Book Report: Bruchko, by Bruce Olson

I had to read a book about a missionary. I wasn't looking forward to this book to start.
Brian one of our leaders recommended it and I look at him like bush man who loves those crazy times he had in Kenya and Sudan and I thought, this will be a boring book.
I loved it! This true story about what Bruce Olsen did in the heart of Colombia with the Motilone Indians inspired me so much. In fact it made me question if I ever could do that, and if I could seriously or want to do something like that one day.
Bruce left a lasting impression, and still continues to on the Motilones. I'd rather quote what he did that was most important that just revolutionizing a culture.
"The greatest miracle I have seen, though has been the changed life of the Motilones. They have found their purpose in Jesus Christ. As a result, they have broken down the individuality that prevented them from helping each other. There is real caring for others; real selfsacrifice. That has made their economic development possible as well as their spiritual development. WIthout it, their programs always bogged down. With it, their problems are being solved."
I learned that throughout this change that Bruce made for the Motilone indians, he had to change not just their lifestyles which were unclean, which lead to sickness, death, etc., but give them Jesus Christ in their life. Once he came into their culture, Bruce saw real change.
Being with the tribe for 2 years before they became followers of Jesus Christ, Bruce saw how they lived and didn't blink an eye to help their fellow neighbor up or feed the family nearby even if their was extra food. Oh but after, real change was made from the inside out.
"I have spoken before the United Nations. I have spoken to the Organization of American States. I have been a personal friend of teh last four presidents of Colombia. My experience with the Motilone Indians has taught me how to deal with other cultures; how to promote positive change without tearing social structures apart at the seams. I try to share these things. But the most important thing that I can say to those who want to help primitive people is this: They will not be helped very much unless they find purpose in life through Jesus Christ. Without Him, whatever development takes place always will be twisted or corrupted. It will embitter those who try to hold it together, and those who don't care about it will be ruined by apathy and alienation."
I found this true with the work I was doing in New Zealand.
I wanted to help those girls by giving them hope and opportunity through this football. I did quite a bit, and I'm finally seeing some of the fruits, but truly I realized later on what will make it last. I didn't have God in those girls hearts. What is lasting is a relationship with our Lord and Savior. He will make everything worth living and working for. There is something greater than us and there is a place we will be going that is amazing! I didn't share this message of hope to them of God. I knew what I was doing was good, but there is something greater and lasting!
"But with Jesus, there can be real change. not just spiritual change. Not just change by and by. Real change, now, with visible power. He is teh source of all change. He is God of everyday miracles."
Another thing I learned from this book, was how much Bruce suffered just to know and serve God. He was in a home that knew the Bible, but not the Holy Spirit. Which was just what I learned more about last week. To see Bruce grow in this Holy Spirit all on his own in his room, he found something he wanted so much more of! Once he felt this spirit and went to his friend's church that actually danced and sang out loud, he wanted that and not his boring church that never spoke of this personal relationship.
Bruce's parents even rejected what their own son was so passionate about. Locking him outside the house when he came home late in the snow from church. His pastor claiming that he was crazy to talk about things when he didn't really know God.
Bruce desired through all these struggles to still be a missionary, but was told by these white Americans that he had to get his schooling to teach others about God.
When Bruce actually picked up and left for Colombia all on his own with no clue what he was going to do, he went on God's call to a country that he felt he was suppose to be at. There he found more 'missionaries' from America who rejected him. Not even the people of that country rejected Bruce, but he couldn't be helped, nor even fed by his fellow Americans. Sad example of people who have Christ.
I also see how Bruce then took it upon himself to engulf himself in the culture. Bruce just thought he'd go where he felt called, to the Motilones and see what happens next. Bruce strait-up lived with those people and learned who they were, how they spoke, how they worked by living with them day in and day out. That was the only way he would have been able to teach them about God.
Before he went he had met 'Indian Christians' and didn't see them being who they were destined to be but changed by Westernized missionaries. Bruce had asked one Indian about the 'Christian Indians.' This was his response.
"They won't sing our songs now. They sing those weird, wailing songs that are all out of tune and don't make sense. And the construction which they call a church! Have you seen their church? It's square! how can God be in a square church? Round is perfect." He pointed to the wall of the hut in which we sat. 'It has no ending, like God. But the Christians, their God has points all over, bristling at us. And how those Christians dress! Such foolish clothes..."
The Motilones, I want to reiterate once again, found Jesus on their own. Yes Bruce was there, but he helped just live in their lives. It was the Holy Spirit that actually broke through into their culture. It started with Bruce's best friend he made called Bobby. Once Bobby caught this personally relationship just as Bruce once had all on his own, then this leader Bobby shared the message. The message though fit for Motilones.
"From that day our friendship was enhanced by our love for Jesus. We talked constantly about Him, and Bobby asked me many questions. But he never asked teh color of Jesus' hair, or whether He had blue eyes. To Bobby the answers were obvious: Jesus had dark skin, and His eyes were black. he wore a G-string, and hunted with bows and arrows. Jesus was a Motilone."
Lastly I wanted to point out the fact the God brought out the humaness inside the Motilones. This tribe who are were at point emotionless, especially to Bruce who had been there for so many years to see this, became full of emotion and senses once they had Jesus Christ in their hearts.
This spoke so much to me because I truly learned that love not only is inate when you have God in your heart, but it springs naturally. Sin isn't really being necessarily mean, but it is also being indifferent. If you don't care, or don't care about someone, then you just as much are being mean to them. This hit me in one of our classes as completely true.
WHen I was in high school and rebelled so much and no idea why I was so indifferent to my parents, it was this feeling that was almost the same as disliking them altogether.
The Motilones changed and Bruce truly saw this when his dear friend Bobby died. The tribe came together by Bruce's side and cried with him and had never done that before. The emotion in fact scared them.
"Ocdabidayna walked up to me, trying ot smile. 'Look at us all. Everybody has the flue!'" he said.
'No,' I said. 'It's not the flue that i have. It's no flu.' Then Ocdabidayna, one of the leading chiefs, grabbed his head with his two hands and fell on the ground. 'Oh, Bruchko,' he said, looking up at me, 'I'm not a man. I'm a baby, a tiny baby. Only babies cry.' His agony shook the Motilones as I have never seen them shaken. They ran into th ejungle to hide their own tears from each other. 'Bruchko.' Obdabidayna said. 'Jesus Christ died for all the tribes of teh world. Bobby is almost like Him. he died for the Motilones.'"
I just want to conclude that this book really shook me and was fantastic to inspire me to want to really change people. I see that I truly have to learn who they are, how they live in order to help them. I have to bring Jesus into their lives, but do so in a way that they will grab him. This takes discipleship, which takes staying more in one place. I hope I hear a call soon to more discipleship, if that's God's call for me.