GMU Kids

By paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground.
Isaiah 42:16

Missionary children enrolled in boarding school. Quito, Ecuador SA, 1957
photo by Bill Gibson

These were the GMU kids. Children of missionaries affiliated with the Gospel Missionary Union. We lived and went to school in Quito, the capitol city of Ecuador.

Our parents lived and worked in many different places throughout the country. We spent 3 months with our parents in the summer and 3 weeks over Christmas. In case you're wondering, I'm the one wearing cowboy boots.

Serious Business

Agree with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you.
Job 22:21

Jivaro Indians engaged in serious discussion after church. Ecuador, SA 1954

photo by Bill Gibson

In the early days, there were so many family feuds and vendettas that the social time before and after church was fraught with tension and hidden danger. The men brought their guns, and kept them handy.

To read more about Shuar history, go here.Two books that are worth reading are: Mission To The Headhunters by Frank and Marie Drown, and The Jivaro by Michael Harner

Play House

Ask and ye shall receive.
John 16:24

Shirley Gibson, age 6, enjoying the playhouse made with leaves, scrap lumber, and love. Sucua, Ecuador 1957, photo by Bill Gibson

The walls were made of split bamboo, the roof was palm leaves, and there were no screens in the windows. It may not look like much, but to me, this play house was like a palace. It was my own place to play make believe, and pretend to be grown up.

The Flute Player

May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans.
Psalm 20:4

Shuar Indian playing a hand made flute. Ecuador SA, 1953
photo by Bill Gibson

He’s got everything he needs, a muzzle loading shot gun over one shoulder, a mesh bag with essentials over the other, a cap on his head, a friend at his side, and a flute.

Shuar Family

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us.
Luke 1:78

Shuar family
Ecuador SA, 1954
photo by Bill Gibson

Here is a typical family. A man with his two wives and several children. In this case, the two wives are sisters, the husband is a believer who kept his family intact because it would have been an extreme hardship on whichever wife he “divorced”, and he cared for them both. As you can see the youngest wife is pregnant.

Often women would encourage the husband to marry a younger sister because it was more likely that they would be able to live in harmony, and when two women shared the work, life was easier.

Look!

And you will have confidence,
because there is hope.
Job 11:18

Little boy with a balsa canoe.
Chupientsa, Ecuador 1957

photo by Bill Gibson

This little boy made this little canoe in Daily Vacation Bible School, and he is very proud of it. It was carved out of Balsa wood, a very soft light wood from which even very large canoes are made.

Jungle Pilot

I will trust and not be afraid.

Isaiah 12:2

Johnny Keenan, Missionary Pilot Ecuador SA, 1956

photo by Bill Gibson

Not only was he a really nice man, he was an excellent pilot. I was never afraid when I flew with him, because I was convinced that even if we had to land on top of a tree, “Uncle Johnny” would somehow make sure we were all safe.

I can’t say enough about the pilots that fly for the MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship).

Mowing The Airstrip

Is anything too hard for the Lord?
Genesis 18:14

Gladis Gibson, mowing the airstrip.
Chupientsa, Ecuador, SA 1959

photo by Bill Gibson

Mowing the airstrip with a push mower! This was how my mom got her exercise. Every Saturday afternoon, she was out there mowing.

The airstrip had to be kept level, and well mowed. A pothole, a rock, a large clump of grass in the wrong spot, and the plane could flip and crash.

Each week, my dad walked the length of the airstrip and looked for ant hills. Ant hills very quickly turned into potholes in wet weather. We’d pour kerosene into each hole, and set them on fire.

I always felt bad for the ants, but it had to be done.

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"

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.