Product Description

The gripping story of Olson's unorthodox life in the Amazon jungle challenges every stereotype we may have of missionaries. As a passionate and driven 19-year-old, he left a comfortable, bookworm exis

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23819 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 215 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781591857952
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Truth is stronger than fiction
After hearing Bruce Olson speak over a year ago and reading his first book, Bruchko, I have researched every magazine article and other source I could find on the life of this very special man. So when the sequel came out I was very excited to order my copy. It does an excellent job of filling in the later years, right up to the present.

The gripping story of Olson's unorthodox life in the Amazon jungle challenges every stereotype we may have of missionaries. As a passionate and driven 19-year-old, he left a comfortable, bookworm existence in Minnesota and followed his God-given dream to travel to South America, where he was violently captured by a reclusive, murderous tribe of stone age Indians. And he has lived with them ever since!

Bruchko and the Motilone Miracle unfolds all the events that have happened in Olson's life with the Indians, who are now transformed into a productive and positive cultural force in Colombia. It covers the account of Olson's unbelievable response to his kidnapping and captivity in 1988 by one of the armed rebel groups using the jungle as their base of operations.

There are so many reasons why I was attracted to this story. It's a high adventure journey filled with love, suffering, resurrection, social redemption, and victory over evil. I'd like to see the movie made -- and made on a big scale, because it would enthrall audiences more than the most elaborate Hollywood action film. In this case, truth is stronger than fiction!

A Visit With an Old Friend
The original Bruchko book is one of my favorite books of all time. So when I heard he had written a second book which updated his story into the present day, I purchased it quickly. It was like getting reacquainted with an old friend. You see Bruchko grappling with the losses of Gloria and Bobarishora. You see his spirit rekindled after hearing a couple of the younger Motilones speaking at a peace conference. You feel his joy as the nation of Columbia recognizes that 420 acres of jungle land belong to the Motilone people (truly known as the Bari people).

The first 36 pages rehash the first Bruchko book, while the rest of the volume brings the story into the present day (with occasional looks back into the past).

You get to read the details of Bruce's entanglements with terrorist groups and drug dealers. You get his first person account of his brutal 1988 abduction by the ENF and his mixed feelings about the current direction the Motilones are taking. You get the sense that the younger Motilones want to modernize more and to forego some of the tribal traditions that Bruce has been trying hardf to safeguard. Yet Bruce is confident in the Lord that God will continue to raise up Motilones who walk in our Lord's trail.

If you love the first book, you'll definitely want this one, too. But this is also a good place to start even if you have never heard of Bruchko.

Young man lives with fierce South American tribe
Bruce Olson was a young man driven with a purpose. The purpose was to go to South America, live with a tribe of natives, civilize them and win them to Christ. He met with many obstacles upon arriving, he had bought a one way ticket, had no money, knew no one. With his faith in God, his determination, he did find the tribe, made friends with them, introduced them to a better way of life and won their confidence. He introduced raising cattle, chickens and goats, planting gardens, enriched their diet, taught them hygiene, and translated books of the Bible into their language. He suffered many physical dangers, injuries, his fiance was killed before their marriage, but through it all his faith in God never wavered. It is a fascinating story, don't start it until you can devote several hours to reading it.