Bruchko

My parents have a book titled Bruchko. It’s about a missionary who traveled alone to South America when he was only 19. I remember reading it when I was about eleven or twelve and thinking that this guy, Bruce Olson, was probably the most amazing person (besides my mom) I had ever heard of.

Well, since my arrival here in Africa I’ve been thinking a lot about missionaries and their work. Wondering if they always knew exactly which direction they were to be going and if God was just basically walking by their side talking with them. And also if they too struggled with each day or if everyday was filled with joy because they were doing Gods work.

And for some time now I’ve been in search of that book here in Africa. I’ve checked the books at the house I’m staying in, I’ve checked all the books in the library here at the college and I’ve even asked Mrs. Gross for it. But no one has seen it or even heard of it before. So, I basically said forget it and moved on. I would read it when I returned to the states, I said.

Well, yesterday I was in my room pondering life and it’s trials and Christy walks in and hands me a book… It was Bruchko… I couldn’t believe it! Once again, a little gift directly from God.

So, I opened it right then and didn’t put it down until the sun had set and it was to dark to continue. I hung on every word and was captivated by the trials and struggles he had to face each day. Though I have gone through nothing like him, I could identify with the feelings and thoughts he had. And I actually understood the questions he had swimming around his head, like how did I get myself into this?

Well, in the book, after being near death countless times and his wife-to-be dieing, life still continued on. Then in the last chapter his best friend dies and you think to yourself, “why does life have to be so tough?” This guy has given his whole life to serving God and yet nothing was ever easy. And as I was reading this I was like, “nope, I don’t believe that his friend is dead. They’ll find him downriver and he’ll still be alive. It’s supposed to be a happy ending.”… But this idea comes straight from Hollywood, that life ends up perfectly the way you had imagined it to be. And this is not known to always be true in the real world.

So on the very last page he says, “So life has to be like this. It has to be struggling and crying, and even dying”. And he wasn’t even bitter or resentful. It’s the simple truth that situations you dislike are a part of life… For the most part, they cannot be avoided and life still continues on, no matter how much you dislike the season you are in… A friend once said to me, that the trials won't last forever. That the bad times don’t and the good times won’t either. And maybe the next series of bad times will be even worse than before. But will I be able to be confident of a coming spring when I’m in winter again? Will I be able to hang on and praise God even when the world feels as though it’s caving in?

And I can actually say right now, that though life in Africa isn’t necessarily a “happy party” everyday; it is a very important stage in my life… And I have a choice as to whether I’m going to smile everyday or not. I can dwell on the down side of things, or I can look at the bright side and remember that I have more blessings in my life than I can actually count. No matter where I am at, life will always have another trial around the corner. So my joy has to be found in the Lord and not my day-to-day situations.

I have been inspired by the life of Bruce Olson and would recommend that you too read it. You may find that you enjoy it as much as I… …Sorry I have already told you the ending…