunny day.

They were bound by fear. In fact they had three basic fears:

1. Demonic powers and witchcraft
2. Disease and sickness
3. Death

They had a name for the devil, but no name for God. They already knew about hell, but they didn't know about Jesus who could and would free them from the fear of death.

We established a school for the children, medical help for the sick, and hope for the future. All of a sudden they had a song to sing, peace in their hearts, and help for their illnesses.

They are a very intelligent people. They knew the ways of the jungle, and now they have the Bible in their own language. Women have value, and families are blessed with more children.

Notes from a talk
given by Bill Gibson to the Sertoma Club
El Paso Texas, date unknown

The Flat Tortilla

Those of you who have known Bill and Gladis for many years may remember that lively little newsletter "The Flat Tortilla". It was published in the 1980's through the early 1990's. I don't have all the issues, but I have several, and I thought it would be fun to post quotes, jokes, and the little tidbits of interesting information found in them.

Eventually, I plan to have those little newsletters available for download, maybe in a pdf format. Until then, you can read everything that's been posted so far by following this link: The Flat Tortilla.

Visiting Nurse

I do trust in the steadfast love of God
to time indefinite, even forever.
~Psalm 52:8

Gladis Gibson, missionary nurse.

Cumai, Ecuador SA, 1954, photo by Bill Gibson

The soft focus of this image really brings home the soft quality of Gladis Gibson’s heart and her healing work.

In order to make a home visit, everything that might possibly be needed was packed into a big basket that had originally been intended as a bassinet. The trick was to pack the basket as light as possible, because it had to be carried, and at the same time put as much into it as you possibly could because you never knew what exactly would be needed.

All the visits were made on foot, as there were no roads and no cars. I’m not entirely sure why horses weren’t used more often. It could be that they weren’t practical, because of the density of the rainforest and the depth of the mud.