I stood at the edge of the G...... River (name withheld) and observed the rising waters. It had taken three days to get to this point... a flight from Costa Rica to Colombia, two 4-hour bus trips, and two shorter trips by a taxi-pickup. This was new territory for me.

The moon and stars pierced the jungle darkness as a group of indigenous students listened to Biblical teaching in the rain forest of Brazil. Sweat - soaked, yet still energized, Russ taught, knowing that these students would travel to areas that no white man could - their own unreached tribes.

"I am your son. You teach me, and I go to other villages and teach them what you teach me. I am your son." These were the words of a village chief as he was taking us upriver to his village. 

Américo Flaco proved this in his life. Before his conversion to Christ, he was a drunkard. He mistreated his wife. He wanted nothing to do with God. His wife, Felicita, had accepted Christ as her Savior, through the witness of a missionary. 

Chief Anton awoke to a hot, cloudless day. He lay quietly in his hammock listening to the new day.  The jungle was alive with the sounds of birds chirping, animals rustling and insects buzzing. He felt disquieted in his spirit.  Why was that?  People were talking about another god, and he wondered about him. What made this god different? 

"I am so sad. I left home to get away from the grief of losing my baby. I talk to God, and I am trying to get closer to Him, but I don't know how."  Carla sat across the table from me sharing lunch. I had met her next door earlier that day when she came to clean the neighbor’s house. She borrowed some cleaning tools, and I invited her to lunch.