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Christian book tip - Wild Indians and Other Common Misconceptions by Carol Martin
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Some people think missionary work is a special and holy calling that only very devout people are capable of doing. Others think it is an incredible sacrifice with painful primitive living conditions. And some think of the vocation as a wild and amazing adventure. There is some truth in any of these observations, but the real experiences revealed in Wild Indians and Other Common Misconceptions gives us a powerful insight into a real life on the mission field.
Carol Martin grew up in Michigan, in a Christian home. In fact, her grandfather was a minister. But by the time she was in college she was living a wild lifestyle full of partying. She might have considered herself a Christian, but she knew in her heart she wasn’t living like one.
She met and fell in love with Jack, an intelligent and mischievous man who also had no interest in being a missionary, although he considered himself a true Christian. He even agreed once to accompany some friends on a missionary trip to South America in order to provide companionship and to seek adventure. The trip further convinced him that missionary work was not for him. He even made a private deal with God that he’d become an architect, make lots of money and support missionary work. But he wasn’t going to be one. If God wanted him to do that he’d have to send him a wife who wanted to be a missionary. He was very relieved to discover Carol had no interest in such work.
It is often said God has a sense of humor. Through a series of events Carol eventually felt a strong call to be a missionary and Jack agreed to join her in the endeavor. Together they spent 17 years in Columbia, South America living among the primitive Guayaberos. There goal was to work with Wycliffe as missionaries and translate the Bible into the tribe’s native language. At the time they had no idea what an arduous task that would be, as well as the challenges of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these people.
Over the years they discovered that life can be beautiful as well as tragic, funny and sad, and that God moves in mysterious ways to spread His message of love. Carol and Jack raised four girls of their own and also grew to love the Guayaberos. The book tells of many harrowing experiences, and some very funny ones, too. Bats, snakes, monkeys, parasites, dry and rainy seasons, primitive conditions, communication barriers and an overall stretching and growing of their spiritual lives make for a riveting story.
I really enjoyed this book for the honest look at what foreign missionary life is like. In the end there was success and heartbreak, both for the natives and for Carol Martin and her family. The author is now retired and travels the United States in an RV as part of another ministry. But she continues to support missionary efforts. While she and her family lived with the Guayaberos they never had one convert and they only scratched the surface in translating the scriptures. Years later their planting has borne fruit and there are now believers among this tribe. As Carol discloses, being obedient to God’s call and continuing the efforts is all He asks. We must leave the results up to our loving Creator.
One of the great insights I received from this book is that missionary work is as much about transforming the lives of the missionaries as it is about the people the message of the Gospels is brought to. The author has given us the gift of revealing her spiritual journey through her accounts of missionary work, dispelling misconceptions and offering evidence of God’s love through it all.
The book is available online at Amazon.com
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