Take a photo of a barcode or cover
carolejt's review against another edition
4.0
Not only is this book interesting, recounting amazing happenings in the life of Bruce Olson, but it challenges us in our lives as well.
This book certainly does not present Bruce as the perfect missionary, or imply that everyone should do missionary work as he has done it. One of the main reasons I liked this so much is that Jesus Himself is the Hero of the story. Bruce didn't know how he would present Jesus to these tribal people. When the time finally came, God allowed Bruce to connect their history, their traditional stories, and their life longings together to introduce Jesus as the One to meet their needs.
Bruce was wise to not offend them and push American ways on them, but to add to their knowledge, in regard to medicine, spiritual life, and education.
Some outstanding truths in the book:
God is the One who reveals Himself to people, and the mystery is how He uses us to do that!
God's Spirit will continue to lead people in their spiritual walk as they continue to seek Him.
God will use people who are willing to work in His kingdom!
Our daily life should exercise and exemplify our trust in God.
Bruce has given his life to tell a specific people group about Jesus, and care for them. This prompts praise to God and thanks for His continued display of grace.
This book certainly does not present Bruce as the perfect missionary, or imply that everyone should do missionary work as he has done it. One of the main reasons I liked this so much is that Jesus Himself is the Hero of the story. Bruce didn't know how he would present Jesus to these tribal people. When the time finally came, God allowed Bruce to connect their history, their traditional stories, and their life longings together to introduce Jesus as the One to meet their needs.
Bruce was wise to not offend them and push American ways on them, but to add to their knowledge, in regard to medicine, spiritual life, and education.
Some outstanding truths in the book:
God is the One who reveals Himself to people, and the mystery is how He uses us to do that!
God's Spirit will continue to lead people in their spiritual walk as they continue to seek Him.
God will use people who are willing to work in His kingdom!
Our daily life should exercise and exemplify our trust in God.
Bruce has given his life to tell a specific people group about Jesus, and care for them. This prompts praise to God and thanks for His continued display of grace.
levidenbow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
Great story of a missionary to South American tribes. Powerful book.
rjlee89's review
5.0
Confession time: this book has sat on my shelf for roughly 8 years as I borrowed it from a friend and basically carried it across the country. But, honestly, I don't think I would have fully appreciated it then as I do now.
Yes, from the surface it's a story (from the 70s) about a blond American boy who wants to serve God by being a missionary to the tribes in South America.
Can I get a good grief?
But, like whoa. The insight Olson has from the beginning of his time, specifically in Colombia and Venezuela is mind-blowing. As in, he points out the hypocrisy of the church. In the beginning, he notices how the tribes are divided due to the Christian influence and questions why the tribal nations had to "look like a Americans", since ... no surprise, but Jesus didn't come to bring WESTERN CULTURE to the people. I literally wanted to scream YES, A FREAKING MEN. But, I was sitting outside at a Starbucks. There's a scene where a chief speaks to Olson about the disgrace of entering a square building (church) instead of a circle (the chief was not interested in Christianity, but the Christianity he saw didn't understand him). Olson sees this flaw and I basically thought if the people care about the structure, wouldn't it be better to care enough about them to make it a circular shape?
I found it time and time again fascinating how this guy, Olson, had the patience to just wait A LOT. And learn. He didn't want the Yucas or, ultimately the Motilones that he ended up working with, to become like him or become like North Americans. He went to help with a measles outbreak initially and to share about Jesus' love.
From learning their language, culture, and societal system, he was able to help them, not just spiritually, but physically. There's an example of pinkeye spreading through the communities and he works WITH the witch doctor to bring help. Ultimately, literally smearing pinkeye pus on himself, so that the witch doctor could heal him with the medicines and incantations and see that it helped. Jesus-like, no? To be willing to be exposed to infection for the good of others. The thing that he points out is typically, missionaries would oust the witch doctor since they seemed "demonic" and thus created a power vacuum and disrupted the community. What Olson realized is that the witch doctor was not communing with evil spirits, but trying to communicate with God the best she could. And ultimately, by going through her, instead of on his own, the people were cured of not just pinkeye, but were able to implement other health measures and centers.
Olson was able to begin to understand the Motilone language, way of speaking and thinking, and understand that in their theology they were looking for Christ (they had lost the way to God and were deceived and went their own way - this was one of their legends and tales passed down). But he did through, his best friend and pact brother, Bobby. Once Bobby spent time to accept that Jesus had a path for him to follow and to tie into God (like a hammock), he accepted. Olson immediately, Westernizing the process, wanted Bobby to share with others, but Bobby didn't because that was not the MOTILONE way. Instead he (and they) waited until a big festival. By then, people had seen a clear change in Bobby's attitude toward others (from prideful and self-sufficient to caring). At the festival, he and another Motilone sang for 14 hours (or around that length) about Jesus and how He is for the Motilone people too (in a nutshell). Olson at first was upset, because it wasn't done in typical Western fashion (until he has an epiphany with Jesus, who basically calls him out and says that He will lead them His way (aka NOT necessarily the Western way).
There are SO many incredible moments throughout this book. Another one was in the translation of the Bible. Bobby and Olson go to teach the children first about the Bible until the elders object (because they didn't want the children to learn something that they didn't already know), which angered Olson at first, until he remembered again the social structures. Again, Olson and Bobby set out to teach parts of the translated Bible, but to the ELDERS, who then taught the children and thus keeping their societal and cultural systems intact.
I also love how while translating, particularly the parables, Olson and Bobby would figure out how to best elaborate principles that Jesus talks about that Motilones would understand. There is a parable about putting a house on solid rock vs. shifting sand and Bobby said no, this is not right because you WOULD put a house on sand, so the poles would run deep. So, Olson and Bobby worked on adjusting the parable, while keeping Jesus' main message (foundation in Him) intact so that once again it wouldn't be a distraction for the Motilones, but to understand that Jesus' way is clear and simple.
Olson was by no means perfect, he actually does a few foolish things, but it's his heart for God and desire to serve Jesus to come off the pages long after being read.
And at the end, when he questions what is the point when {SPOILERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR}
Bobby is murdered. The answer of how the Motilone people have been transformed - yes, by Jesus, but not just spiritually, PHYSICALLY. They had a social and economic system from within their own communities and they were able to defend themselves from outside threats (not just greedy oil employees, but land settlers and outlaws). And part of me wonders if this could have been the case in North America if instead of trying to WIPE out the pollutions "in the name of Jesus" (what nonsense. Call it what it is. In the name of greed, lust, and power), the people who actually wanted to bring Jesus, cared about the PEOPLE themselves as Olson models how this is, and ULTIMATELY, how Jesus models this then and NOW.
Yes, from the surface it's a story (from the 70s) about a blond American boy who wants to serve God by being a missionary to the tribes in South America.
Can I get a good grief?
But, like whoa. The insight Olson has from the beginning of his time, specifically in Colombia and Venezuela is mind-blowing. As in, he points out the hypocrisy of the church. In the beginning, he notices how the tribes are divided due to the Christian influence and questions why the tribal nations had to "look like a Americans", since ... no surprise, but Jesus didn't come to bring WESTERN CULTURE to the people. I literally wanted to scream YES, A FREAKING MEN. But, I was sitting outside at a Starbucks. There's a scene where a chief speaks to Olson about the disgrace of entering a square building (church) instead of a circle (the chief was not interested in Christianity, but the Christianity he saw didn't understand him). Olson sees this flaw and I basically thought if the people care about the structure, wouldn't it be better to care enough about them to make it a circular shape?
I found it time and time again fascinating how this guy, Olson, had the patience to just wait A LOT. And learn. He didn't want the Yucas or, ultimately the Motilones that he ended up working with, to become like him or become like North Americans. He went to help with a measles outbreak initially and to share about Jesus' love.
From learning their language, culture, and societal system, he was able to help them, not just spiritually, but physically. There's an example of pinkeye spreading through the communities and he works WITH the witch doctor to bring help. Ultimately, literally smearing pinkeye pus on himself, so that the witch doctor could heal him with the medicines and incantations and see that it helped. Jesus-like, no? To be willing to be exposed to infection for the good of others. The thing that he points out is typically, missionaries would oust the witch doctor since they seemed "demonic" and thus created a power vacuum and disrupted the community. What Olson realized is that the witch doctor was not communing with evil spirits, but trying to communicate with God the best she could. And ultimately, by going through her, instead of on his own, the people were cured of not just pinkeye, but were able to implement other health measures and centers.
Olson was able to begin to understand the Motilone language, way of speaking and thinking, and understand that in their theology they were looking for Christ (they had lost the way to God and were deceived and went their own way - this was one of their legends and tales passed down). But he did through, his best friend and pact brother, Bobby. Once Bobby spent time to accept that Jesus had a path for him to follow and to tie into God (like a hammock), he accepted. Olson immediately, Westernizing the process, wanted Bobby to share with others, but Bobby didn't because that was not the MOTILONE way. Instead he (and they) waited until a big festival. By then, people had seen a clear change in Bobby's attitude toward others (from prideful and self-sufficient to caring). At the festival, he and another Motilone sang for 14 hours (or around that length) about Jesus and how He is for the Motilone people too (in a nutshell). Olson at first was upset, because it wasn't done in typical Western fashion (until he has an epiphany with Jesus, who basically calls him out and says that He will lead them His way (aka NOT necessarily the Western way).
There are SO many incredible moments throughout this book. Another one was in the translation of the Bible. Bobby and Olson go to teach the children first about the Bible until the elders object (because they didn't want the children to learn something that they didn't already know), which angered Olson at first, until he remembered again the social structures. Again, Olson and Bobby set out to teach parts of the translated Bible, but to the ELDERS, who then taught the children and thus keeping their societal and cultural systems intact.
I also love how while translating, particularly the parables, Olson and Bobby would figure out how to best elaborate principles that Jesus talks about that Motilones would understand. There is a parable about putting a house on solid rock vs. shifting sand and Bobby said no, this is not right because you WOULD put a house on sand, so the poles would run deep. So, Olson and Bobby worked on adjusting the parable, while keeping Jesus' main message (foundation in Him) intact so that once again it wouldn't be a distraction for the Motilones, but to understand that Jesus' way is clear and simple.
Olson was by no means perfect, he actually does a few foolish things, but it's his heart for God and desire to serve Jesus to come off the pages long after being read.
And at the end, when he questions what is the point when {SPOILERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR}
Bobby is murdered. The answer of how the Motilone people have been transformed - yes, by Jesus, but not just spiritually, PHYSICALLY. They had a social and economic system from within their own communities and they were able to defend themselves from outside threats (not just greedy oil employees, but land settlers and outlaws). And part of me wonders if this could have been the case in North America if instead of trying to WIPE out the pollutions "in the name of Jesus" (what nonsense. Call it what it is. In the name of greed, lust, and power), the people who actually wanted to bring Jesus, cared about the PEOPLE themselves as Olson models how this is, and ULTIMATELY, how Jesus models this then and NOW.