A faith worth living

9. July 2008 by BruceSmith.

Wanna know how to live a faith that really means something?  Wanna be a person of faith, rather than someone who shows up for a religious ritual once a week and then goes back to “normal”?  Wanna truly impact the world at large?

If so, you may find a clue or two in the stories we profile this week, stories of great faith adventurers who knew God so intimately that they took huge risks in order to know what life to the full looks like, feels like, and truly is.

Bruce Olson is a true faith adventurer.  He is not the kind of faith person who sits in a comfortable church chair once a week and gives a little money here and there to God’s causes.  No, Bruce Olson is a guy who committed his entire life to an expedition unlike few ever embrace.  As a young man He sensed God calling him to bring the message of the scriptures to as yet unreached people.  In his case, Bruce was being called to reach a group of “wild” Indians in the jungles of Columbia, the Motilone tribe.

Beyond the “typical” difficulties in choosing such a life (ever tried living in the jungle?), Bruce also willingly walked into this setting not knowing how this sometimes violent tribe would react to a tall, lanky, blond-haired, glasses wearing American in Khakis.  This mostly naked, shorter, stocky, spear throwing, pagan group had not encountered someone with Bruce’s profile.  This combined with the reality that a guerilla war was on in the region in which Bruce would be working only complicated matters.  This was no safe adventure.

Over time Bruce’s love for and work with the Motilone’s began to pay off.  He nurtured strong friendships with members of the tribe and he came to be treated as one of them.  He was considered a brother, a teacher, and a friend to these people.

At some point, however, his “luck” changed and he was captured by a guerilla force who held, tortured, and unrelentingly manipulated Bruce over a period of several months.  The captors, “revolutionaries” they called themselves, wanted Bruce to win the Motilone tribe over to the guerilla cause.  Despite all the tactics of his captors which regularly included death threats, Bruce refused to give in, and he made his cause known, to help the Motilone remain a people unto themselves, captive to no one’s agenda.

Amazingly, as the months of captivity unfolded, Bruce began to win the guerillas over.  As he taught them language and many skills they began to embrace him, like the Motilone, as a brother and friend.  When leaders of these revolutionaries became increasingly frustrated with Bruce’s refusals to help them win the Motilones they attempted to force other guerillas to execute Bruce.  The problem was, these guerillas had come to love this man, their captive, and refused the orders!

Eventually, 9 months into his captivity, Bruce was finally placed on the firing line and his date with destiny was set.  His most adamant captor, the leader of the revolutionaries, had decided that this spectacle would end.  On the day Bruce was scheduled to die, out in the remote jungles of Columbia, the faith adventure of this daring man of faith took an unexpected turn.  Having readied himself to die, and refusing to wear a blindfold because he wanted to look his captors in the eye as they pulled the trigger, and as as the group of executioners made their way to the firing line,  some with tears streaming down their faces, trouble was stirring.  It appeared that no one who was being ordered to do the killing actually wanted to pull the trigger.  Each of these men had, in fact, come to embrace faith in Jesus Christ, and had come to love this man they were being ordered to kill.

Having no choice, the men lined up, pointed rifles at Bruce, and pulled the triggers.  Bruce felt NOTHING.  Nothing.  As it turned out someone had placed blanks in the rifles.  It was one last ditch effort from the leaders of the revolutionaries to scare Bruce into submission and get him to join forces with them.  They thought he would cry out for mercy and give up his cause for the Motilone.  He did not.

Not too many days later, Bruce was released and made his way back to the Motilone.  He was welcomed with shouts of joy.  Many more miraculous stories could be told about Bruce’s experiences in the jungles of Columbia.  Bruce is still living this faith adventure in fact.  He remains, away from the comforts of American society, committed to a life worth living.  As he tells it, he would be miserable living any other life.  The results?  A culture, formerly untouched by others, now experiencing life in God, following Christ, and expanding their skills, knowledge, and abilities.  Below, from Bruce’s website, are a few examples of the impact this one faith adventurer has had on a “wild” Indian tribe in the jungles of Columbia:

The so-called “wild” Indians have been transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Bruce has seen the work of the Holy Spirit continue to the next generation of Motilones. But they not only have redemption and new life, they also have the technical preparation they need to survive on the lands of their forefathers. Their lands, by the way, are now protected legally, thanks in great measure to Bruce’s tireless efforts on their behalf.

Tribal students are academic acheivers–15 are studying in university, next year 13 will graduate from high school, 22 from vocational training, and 12 from the school of nursing. All the 400-plus previous Indian graduates are serving their tribes in the jungles. Not one has abandoned the jungle for city life. In the jungles more than 2,500 students are getting bilingual education in 18 languages.

Bruce has built facilities and trained people to work in 18 health centers, 42 bilingual schools, 22 agricultural centers, and 11 trading posts, which really are co-operatives. They spark social development in places overlooked by the governments of Colombia and Venezuela. The co-operatives provide the economic base for 18 tribal peoples.

The director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Northeast Colombia is a Motilone lawyer. The director of Indian Affairs for the state government is a Motilone graduate in business administration. The coordinator for press relations for Northeast Colombia Native Peoples’ Affairs is a Motilone university graduate in journalism.

One man.  One adventure.  One God.  One amazing story of living life to the full.

Do you want a faith worth living?  Get out of the comfort of the boat…you may just walk on water!

Hungering for that kind of faith,

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.org

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »