Hidden about the vast and distant corners of our world are rare and priceless treasures – rare because there are so few, and priceless because no amount of money can replace them. Yet you would never find them tucked away in a pirate’s chest or glittering from the crown of a king.
They can only be discovered by flying over an intricate maze of jungle, trekking along rugged, often treacherous paths, and voyaging down narrow, winding rivers in sometimes only inches of water.
These jewels are average, everyday people whose value stems from the fact that they are found in these remote locations in the first place. They weren’t born there, don’t have to be there, went through extraordinary means and training to be able to be there; and exert all their efforts, with the help of many others, to continue to be there. The treasure is that they are simply ordinary people who choose not to live ordinary lives.
People commonly commute to and from work everyday. Cars, vans, and SUVs crowd the freeways. Dodging traffic is considered a normal part of our lives. But missionaries like Barry Spor, face a different kind of traffic.
“We loaded up the boat and away we went down the muddy, caramel-colored river. We had to dodge trees, sunken logs and sand bars hiding under the surface of the water.”
Farther along, they transferred to a smaller dugout canoe, on a smaller creek, with an even smaller amount of water. Unfortunately, the only thing that increased was the number of logs.
The purpose of the trip was to counsel and encourage missionaries scattered about a remote region in Brazil. The recipients of the visit were very thankful that Barry didn’t let a little traffic stand in his way.
A newlywed couple just weathered their first winter evenings together in a cozy little apartment in Pennsylvania. They probably piled on an extra blanket or two. Meanwhile, in Papua New Guinea’s Sepik region, missionary Lisa Kappeler awoke one Saturday morning to a different scenario.
Due to a mosquito net malfunction, a rather large centipede, a hoard of small bugs on her pillow, and droppings from a gecko, had apparently kept her company all night. And just like the rest of us would have done, she added the repair and clean-up to her list of chores and got on with her weekend.
She is learning the Uriai language to help plant a church among the Wabuku people. Someday, they will be very grateful that she was willing to allow mosquito nets to become a part of her everyday life.
A family in Florida recently remodeled their kitchen. They have new cabinets, countertop and flooring. It looks lovely and will be a wonderful place to work and fellowship with others.
But near the Peruvian border, the home of missionaries José and Suelaine Rodrigues displays a different kind of loveliness. It has split palm trunks for flooring, tree bark for walls, and palm leaves for roofing. The cooking is done on a wood-burning clay stove and the content couple eat sitting on the floor, choosing to do without table and chairs.
They desire to relate to and live like the Asheninca people, hoping to build strong relationships and ultimately bridges to sharing the Gospel.
As a western culture, one area we are becoming more and more particular about is our bathrooms. In many cases, they have almost become the nicest room in the house. However, missionary Paul Rich, serving in Brazil, is having a different experience.
He reported in his November newsletter, “Our outhouse caved in … but I was able to jump off in the nick of time and avoid falling down into the dark, disgusting hole. The bats from below were disturbed and zoomed past, looking for another place to hide.”
After 30 years, it takes more than bats and outhouses to bother Paul and Sheryl Rich. They are now busy translating the Scripture for the tribal people they work with.
Many today return from their weekly trip to the grocery store, push the automatic garage door opener, pull in and unload their groceries right into the kitchen. But missionaries John and Angie Callahan, at the school for missionary’s children in Brazil, enlighten us on another method...
“Once a month, the launch goes up the Amazon to the big city of Manaus to pick up food staples, returning about sunset. At 6 o’clock the next morning, the high schoolers can normally get it unloaded in about 20 minutes. But with the water [level] down 30-plus vertical feet, the climb up the bank had increased 200 feet …. The plank from the dock ended [into] a muddy bank in which we sank up to our knees. The slimy mud would then cover the plank.
“With a little Yankee ingenuity and hard work, we eventually got it done in less than an hour. You can’t help but be impressed by the boys carrying 100 pound bags of flour or sugar on their backs up the bank. It was also a bit tense watching the new copy machine making its way jerkily across the planks, but it eventually made it.”
Traffic, sleeping arrangements, home furnishings, bathroom facilities, and bringing in the groceries are all a part of our ordinary, everyday lives.
But somewhere out there, people just like you and me are choosing a different kind of ordinary. And while these jungle gems may not be considered the most brilliant, polished, or cleanly-cut stones in the case, to the tribal people they reach, they’re just plain beautiful.
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