Reflection on "Bruchko" chapters 5 and 6 (Required Reading) by Calvin Griffith

In chapter 5, Bruce finally has his first contact with Indians. He accompanies a doctor out into the jungle to bring aid to different native tribes and he spends 3 weeks with a specific tribe while the doctor continues down the river. Bruce finds that the missionaries who have been trying to reach out to these tribes have been trying to convert the Indians to Christianity as well as trying to change their culture. The converts that they have made have been ostracized from the rest of the community because the Americans have tried to force their culture on them. They encourage the converts to adopt their dress and mannerisms as well as other parts of their culture. In response, Bruce finds that the Indians he lives with do not respect the missionaries or their message because they are trying to replace the indigenous ways of life with their way of life and their religion. It is at this point that Bruce realizes to effectively share the gospel with people of different nationalities and cultures, he needs to present it to them in a way they can understand and in accordance with their preexisting way of life. There is no reason that anyone should assume their way of life is more effective or better than anyone else's, and the truth of Christianity has nothing to do with Northern American culture. This helps Bruce later on down the road when he finally reaches the Motilone tribe. It takes him 5 years, but he is able to present the gospel in a way that makes sense to the Motilones, instead of as some foreign, meaningless religion. He tells the story of Christ in a way that corresponds with the tales that the Motilone tell.
In chapter 6, Bruce continues to show how God provides for him as he travels without money or any plans. People continually come into his life at just the right time (and money does too) and he is able to successfully reach his destination in Caracas. This is simply the beginning of Bruce's realization that when God wants you to do something, He's going to provide a way for you to do it, but usually not without letting you know that He's the one in charge. As the book goes on, he realizes more and more that God has a specific purpose for his existence and is keeping him alive in order to fulfill it. That is a pretty powerful realization.