Thursday, March 29, 2007

Blood , Sweat, and Tears!




If anyone asked me for my opinion ( yeah right! Like I'ld wait to be asked!) on what it takes to be a career missionary, I would answer, "Blood, sweat, and tears!"

It takes years to learn a language and a culture well . A language is picked up long before the culture is truly understood. In most cases, the missionary can attend a language school to learn a rudimentary knowledge of the language, but there is no class room to learn the culture. When dealing with a tribal language it is much more time consuming and the culture of course is totally alien to the western mind.

To learn a tribal language, one must become child like and follow people around and try to imitate sounds with out a clue as to their meaning. Eventually, you will begin to hear the different individual sounds and can transcribe...well, thats another whole blog!

To learn a culture is an important task for the missionary and it takes time, and, as I said, "Blood, sweat and tears!"

BLOOD? Yeah! You have to learn the cultural way of dealing with death. You have to find out their way of mourning and caring for the dead. This can be very different in each culture.

Take the Sanema tribe, I remember the first time I was invited to a "funeral". I walked to the village and found a spot around the huge fire being built. I saw the women screaming and crying and slapping themselves in dispare. I saw them bring out the body wrapped in it's hammock and, I saw them place the body upon the pyre. There is no smell quite like the smell of human flesh being consumed by fire.

At this point, the witch doctor really began to whip it up. I saw the women even more excited. This dancing and crying went on all day...all night... until, at last, the fire was allowed to die.

Not over yet though! Now comes the most important part! The most vital thing one must do for their dead loved ones...the drinking of the bones.

The women scraped through all the cinders, sifting through their fingers every last little bit. Careful to catch each piece of bone left. Then these bits of bone are taken and with a primitive mortal and pestle, are ground to a fine powder. Once this is prepared, it is added to a banana drink and stirred in.

Now, all the immediate family members of the deceased come forward and begin to drink the bones. They pass the gourd around solemnly from one to another. The tiniest baby must swallow some as well. NOW, they can relax and rest in peace! Their departed love one will now be ok!

By drinking the bones, they have guaranteed that their family member will live on in them. Now they will have eternal life by being part of the living. And when the living die, they will be consumed along with them by the next generation.

Why is it important to know this? It might explain to the missionary that the father who refuses to allow you to fly the sick child out to town for medical treatment isn't being a monster. No, he loves his child too much to risk him dying out among the "criollos" and being buried! For who would drink his bones? Who could guarantee the continuation of all the ancestors contained within the child? It is an act of love in his eyes.

We may think it morbid, but...it is actually the nature of man to desire life after death and if no one is there to explain the true path God has set for us to achieve it, this is their feeble attempt to acquire eternal life for themselves.




SWEAT! You bet, sometimes you have to work with them physically to gain their respect. In some cultures, you need to understand why they DONT seem to work at all! It is all part of how you will communicate truth to them in a way they comprehend.

I remember a group of visitors making an observation once about Ye'kwana men.

"They are so lazy! They sleep till noon and then sit around in their hammocks the rest of the day while the women do all the work!"

DUHH.. I thought! So would you if you had been out running through the jungle hunting all night and knew you had to go back out tonight since you weren't able to bring home meat for your family!

TEARS! You need to know what hurts them. You need to be with them in their times of mourning. Sit with them as an old, loved one slowly dies. Or as a newborn infant fades away.
I learned from the Indians, tears are not always visible. The worse hurts stay inside. The pain is for you alone and can not be shared, as this would cheapen it. So, if you don't see tears...thats serious pain!!!

BLOOD! Literally, sometimes. I once flew out to town to donate blood for a dying indian. No one else with his blood type could be bothered. I gave so much blood I nearly passed out. And I gave again in a few days. I wanted to give more but they would not let me. His father placed his sons hand in mine and said, "He's your son now too. He has your blood now."
His father had never wanted to listen to the gospel until that day. He is now a believer!


SWEAT! I have seen my husband work with them. He helped them build the school. He helped them build the dispensary, he helped them cut the airstrips they needed so the plane could get in to take out medical emergency patients. I have seen his shirt soaked as he worked hard in the sauna like environment of the jungle. I have seen him go days without sleep caring for the sick. This speaks volumes.


TEARS! How many caskets have we built? I remember one baby we were hand feeding , drop by drop as we could not get in an IV. We were unable to fly our plane out due to government problems and red tape. We called for the health department planes, but they were BUSY flying assembly members to Angel Falls for a vacation. When the baby died, my husband built the tiny casket. Jewel lined it with a blue gingham material and Jayde sang Jesus Loves Me in Ye'kwana at the funeral.

We are by no means, SUPER missionaries. These stories could be repeated over and over again by a number of missionaries. I just feel they need to be put in writing so that others can know of the many things God is doing in Missions today. Often times we act as if the God of the Old Testament is dead and no longer works among us. Or we read of great missionaries of the last century and wonder why God is not doing the same great things today. He still is! I have witnessed it.

12 comments:

TO BECOME said...

I know you all are great missionaries and you have all my respect. Your post made me think and consider what it must have been like for Jesus to come down from heaven to our culture. My mind can't even imagine.Good visiting with you, Jungle mom. connie from Texas

Susan said...

Wonderful sharing once again. I think a wee bit of what you've written about with the tribes could also be applied to life here in the U.S. We don't all view life from the same perspective and we just have a tendency to shut our eyes rather than try to understand and learn the reasons behind actions.

Rita Loca said...

Penless: You are so right, It is all about becoming a servant to the ones we are trying to reach.

Susan said...

I had the same thoughts as Penless this morning - especially here in Vancouver, where people emigrate from literally all over the world. If we'd just stop and consider for a minute - or more - where they're coming from, we might be able to minister to folks a wee bit better.

Rita, thank you SO much for this entry! It challenged my heart and opened my eyes, as well as encouraged me. I recently read the biography of Jim Elliot, and I remarked to Wes that we don't hear of that kind of dedication and commitment in our times . . . until now. I wish all missionaries would write or speak of their experiences in depth, so that we could see not only what they're facing on their fields, but so that our children could see that God still uses people who are willing to be used - to spend and be spent, in the words of Paul. Thank you for the glimpses you give us of your work; they're priceless!

I'd love to hear how things change for the people after they are saved. For example, the drinking of the bones. How does salvation and knowing the truth about life after death change their view of their loved ones' deaths, and how does that change the way they are treated in their village?

Rita Loca said...

Susan, you are so right. In this day and age, the world comes to us. I was so impressed at a church that supports us near NYC. They had English services, Arabic, Spanish and Filipino services.

Mrs. Julie Fink said...

Thanks for taking the time to share this.

Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

I saw where you had dropped in on me today so I am visiting back...I must say I have to be the most blessed. I love this insight into your lives and into those to whom you are ministering. I'm going to be here reading for a long time!!

Anonymous said...

JM: You have probably 4 or 5 books in you. What a fascinating life you've had.

Anonymous said...

I am always impresses knowing how hard some of those years were for your physically, but you kept working with and for the Lord and made the Indians feel you were a true sister in Christ...
I also know many here prayed for you and still do.......I also knwo that a Loving God gave you wisdom to work with and minister to those whom you had no idea how to reach, but GOD PROVIDED!!
Can I proofread your book???LOL

Rita Loca said...

Pat; As for content, reading my blog is proof reading, as for grammar, boy, I'll need a lot of help!

Mishel said...

First off, let me say I read this post when you posted it last night and I couldn't even comment...it moved me that much. I had to let it soak in and re-read it tonight. Thank you and your family for serving the Lord in this way...for being willing. I know for me, just reading your blog over the past few weeks, has really opened my eyes and for that I am *very* thankful. Please keep sharing! : )

Anonymous said...

This blog IS fascinating reading, a book would be amazing!!

I am so inspired by all that you are doing to help these people.

I'm also interested in how (if?) their traditional rituals are continued once they learn about Christ? My husband is a Native American here in the Southwest (he is a Christian) and it is always interesting to me how the people I have met in his culture blend their old traditions with Christianity.