Imagine.
You are a woman with a young child in the jungles of Ecuador. It’s 1956 or so. Your husband and four of his fellow missionaries have just been murdered by a vicious tribe known for murdering others at the slightest provocation.
Do you flee – go home? Do you run to the city? Or do you take your child and go live with the tribe that murdered your husband?
Last night Teresa and I watched The End of the Spear (and here). I had some familiarity with the story, having read Through Gates of Splendor almost 15 years ago.
The widows and their children elected to go live with the tribe that killed their husbands. Slowly, through their work, and through the work of one of the tribeswomen who had lived with them outside the tribe for some years, the Woadani tribe accepted the Christian ethic of love, and the Lord of that ethic, and the murder rate dropped 90% over a few years.
This is an amazing story, and I really recommend the movie – and the book.
[tags] end of the spear, christian, woadani, movie, john koetsier [/tags]