It has been three months now, since I have come back to the Amazon from the states, and an incredible three months at that. Towards the end of Christmas last year I began to feel and sense in my “spiritual gut” that the Lord was doing new things. I felt that it was the beginning of a “new season.” In that, I wanted to be prepared. Prepared for whatever the Lord wanted to do in and through me. So on January 1st of 2011, I began a 21 day fast, declaring to the Lord that I was more hungry spiritually, for Him and His kingdom, than any physical hunger I had for food.
I soon realized what the Lord was changing; it was me. He was changing my heart, my focus and my foolish idea of “love.” I began praying for Christ’s unfailing love for His children to consume me. It’s incredible the things that become foolish, that are no longer of importance when you begin praying this prayer. Love begins to smash and break off all that you are, pulling and pushing you into the mold and form of Jesus Christ, until all that’s left is love, and His reflection seen in you. The way I feel for the people here is overwhelming, and I know that it hardly scratches the surface of how the Lord feels for them, yearns for them, how He loves them. It is no longer just about “missions” for me, it’s so much more than that. This place has become my home, the people my family. I long and desire with all of my heart to see the young girls I disciple on Saturday nights, to become revolutionists in their schools; I yearn for revival to explode in my home church, “Ministerio de Misiones”; I pray earnestly for the spirit of religion and animosity between the churches of Leticia to be smothered out by the overwhelming love of Christ; My heart cries out for the tribes of the Amazon, that have lived and died in spiritual darkness, never knowing the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; I weep for the hundreds of children wondering the streets of the towns and villages, aimlessly, living day to day not knowing the love of the Father. “Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few...” Matt. 9:37
I have heard so many times of the desires of people to go, to reach out and to support – but where are they? Every once in a while we are reminded and hear the stories of great legends and great revivalists – but where are today’s legends? Today’s revivalists? Why have we become so content in following the footsteps of where God has been? I don’t want to follow them any more. I want to be where He is! Wonder why we get so bored doing our little routine dance to church on Sunday, work all week long, and then back all over again? It’s because we’ve become lazy and content our mediocre state of Christianity. Why settle for a single piece of broccoli when the Lord has set a feast before you? When He has such great plans and purposes for your life?
This past week I had the privilege of joining an incredible woman, in the jungles of Colombia, who has eaten the feast the Lord prepared for her. Orchidy Boyd, from Detroit, Michigan, has been working on and off in the Amazon for the last 12 years. She has recently moved into the jungle, into a little hut, on another family’s farm. She has been working with the Yagua people in the community, La Maloka, as a pastor, teacher and friend, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ everywhere she goes. As I spent a week with her, the families and the children of La Maloka, I experienced so many different emotions: love, happiness, exhaustion, sadness, excitement, frustration...
Orchidy and I spent much time discussing the things of the Lord, missions, the history of the Yagua people, and the visions and dreams the Lord has given her for them. Some of the most incredible moments I had, where when Orchidy brought out her flute, me my guitar, and we began to sing God’s praises right there in the middle of the jungle. Wednesday night, we headed up river with the family in the canoe to the community for the church service. Since there is no electricity in the town, we had the service under the starry sky on the soccer court. With just a couple of flashlights and a guitar, we declared the wondrous works and glories of the Lord! It was incredible!
The rest of the week was full of learning about the jungle, the fruits, vegetables and fish of the Amazon, how to cook just about anything over an open fire, canoeing the right way, and all kinds of tricks and shorts cuts “jungle style.” Saturday we headed to Leticia for the night, then Sunday morning back up the river with several pastors, missionaries and friends for the celebration service of the dedication of the ministry’s first boat. We were all loaded down with food, cake, drinks and cameras to capture this great moment. All squished into the wooden rapido, we began our three hour, rainy journey back to La Maloka.
Once there, we all jumped out into the pouring rain, and hauled everything to the church, telling every passerby the church service was about to begin, “Tenemos culto ahorita!” The church soon filled up with children, and a few adults. I grabbed my guitar, Orchidy her clarinet, and we began to worship and praise the Lord. Soon after, Orchidy began to preach to the children, declaring the wonders of the Lord and His desired blessings for them. As I was standing in the back by the door, taking pictures, I saw a young boy walking in the rain up to the church. I watched him as he walked in and headed over to the adults sitting on the floor. All of the sudden there were looks of horror, gasps, and they all began jumping up and running out the door. Soon the whole church was running out and down the hill towards the river. I quickly grabbed someone headed out the door and asked what was going on. A woman had fallen in the river. Orchidy quickly took off running towards the site, as I put my camera away and checked that the packs were secure.
As I reached the crowd, I saw the young woman lying on the floor of a house, her face completely white. I quickly reached for her wrist and felt for a pulse; nothing. Orchidy and the others continued praying for her, as I caught the story of what happened. The woman had, had an epileptic seizure while she was down at the river washing her clothes, and had fallen in. When she didn’t return to the house after a long period of time, her husband had gone down to the river to find her. He found her there, facedown in the water.
Those praying for the woman had by this time headed back to the church, as Orchidy pushed through the onlooking crowd to find her friend, and brother of the deceased woman. When she reached him she wrapped her arms around him, as he suddenly began to sobb. He cried out, “You shouldn’t be here, it’s too dangerous, you should leave.” But, as she continued to hug him she said softly, “No, I’m staying right here.”
She then turned towards the crowd and asked that some of the women would help prepare the body for burial, and that we would hold a funeral service. Then she headed back to the church with the family to prepare.
As I looked over to the crowd to see who would help with the woman, no one had moved. I looked back at the body and saw a sobbing woman had come and was trying to remove the wet clothes. My heart instantly broke when I saw this. I then quickly walked over and begun to help her clean, dress and prepare the body for burial. Soon after we finished, we took down a hammock and placed her inside with a sheet overtop. Then the husband and I, each holding an end of the hammock, headed back up the hill to the church for the service. We laid her gently down on the church’s wooden floor, as people began to quietly walk in and sit down.
I then suddenly felt as though I couldn’t breathe, so I headed outside around the church. The tears came so unexpectedly, flooding down my cheeks at the sadness of it all. I saw nearly no emotion from the people at all. They have all lived such hard lives, they seemed so emotionless, loveless. Only when they know the true love of the Father’s heart, can they know and understand love itself. In hearing the stories and the history of these people, I have still only realized a fraction of the hurt and the abuse they have experienced.
“But, God…” I just love these two words together! But, God has sent Orchidy, and she has been planting seed after seed of His love, and will one day very soon reap a great harvest of souls! The Yagua are seeing love in action. She’s not just talking the talk, but she’s walking it out!
I headed back into the service, picked up my guitar and began to play softly. Soon the family had arrived and sat down and we started to worship. During the service Orchidy began to tell the congregation, of what the brother had said to her; that she should leave, that it was too dangerous there. As she spoke she threw her finger up into the air and said, “I’m not leaving! I am staying right here!” Right then, every power of darkness and every demon in that village heard her declaration that day. It says in John 10:10 that, “The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy….” He had come to try to quench our praises and our celebration that day, but he could not.
That evening, we anointed and prayed over the boat, then helped the family aboard with the body. When we reached the docks in Leticia, the rest of the family was there, waiting to receive them.
While in bed that night, my mind was racing. In one moment we were having a great celebration, and in the next, a funeral service. I had learned so much in such a short amount of time. Watching Orchidy staying calm and taking control of the situation, impressed me so much. I realized that the Lord gives you the strength you need in any situation, and in any circumstance. Our responsibility? To continue singing and declaring the glories of God! “The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Heb. 13:8. He was just as worthy of our praise before what happened, as He was after. When we give glory, where glory is due, in the midst of whatever we’re going through, the devil is defeated! I love this scripture from Hebrews 12:28 in the NLT, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe...”
God is doing great things, His changing things, He’s moving, and I want to be smack dab in the middle of all of it! I don’t want to be following in the footsteps of where He’s been, I don’t want to be content with a boring mediocre Christian life. All the days of my life, I want to constantly be where He IS and in His perfect will.
