Go Beyond

Among the Mundurucu People

Three days after leaving Manaus, we set a course down the Rio Cunumã toward the farthest reaches of the region inhabited by the Mundurucu people. I was thrilled that we were moving in the direction of the farthest village. There is something in me that prefers going to places that are farther, hotter, colder, or wetter for the sake of the kingdom.

When we briefly stopped along the way, a man in a fishing boat pulled up alongside our floating base camp. He was wet and shivering from the rain, so our crew invited him on board and gave him some dry clothes. We learned that this man lived in the farthest Mundurucu village. He agreed to guide us there — a journey of several more hours.

We arrived sometime in the night and awoke to see the man’s small village perched along a bluff overlooking the river. My new friends Chad and Eli and I went ashore to meet the village leader and to assess the opportunity. We immediately met a man who had injured his leg with a machete the day before and others who were thrilled to see us. We found an open door.

Those who live this far away from civilization have no immediate access to medical care, so I was glad for Tesha and Sherri, our team nurses. We selected a place to hold a medical clinic, picked out a spot to do Bible stories with the kids, set up a place to offer hair cuts, and determined to prayer walk the entire area and visit each home.

Our presence prompted the villagers to spend the entire day with our team. After all, it’s extremely rare for anyone who does not live here to venture this far down the river. One lady shared that she could not stop smiling. “I wish more people would come to visit us,” she said. Those around her smiled and nodded in agreement.

Our team worked with ant-like efficiency to offload supplies and set up our medical clinic. The first patient was the man who had sliced open the side of his leg. Our arrival was providential for him and for the many others who came to the clinic. Every compassionate touch was an expression of the gospel — and made the people receptive to the good news.

Outside the clinic, the laughter of the children filled the humid jungle air. The kids enjoyed hearing Bible stories and playing games. Our guys had meaningful conversations with villagers under the shade of lush trees. The entire village was engaged. By the end of the day, several people had committed their lives to Christ. We baptized these new believers as the last rays of light disappeared beyond the tree-lined horizon.

Our presence in each of the villages we visited validated the gospel for the Mundurucu. Every compassionate touch, every wound we tended, every song and story shared with a child, and every conversation played a part in demonstrating the love of God. I thought about Jesus who was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The kindness He demonstrated opened hearts and made people receptive to the truth.

This week we showed kindness to the people of several villages in the Amazon. And like Jesus, these acts of kindness opened hearts and made people receptive to the truth of the gospel. As a result of our presence in the Amazon, Mundurucu people from the farthest village will join others “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9) around the throne of God.