Que yicadiguipíseDupade
I’m grateful to be with fellow-believers:
I’m so grateful that I can be here in Cochabamba with fellow-believers in Dupade like you. But what I’m happy about is that I haven’t forgotten Dupade. That I haven’t put him out of my mind or my heart. I thank Dupade that he brought me to Cochabamba so that I could rejoice with you in His Son Jesus Christ.
I’m so happy to be able to help Señora Marina:
I’m sure it is Dupade that has sent me here to help her and has kept me safe as I traveled. I thank Him that, in answer to my prayers, my wife is doing better. Dupade has helped me in so many ways as I’ve been praying fervently to him.
I talk to Him daily and every night as well – in my house, and now, here in Cochabamba also. I’m so thankful right now that my wife is getting well again. There’s no way I will forsake Dupade or take him out of my life, not now, nor in the future, never.
I’m translating Dupade’s Words into the language of my people:
I’m so grateful also that Dupade has given me wisdom for translating his Word – as if I had education enough for such a task! I know it’s only because of Dupade that I know how to do what I do; it is Dupade that gives me wisdom and inspiration. That’s how I can understand these things of Dupade that I must translate. I really thank him that the wisdom I have remains in me and never leaves me. I’m also thankful that he’s given me a love for Dupade’s Word.
My Past:
I did some really bad things in the past, but it was because Satan was at work in me; but when I remember Dupade, and pray every day, Dupade responds and does what I asked him to do. He goes with me everywhere, and now Satan cannot do the awful things he once did. He can’t deceive me. Dupade is always bringing me back to himself for he knows I have not forgotten Him.
And he casts out Satan’s demons from my heart. Dupade’s Holy Spirit is the one who casts Satan’s demons out of me. And then, my mind grabs hold of Dupade’s presence again since Satan is not inside me. Oh, how happy I am to have all the ugliness gone that was inside me, and I know it is because the Holy Spirit has found me.
My mind can never leave Dupade again:
And now there’s no time when I’m not thinking about the things of Dupade. And when I’m tempted to sin, I quickly tell Dupade about it. That’s because my thoughts can never again go away from Dupade. It isn’t possible for me to turn back to doing what Satan wants me to do. I thank Dupade that I can recognize that the beautiful things Satan tempted me with came from him.
Sometimes Satan still shows them to me. He says: “Do it! Do it! It’s beautiful! You’ll be o.k.!” Or, he’ll say: “You’ll be rich!”
But I recognize that it is Satan talking, and so, I refuse to do it. I say about those things Satan tries to get me to do to make me rich: “No, it won’t make me rich at all. Nothing Satan wants me to do in this world will make me rich. I won’t do what Satan wants me to do. I’ll keep seeking to know Dupade’s Word.”
“Those things are not beautiful,” I tell myself, and then the Holy Spirit comes to me and sometimes I feel him inside me. That’s what happens when I refuse the things Satan wanted to give me.
My childhood:
I’m always mindful of how it was when I was a little boy long ago and Dupade was watching over me. I was an orphan and had no food to eat. There were days when I didn’t have enough to eat. I didn’t have clothes. I didn’t have food. I didn’t have any money. But, I used to pray to Dupade in my state of being an orphan.
I prayed fervently to Dupade, and he came into my heart. And he helped me. Not only in my state of being an orphan, but also now. I examine my heart, and find that my faith is not little anymore, but much larger.
How I pray:
This is how I talk to Dupade about things that are too big for me. Some trials are so big that I can’t get through those ugly things that Satan brings to me. But I remember that Dupade said that nothing is too hard for him and then I talk to him and I say, “Dupade, you see that I am just a weak, common person and not in anyway a *daijnai. I’ve never done anything powerful in my life. I’m not worth anything. But, on the other hand, you are greater that everything else. Therefore, I’m calling upon you about these things that I can’t pull out the meat from. There’s no-one in this world who can pull the meat from them. There is not a cojñoi in the world that can do it. So, take this out of my heart.
Dupade throws Satan out of my heart:
This is how my prayers go, and then the Holy Spirit takes over my heart. And I’m so happy afterwards when I sense these ugly things are no longer in my heart now that the Holy Spirit has reached me. He has kicked Satan right out of my insides. And my mind is at peace and I’m free from those ugly temptations.
Praying in Dupade’s Will:
I was praying yesterday when I remembered this, and I said, “If it’s your will, Dupade, for I don’t want my own will. My own human will is a for-nothing-thing. Your Holy Spirit’s will is inside me. May your Son’s will that is inside me take away my wife’s sickness, if it’s your will. You can see how much I miss my children as I talk to you and ask you to help them with things.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Go, bring all the people to me and teach them.’
I’ll never forget Dupade’s Words that he taught to his disciples and said to them: “Go and bring all the people, all kinds of tribal people and teach them.” And his disciples obeyed him. They took off and went out into the world. He also said something else to his disciples – and they listened to him. They really listened to their teacher’s lessons because they wanted to hear what he had to say.
He said: “Go right now, go into the world.” And they left, and they taught the people in the world. They explained things to them. They told them not to pay any attention to the people that hated them.
He said: “Go, go into the world, teach the Cojñone, the Ayoréos, the Menenéngone, all of them all over the world. And whoever considers my word to be their pay as they go, when they reach my Father’s city in heaven, they will be given a reward.”
And this was his plan for his disciples. And they scattered themselves about and went looking for the people in the world. He told them that the Holy Spirit would accompany them in the world. And that they would lack nothing. He told them the people would bawl them out. They would whip them, but to not pay attention to what they did to them. They must seek to do the will of their teacher, no matter what happened.
These first young men paid no attention to the bad things that happened to them:
And none of this leaves my mind – how that we should follow the example of those first disciples who did not pay attention to the ugly things they suffered. So, let’s all follow their example, even when our fellow people hate us who go to church. Even though they hate us, and laugh at us, let’s just let them make fun of us. But, let’s pray for them. They don’t yet know what they are doing. We always have meetings in our village, and the children laugh during the meetings. But they don’t yet know Dupade, and that’s why they’re disrespectful. It’s good for us to pray for those who don’t yet know what appropriate behavior is.
Satan makes problems for us in this world:
Dupade’s plans are always redemptive. But we humans don’t like it when things hurt us: scolding hurts, worries hurt, being bawled out hurts. We humans feel the things that happen to us. But if it hurts us, how much more does it hurt Dupade who is so good. He feels bad about our ugly ways, and though he doesn’t want us to do them, we do bad things to each other. He wants us to love each other here on earth, but we don’t obey him. But Satan is the one that makes our relationships with each other to be troubled.
Let’s not imitate those who do not believe:
But, it’s only when we listen to the counsel of Dupade’s Word that we believers can continue doing the right things. We must be firm in our faith in Dupade. But when we start imitating those who have no faith, those who look for ways to influence other people, we mistakenly think we’ll be important if we give in to them.
And we don’t consider the fact that Dupade doesn’t want us to consider ourselves above others in importance, and he doesn’t want us to refuse to help our fellow man. He doesn’t want us to be angry with others and think we’re better than they are.
This isn’t Dupade’s will for us at all. His will is for us to never stop thinking about him. He wants us to do what he wills. Let’s not allow our minds to leave him, for Dupade is the important one these days.
Let’s pray to Dupade when Satan overcomes us:
When Satan tries to get control of us, let’s start praying to Dupade! If we tell him that we believe in him, Dupade will cast Satan out of our lives. And Satan will have to leave us alone. We know that Satan is always bothering us in every way he can. He shows us earthly things so that we’ll desire them and forget what Dupade has given us. Satan is powerful also, but Dupade’s power is far greater than his. So, it’s a good thing to serve only Dupade. He’ll never do anything bad to us.
I’m so grateful for all the ways that Dupade has helped me here in this world. He has never forgotten me. And I have not forgotten his Word that says: “I will go with you till the end of the world. Your fellow men might persecute you, the people of the world do you wrong, but I will be with you always.”
Only Dupade’s Son can change the way people think:
There’s no way I can ever forget Him. My will is to never set Dupade aside. I want to pray to him every night. I won’t set him aside when I’m among the Cojñone, nor when I’m among the Ayoreos. When I’m with the Cojñone in the world, I’m sorry for them, but according to Dupade’s Word, it’s not possible for me to change them. Only Dupade’s Son can change the direction of their hearts. When they give themselves to Jesus Christ, then he washes away the ugly things they’ve done. And then, they are joined to Him, one with Him.
That is all I have to say tonight, but let’s never forget Dupade when we are together, whether Ayoreos or Cojñone, all of us who believe in Him – let’s keep our minds upon Him all the time, remembering to pray. That is all I have to say.
Key:
Daijnai – Witchdoctor, medicine-man, shaman
Dupade – God
Dupade Uruode – God’s Word/Bible
Dupade’s Words – God’s Word
The Great Leader we listen to – Our Lord
Cojñone – Non-ayoré people, white people
Ayoréos – The Ayoré people
Menenẽngone – All the other tribal people like the Ayoré
Josuedé – Father of Josué, name Dijaide took when his son was born
Dijaide – Cochabamba, Bolivia – 1970.
Transcribed and translated to English by Maxine Morarie.
