Undergraduate Admission
TRUE STORY - Josh Schwartz
Josh Schwartz
Berne, Indiana
Math Education major
Winning lives for Christ
I felt like I had fallen off the face of the Earth
Throughout the time we were in Venezuela, we did what I like to call "the vessel-to-the-vessel work," which is working behind the scenes. We served the missionaries most of the time instead of the Yänomämo (Bethel’s adopted people group). By freeing up the missionaries from their daily responsibilities to spend more time with the people attending the Biblical seminar that was taking place while we were down there, we allowed God to work through people that could communicate verbally to them.
Some of the daily responsibilities included painting, turning over 1,300 eggs every other day (because if the eggs have never been refrigerated, they will stay good for three months by just turning them over), teaching school, fixing mosquito screens, fixing up a house that nobody had lived in it for six months (it was disgusting), and much more. I think I'm immune to mosquito bites, now. I had over 50 bites on my back after one day of being there!
The culture we were in made me feel like I had fallen off the face of the Earth for the days that we were there! I loved it! There was no media, politics or other distractions, just simple jungle.
God's word thrives in the Amazon
While we were there, we watched 41 people who were saved during the Biblical seminar get baptized in the river! It was INCREDIBLE! The Yänomämo people were singing hymns from home in their language acapella during the whole service! (Musically, it didn't sound pretty, but it was still moving.)
I am excited to know that they are training Yänomämo Indians about God's word! This means that if the missionaries are ever forced out of the country, God's word will thrive throughout the Amazon jungle!
Sleeping in the jungle with just a hammock was interesting. I had horrible thoughts running through my head every once in awhile -- thoughts such as a jaguar sneaking into our area and eating us whole or thoughts of vampire bats biting me in the middle of the night.
Playing soccer with the Yänomämo Indians was crazy cool! Those little guys move fast. It was quite an experience, because I was one of the tallest on the field, but unfortunately this is one sport in which height doesn't matter at all. However, playing soccer with the Indians allowed us to spend more time with them and build relationships with them.
The vessels to the vessels for Christ
The experience taught me that being "the vessel of the vessel for Christ" can be more rewarding than "being the vessel." What I mean by the "vessel" is that so often we get caught up in trying to be the person that saves somebody. However, we must realize that we can only be available for God to use because God is the one who is going to do the saving, not us! So when we serve people that are being the "vessels" for Christ to use, we are being "the vessels to the vessels" for Christ. I feel a great responsibility to pray for this people group because I am one of the few Christians in this world who understands the needs of the people down there.
