FAITH IN THE COLOMBIAN JUNGLE
A man named Bruce Olson went to Colombia many years ago as a missionary to the headhunters in the far southern jungle, near the border with Brazil. The book that tells his story is Bruchko, the name the Indians called him since they couldn't wrap their tongues around "Bruce." It's an incredible tale of danger and grace, adventure and miracles. He wasn't trained, had no denominational or organizational backup, just a profound sense that he had been called to this work by God.
One of the hardest things he had to do was communicate with them before they decided to have him for dinner. Literally. The process of learning their language was also extremely difficult, as many of the words and concepts he needed to explain who Jesus was and what he had done simply didn't appear to exist in their culture. And one of those ideas Bruce couldn't seem to get across to them was "faith." But after a lot of false starts - and funny stories - he finally found it. It was the word they used to describe hooking their hammocks to the poles that held up the roofs of their huts. It was risking their lives upon a conviction of real safety.