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