Laid Down Lover: The Indigenous Sound of the Amazon

Bumping and jostling over the uneven, dirt road that lead us deeper and deeper into the jungle. Eyes plastered on the scene before me, just beyond the rain smeared pane of glass. Untamed, uninhabited, uncivilized, uncontrolled, unrestrained. What lies in the deep of this endless forest? What sort of people establish their lives in this fierce land? This, this is the Amazon.

We had a solid 8 hours in our tightly packed van to our final destination - a tribe of Waodoni people, who we are wanting to build connection with in order to bring teams to minister to them in the future. During the ride, our "tour guide" (a gentleman who has been working with this tribe for 7 years) shared the rich history and lifestyle of this tribe...

The Waodonis are a distinct indigenous group of people in the Ecuadorian Amazon, who have their own language, customs, culture, etc... Through history, these people lived somewhat nomadic lifestyles, moving from place to place, hunting wild animals, wearing little more than leaves, and practicing their own religion with the spirits of nature. In the past, they were known as a hostile group of people, killing outsiders or each other with man-sized spears, often times for no apparent reason.

With the influence from "outsiders", specifically oil companies that have moved in over the past 20-40 years, the Waodonis have adopted much of the civilized culture: establishing permanent settlements, the use of electricity, having schools in the communities that teach Spanish, wearing clothes...

Even with all this information, my mind swirled with questions and anticipation. This was the same group of people who Jim Elliot and his group had tried to reach with the Gospel 60 years previously. This was the same group of people who had speared these missionaries on the bank of the river. This was the same group of people that the wives and the children of these modern day martyrs spent much of their lives with, continuing to bring the love and forgiveness of the Father. How much has changed? How did the lives AND deaths of these missionaries affect this previously unreached people group?

Ellie, you will hear the indigenous sound of the Amazon.

This was all that the Lord spoke to me in preparation. As we climbed out of the van and sank into the deep mud, I turned my ear to listen. As we greeted the leaders of the community and their families, I listened. As we were lead through the village by a 6 year old girl, I listened. As one of the elders shared his life story with us, I listened. As we took a 5 hour trek through the unmarked jungle, I listened.

What I heard was both beautiful and painful.

These people have developed so much over the years, abandoning many of their savage ways, no longer spearing each other in rage, moving away from alcoholism, living and making decisions as a community, giving their children education. And at the same time, they are still fighting to maintain the beauty of their culture as they live in close family, continue to live off the land, have beautiful ceremonies with dancing and singing, and continue to speak their native tongue.

Yet I was left confused and grieved as I also heard the sound of a people still oppressed by a heavy darkness. I heard the fear in our little friend, Cupe, who refused to take us down a certain road because of the dead man at the end who comes back to life to drag girls away. I heard the emptiness in 17 year old Rosillo, who had been abducted at 6 by a family who would abuse her for the next 10 years until her brother came and rescued her and then had her marry him. She was days away from having her first baby, which she will do basically on her own in her house, with little more than a rope to hold onto. I heard the pain of abuse from the men who took many wives for themselves, girls as young as 13-14, or the pain of incest towards the most innocent children. I hear the sound of spiritual bondage in a 70 year elder who had just lost his entire family because a spirit had told his wife to poison herself and all her children.

This is injustice.

How is it that someone can go as far as laying down his life for a people group, and yet the enemy continues to have a hold on them with his death grip? Jim Elliot gave his life for the Waodonis, and so many are still lost in darkness. Jesus Christ gave his life for mankind, and so many are still lost in darkness. The price has been paid. When will Jesus get his just reward? When will the sound of sorrow be turned into the sound of rejoicing? When will the song of pain be turned into the song of redemption?

My time in the Amazon was so brief. Beautiful, surreal, inspiring, life changing, but very, very short. Yet I feel as if I did hear the indigenous sound of the Amazon.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it,

in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

The sound is creation groaning for the sons and daughters of God to arise. The sound is a longing for God's people to take back what the enemy has stolen, to claim Jesus' just reward. The sound is the future day when every tribe and every tongue will worship the Lamb. The sound is in the hearts of the Waodoni people, and it will soon be released!