CHALLENGES
By Pastor Mario Robinson (retired from active ministry, but still working for the Master!)
“I have told you to be strong and full of courage. Don’t be afraid. Don’t become discouraged or give up, because you don’t have to do all this alone. The Lord your God will be with you every step of the way” Joshua 1:9, The Clear Word Bible.
Have you ever felt that the task before you was like crossing the swelling of the Jordan? Or, as if the walls of Jericho were in front of you? Do you have a difficult stronghold to conquer today? Are you striving today to reach Canaan? Do you feel inadequate like Joshua felt? Do you feel incapable as Moses did, when he was told to present himself before Pharaoh, with Aaron his brother, to free the children of Israel? Are you surprised that you must face oppositions that you were not aware of, like queen Esther did? Well, let me share my story with you!
In 1967, I was elected President of the Panama Conference of Seventh-day Adventist, which belongs to the Central American Union. In this beautiful country, in addition to the general population, there are 7 different indigenous tribes located in remote areas. They speak different languages, and have different native dresses and eating habits. I will mention three of these tribes. They are the Kunas that live to the east, on 360 islands all belonging to Panama. To the south, are the Chocoes; and to the north, the Guaymis.
In my zeal to reach all of these congregations, I outlined a plan. Then the billows began to roll! Some good people with good intentions tried to convince me to desist from the idea, since these indigenous tribes were so far away, and difficult to reach. They had no electricity, no telephones, no running water, no cars, or any kind of transportation. I found myself suddenly confronted with a difficult decision to make. I had a mountain of mixed feelings. I had to decide – would I go or not? There was no maybe to be considered. Should I accept the challenge, or should I not accept it? But because of my duty to God and my love for these souls, I accepted the challenge to visit the entire population for 10 long days, accompanied by elder Pedrol, a native pastor.
Yes, it was a challenge that included sleeping on the ground under the trees by the wayside! And my initiation began with me passing the test of drinking the tribal WELCOME DRINK called CHICHA; served at the “Welcome Ceremony.” This drink consisted of cooked corn that was ground in the mouths of chosen maidens (with good denture) who patiently chewed it, then spit the corn in a large container, which is passed around the circle. Each person has to drink some of it and then pass it on, over and over, until it is empty. You have only two choices: You drink it and you are welcome. Or, you don’t drink it, and it behooves you to leave the premises, for you will not be welcome in the home of anyone! Thus, I would not have been able to preach and have fellowship with these people if I did not drink it. Everything depended on me participating in this ceremony and drinking the chicha.
Now I understood why most workers avoided going through this ordeal by simply not visiting this area. The welcome ceremony I just described, was repeated over and over, once, twice, and even three times, a day, as we visited, on foot, the different sectors of the population, accompanied by a considerable group of people from the previous sectors that we had visited.
The last day of my visit, I do not know how they discovered that it was my birthday. They wanted to celebrate it. So they organized a fishing party in which I faced a rather perplexed situation! The way these people fish is with dynamite. They throw the dynamite into the river, and then they dive to get a hold of the fish while they are still stunned. They made a sign for me to join them in the collection of fish. But by the time I dived, the fish were gone! To my surprise, one of the men took a dive, and signaled to me to dive along with him. He got a fish, and while we were still under the water, he pushed it into my hand, in order that I could also boast that I had caught a fish! When I came out of the water holding it high, everyone clapped and cheered, to celebrate my successful fishing. This was the most exciting experience for them! Although the experience filled me with perplexity, at the beginning, it ended very joyfully.
Eating the monotonous and SALT-LESS food, which is the basic diet of these people, was another of the challenges I faced. After the fishing and the preparation of the food was over, we were served a whole roasted fish (salt-less, and with scales, gills, and guts, still in it!) accompanied by a salt-less boiled green banana, served on a plantain leaf. Now I was stunned, I didn’t know where and how to begin eating and nobody would start eating until I did. In such a predicament I had to whisper a prayer, asking God for help. At that moment one of the indigenous men began peeling away the scales from his fish with his fingers and disposed of them along with the guts and gills. How relieved I felt to be able to follow his example and everyone joined in!
As bitter as those challenges were, that I had to face, during my visit to the Guaymi tribe, the joy of baptizing 85 precious souls for the kingdom of God was a happy experience, and it was worth it!
As I meditate upon my life, and on the many times, and so many ways, that God has fulfilled His promises in my ministry, I want to encourage you to face your challenges and don’t give up! I can assure you that God will do the same for you as he has promised in Joshua 1:9.
So, be of good courage! God cares and fulfills His promises, you are not alone!
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