The Guarijio people believe they're true, and that illustrates the cultural difficulties that Dennis and Machelle Bender face as they prepare to share God's Word.
In one story, a man went to a doctor because he was having stomach pains and his legs were swelling, but the doctor could not cure him.
On the way back he went to a shaman. The shaman rubbed his stomach and pulled a worm out. He told the man the sickness was caused by selling another man's cow, and proceeded to tell the man what he had done in detail -- even though the shaman had not been there.
The shaman then was able to cure the man.
Another story has a more dire ending. A man who had been walking on a trail at night suddenly felt as if he had been knocked off the trail with a heavy rock. He and his friends searched for the rock, but instead found a pisori, a creature that steals your soul when you are frightened.
The Guarijios believe a scare can make you sick -- or worse -- and only a shaman can cure you. But no shaman was available. The man died about a month later.
These beliefs not only affect their understanding of illness and death, but will have an impact on how they understand incidents in the Bible, such as the fear Adam and Eve experienced when God came to the Garden after they had sinned. Beliefs such as these will contrast with what the Bible says about the power of God.
Pray for wisdom and clarity as the Benders seek to more fully understand the culture of the Guarijios, and pray that God would work in hearts to reveal His Truth to them.
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