Bruchko
Encyclopedia
Bruchko is an autobiographical book by Bruce Olson
, telling the story of his work as a Christian
missionary
with the Motilone Barí
Indians, an indigenous tribe
living in Colombia
and Venezuela
.
Bruchko by Bruce Olson is a book about a young boy and his calling to a native tribe in South America. The book begins by retelling his unusual encounter with Christ within a church that did not recognize that encounter. He later feels a distinct calling from God to move to South America and share this faith with a certain tribe called the Motilones near the border of Columbia and Venezuela, in spite of warnings about their unmatched violence and killings. After years of disease, outright torture, and seeming misfortunes and wrong turns he finally gains acceptance with the Motilones. Largely through his friendship with Bobarishora ("Bobby"), Bruce ("Bruchko") introduces the tribe to faith in Jesus Christ. Bruce discovers that Christ himself will lead His church, that the Gospel of the Bible does not necessitate robbery of indigenous culture, and that suffering is often a necessary part of the Christian life.
Bruce Olson
Bruce Olson is a Scandinavian American Christian missionary who is best known for his pioneering work in bringing Christianity to the so-called Motilone Indians of Colombia and Venezuela...
, telling the story of his work as a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
with the Motilone Barí
Motilone Barí
The Motilone, or Bari are names of a Native American ethnic group, part of the Chibcha family, remnants of the Tairona Culture concentrated in northeastern Colombia and western Venezuela in the Catatumbo River basin, in the Colombian Department of Northern Santander in the Sierra Nevada de Santa...
Indians, an indigenous tribe
Indigenous peoples in Colombia
The indigenous peoples in Colombia comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country's present territory prior to its discovery by Europeans around 1500.-Origins:...
living in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Bruchko by Bruce Olson is a book about a young boy and his calling to a native tribe in South America. The book begins by retelling his unusual encounter with Christ within a church that did not recognize that encounter. He later feels a distinct calling from God to move to South America and share this faith with a certain tribe called the Motilones near the border of Columbia and Venezuela, in spite of warnings about their unmatched violence and killings. After years of disease, outright torture, and seeming misfortunes and wrong turns he finally gains acceptance with the Motilones. Largely through his friendship with Bobarishora ("Bobby"), Bruce ("Bruchko") introduces the tribe to faith in Jesus Christ. Bruce discovers that Christ himself will lead His church, that the Gospel of the Bible does not necessitate robbery of indigenous culture, and that suffering is often a necessary part of the Christian life.