Bruchko by Bruce Olson

I appreciated this missionary book of experiences-- to read it is to ask yourself-- how far am I willing to share the gospel. Am I willing to reach that threshold that could include death if it is the Lord's will?  At least that is the questions it asked me.

The book is about a nineteen year old fellow from Minnesota/St.Paul who sets out for South America to be a missionary to the primitive Indians in the sixties. His father is a banker of Norwegian and Lutheran background who is rather hard to live with. His family is rather alarmed and displeased when the bookish Bruce has a born again experience and starts to go to another church that acknowledges the New Birth experience. They for sure believe he is throwing his life away when he leaves for the Venezuela jungle. He expected to help the Christian mission already established but receives a cold shoulder because he was not in their program. From there he just allows God to take the initiative and guide him to where he needs to go. According to that direction it doesn't just lead to any Indian tribe but rather leads to the most feared and bloody tribe-- the Molitiones.  I forgot to list how many times he nearly succumbs to disease or nearly gets killed by hostile natives. (Having lived in Belize near the Peten jungles I respect anyone  who is just able to put up with the bugs, diseases, and danger that jungle living entails let alone hostile cornered natives.) Except for a few trips to Bogata and frontier towns he is fairly submerged into the Indian culture and living for the first six years. His natural bent is language study and he with the help of his Indian "pact" brother translate the book of Mark and I believe by now he has probably overseen a good share of the Bible translated. In the end he planted the seed and communicated the gospel to the Indians and showed compassion by helping them with their physical medical needs but  they, the Indians, were the ones that watered and harvested believers in the end. If you read the book it is clear that even if you walk the paths of God, it doesn't mean you are not going to have bear a cross. There are many sad happenings along with the victories in this book. One of the purposes of the book is also to show the dangers of survival that the Indians face as settlers encroach upon the land.
 My particular edition starts out with the author's kidnapping a couple years ago by Colombian Communists.

As far as my opinion of the book it is mainly favorable. I was amazed with how the way was prepared to reach those primitive people and the provisions God chose to reach them. How knowledgeable they were of God despite all their complex belief system. I appreciated the parts of the book that stress the need to show a deep interest and compassion to the people. Study their language and culture to see where God has already touched them with understanding. Then find a way where the Gospel can be theirs personally to share to their own people. These people where a very individualistic tribe that became more caring for one another as the Spirit touched their lives. Read it for yourself---I am getting too long winded.

The things I did not like as well is the glorification of the man and his accomplishments you see in the Bruce Olsen website and the repeated fact that he was a personal friend to so many Colombian presidents and spoke to the UN, etc.. (Not to say at all that is negative in itself) He probably has little to do with it personally--maybe the publisher, etc----I don't know. I would say in the book he down plays his role because it is clear he would be dead ten times over or else he wanted to walk away if God was not there. Finally he wrote the book to raise awareness and money to the plight of the Indians.

   Another thing I would be tended to question ----- the fact that you are left to believe that the Christians would bare arms to defend their land and life which seems counter to Christ's teachings of what we call nonresistance. There is not much of that but those were the points I possibly wondered about. Just read the book and let me know what you think. My wife is reading Peace Child by Don Richardson, so maybe when she is done that will be my next read. To me reading is like going to school and learning from the experience of others...So Long......