Baruode chingo bameserane cucha aja yoc
Your Word tells us what you approve of
Ecarai opens in prayer:
I’m very thankful this afternoon that your Word tells us what you approve of. And it tells us the things you do not approve of. Therefore, I thank you, Yoque Dupade, that I have your word in my heart, and that your power is strengthening me. May prayer never be lost from my lips, and may it come from my heart and may I truly believe in you. Answer what I ask of you right now. I pray for the men that they won’t become discouraged in their work. Dupade, we know that when a person is a leader his people listen to what he says. Therefore, I’m praying for my countrymen who look to me for leadership, and who see me as their chief. That’s why I’m asking you to work out your will for me today, Yoque Dupade, as I go to them. Prepare me and give me strength as I go to them, Yoque Dupade. Give me the strength I need to travel, Yoque Dupade. Help us here in our village to not forget your Words. May we not forget the truths from your Word so that we can share them with each other here in our village. I also pray for the missionaries that they will obey your Word so that we may follow their example, Yoque Dupade. I ask these things through the name of Jesus your Son. Amen.
May we help Dupade’s servants, because their work is to preach His Words:
I am reading from the writings of Saint Paul that he wrote to the people in the town of Galatia. There was a cojñoi there that believed in Dupade. But he was not a Jew. He followed the teachings of the Jews and was even more faithful in serving Dupade that they were. He was more faithful as a believer than the other believers. Even though the other believers were Dupade’s people and should have done whatever Dupade’s Words said to do, they didn’t always do it. And I decided to study what Saint Paul wrote to the people in Galatia.
I started thinking about some Ayoreos among us who believe in Dupade and might be even more faithful than the missionaries. If a person gives himself to Dupade completely, he could be like the Gentile man named Tito, who lived long ago. Then I thought, it won’t be true of an ayoré person who hesitates to follow Dupade. Not all Ayoreos want to follow Dupade’s Words. But there might be one who will be found even more faithful that the missionaries.
Paul said to Tito: “I see that you are not a Jew, but you surpass us Jews in the way you serve Dupade.”
Ecarai is sure that one day there will be an Ayoré who surpasses him in teaching Dupade’s Words.
Somewhere, I think, there is an Ayoré that will surpass the missionaries, and the rest of us Ayoré believers, in teaching us Dupade’s Words. I’m sure of it, but he hasn’t shown himself yet. Therefore, something tells me that even though he is an Ayoré, he will really know Dupade’s ways. He will be someone that has surrendered so completely to Dupade that when he sees his fellow Ayoré, or his boss, or a missionary doing something wrong, he will counsel them.
I am not saying that what we believe and what they believe are not the same. The missionaries don’t have different beliefs from ours. When someone believes in Dupade that person’s faith is the same as the missionaries’ faith. But the missionaries know more about of Dupade’s Words than we do. But their love for Dupade is not greater than yours.
I showed some scriptures from Dupade’s Words to don Juan (Howard Morarie) who used to live here with us in Tobité and shared with him what I’ve been telling you. Don Juan, who used to be here with us, said: “No doubt there are Ayoreos who are much greater in their faith that we missionaries.” And then he said: “An Ayoré may not know how to read, but because of his faith Dupade gives him his power the Holy Spirit, and his faith may be much greater than ours.”
Titus served Dupade with Paul:
But the things Paul wrote about him are very true when he said: “You are very true in saying you follow Jesus’ ways.”
I don’t know if when we say Jesus’ ways, we mean the gospel, but they are the same. One of Jesus’s disciples who lived long ago would take trips to visit Dupade’s believers. But there’s no one anywhere doing this now, traveling at night about the woods to take Dupade’s Words to people, like a needle sewing a thread. Not among the cojnone, the missionaries, nor the Ayoréos. No longer missionaries nor Ayoréos are wearing themselves out on the roads or going without food to take God’s Word to others. My stomach has never wrestled from hunger, nor have I been so weary from traveling I was exhausted. But Dupade’s servants of long ago suffered in all kinds of ways. Paul suffered many things and went hungry to preach Dupade’s Words. (2 Corinthians 11:23-33)
The only thing Paul cared about in those days was his faith in Dupade. That’s why Dupade’s Words tell us not to give in to our fleshly desires if we are true believers. I’m always telling us that our human side is always trying to get the best of our spiritual side. But let’s surrender our will to Dupade’s will and let Dupade have the use of our bodies while we are in this world. (Romans 12:1)
Tito was a Greek but stronger in his faith than the Jewish Christians were:
I remember what Paul said about him: “Tito is not a Jew, so how is it that his faith is greater than ours who are Jews, and he knows more about Dupade’s Words.”
And this is what I meant when I said that somewhere there is an Ayoré who is more faithful than the missionaries in how he lives, not doing anything ugly. He doesn’t get angry. He doesn’t steal. He would never think of spreading lies. And he would work harder than the missionaries who brought Dupade’s Words to us. Dupade might not provide food and clothing for him, but he would still serve Dupade. He would give his whole state of being to Dupade and Dupade would send him into all the world, and others of us Ayoreos would go with him. We would become those who give their all to carry Dupade’s Words to others. We would serve Dupade even more faithfully than the missionaries have served Him, and leave them speechless!
Those who serve God depend on him to supply their needs:
Sometimes Dupade’s servants depend on Dupade to supply their needs. Others depend on the work of their own hands for their livelihood. Some live by faith, depending on their preaching of Dupade’s Words. This type of person surpasses us –Ayoreos, and Cojñone all of us in this world.
You know that we Ayoré who serve Dupade have two jobs. One of us might preach Dupade’s Words to the Ayoreos, and that is one of his jobs. And he works harder than the first believers who preached Dupade’s Words. He works harder than the missionaries who brought Dupade’s Words to us. Because he also must work in his garden. And that is his second job. He has two jobs. Therefore, it’s true that he works harder than the missionaries, for he does not top preaching to work in his garden. And he does this day after day. He works for five days. When the sixth day comes around he starts preparing himself to preach Dupade’s Words the next day. He wants to please Dupade, and so he studies Dupade’s Words. And when he is through, he practices in his mind how he is going to teach what he has studied. And when his teaching is ready, he has completed two jobs.
When it was time to gather in Dupade’s house, he would be ready to teach Dupade’s Words. His teaching was prepared ahead of time. He had meditated on it and would know what the scripture was about. But on Monday he was still thinking about it even though he was back at work in his garden, his second job. And for that job he had no one to help him. He must help himself.
And that’s why Paul and they would say of Tito: “How is it that he is not a Jew, but he far surpasses us Jews in following Dupade!”
I don’t know if the man Paul talked about made a garden, but for us Ayoreos, our livelihood comes from our gardens. Then comes Sundays and he serves his countrymen by preaching Dupade’s Words. If any of you serve Dupade in this way, you surpass the missionary who brought Dupade’s Words to us, whoever he is.
Paul’s own hands provided his food and clothing:
The one that brought Dupade’s Words to us long ago wasn’t an Ayoré. He didn’t know our language in the beginning, but when he arrived he heard our words and imitated us. But for some of us who refused Dupade’s Words, he came for nothing. He didn’t know what to say to those who didn’t believe, those who would say: “I don’t believe in Dupade. I don’t see the benefit in following Dupade. That’s why I don’t go to the meetings to learn about Dupade’s Words.”
But some of us have benefited greatly from following Dupade, and we still don’t know what to say to those that feel there is no benefit in it for them. But Dupade’s Words talks about those that preach his word. It says: “Clothing and other things a person needs should be given to those that serve Dupade by preaching His Words.”
But one of our spiritual forefathers named Paul had this to say about it: “I’m still alive and well, and I’ve thought about how to gain a living. I know how to work, so I can work as well as preach. I can earn enough to help my friends and countrymen. Our clothing and other things that we need, my hands can provide. I won’t leave all the responsibility in Dupade’s hands or ask my fellow believers to provide my needs. Although they often share what they have with me, I will depend upon my own hands as well.”
Dupade tells us to help those who preach His Words:
One of you might be like Paul, but he depends only on Dupade for whatever he needs. He wants Dupade to be pleased with him. He also wants his countrymen to be pleased with him, and to be involved in his work by helping him.
I still maintain that somewhere there is one of us Ayoreos, though we don’t know who it is, that will become a carrier of Dupade’s Words, and surpass all of us who have gone before.
Key:
Dupade – God
Yoque Dupade – Our God
Cojñoi – Person not of the Ayoré tribe
Ayoré – Person of the Ayoré tribe
Ayoréos – People of the Ayoré tribe
A carrier of Dupade’s Words – Evangelist
Ecarai – Tobité, Bolivia – 1970
Transcribed and translated to English by: Maxine Morarie.
