Pedro grew up in the jungles of Peru. His family belonged to the Culina Indian tribe. Pedro’s father was a prominent man in the village and he had many children. Pedro was the youngest boy in the family and his father loved him very much. While his older brothers were out hunting, and his sisters were helping Mother with her chores, Pedro and his father spent a lot of time together. Pedro’s father took special care to teach Pedro the customs and tribal practices of the tribe. He taught Pedro how to make good tools, and how to shoot with a bow and arrows. Pedro’s father was proud of his son’s accomplishments and knew that one day Pedro would be a fine young warrior and hunter for the tribe. He also taught Pedro about their religious festivals to their gods and their tribal dances.
Although Pedro was a good student and loved his father very much, all this knowledge and customs did not make him very happy. He had an empty feeling inside his heart. He was wondering what the purpose of it all was? Was he only to live, hunt, feast on special occasions, get married, raise a family and then after carefully teaching his children the customs, he would one day die and be buried? And then what? These thoughts troubled him very much but he kept them to himself.
As Pedro grew, he would often wander alone in the jungle just to try to sort out his thoughts and feelings. He would look up into the sky and wonder what was beyond the clouds. He would wonder what was beyond the jungle. Yes, he knew there were other tribes, but was there more?
He knew that there were occasionally tribal wars and he disliked the idea of killing very much. He dreaded the day that he would be old enough to be a warrior and defend his village from outsiders and perhaps take other men’s lives. This thought filled him with dread. As it was he began to dislike watching the feasting, when they killed the pigs and roasted them, and spent all night, dancing, eating and drinking fermented drinks, only to find oneself useless the next day. The men were all in their own huts fast asleep recovering from the night before. He did not know how he would ever avoid having to take part.
Pedro kept all these thoughts to himself and started to slowly drift apart from his friends. He tried to be very pleasant and happy in his father’s presence as his father was doing his best to train him in the customs of the villagers. But he was not happy.
One day Pedro’s father became sick. It was a day after a big feast. He developed a high fever and his stomach became bloated. For the next few days, he declined and a week later he died. Pedro and his whole family were very shocked and saddened by the news.
In the Culina tribe, parents could ask to have a live baby or child buried with a parent that had died. Since Pedro was young and his mother already had more children than she thought she could possibly feed by herself, Pedro was the one chosen to be buried with his father.
“Put him in the grave with his dead father.” Standing at the edge of his father’s grave, little Pedro heard these words being said about him. Even Pedro’s poor mother, agreed
The people of his tribe had never even heard the name of the Lord Jesus, or how to be saved from their sins and be sure of going to heaven. So, Pedro was afraid to die and now he was just moments away from being buried alive!
Pedro’s time was short. Pedro was terrified! Without waiting another second, he ran as fast as he could into the jungle. He climbed a tree and sat there, crying and sobbing. When an animal started climbing up the tree where Pedro was sitting, his crying scared the animal away.
Pedro was afraid the men of the village would come looking for him to take him back and bury him. So he came down out of the tree and headed farther into the jungle. How he hated the villagers for this dreadful custom. He wished to never see them again. He looked up into the sky, and hoped for something better as he walked further and further away.
Suddenly, he spotted a jaguar. It was heading towards the village. Now everyone in Pedro’s village was in danger! Jaguars come quietly and stealthily, and often make their attacks at night.
Pedro had two choices. He could hide and watch the jaguar go past him towards the village, and continue on his journey and not care because he had no intention of ever returning to his village or he could go warn them, and then face his burial with his father.
Pedro had a good heart. At that instant he did not think of his own danger, but only that everyone in his village was in danger. He ran back to the village and screamed, “Jaguar! Jaguar!” His mother and some others followed him back into the jungle. The hunters found the jaguar. It had climbed up a tree and was watching them approaching. With quick work, the hunters took care of the jaguar.
Upon returning to the village, Pedro wondered what his fate would be, but his relatives were thankful for what he did and said, “This is a good son. He did not need to warn us. We were going to bury him, but he saved our lives. He deserves to live.” And so Pedro was not buried with his father. His father was buried alone.
Pedro was thankful to be permitted to live and to be with his family once more. He proved himself very useful to his mother, being careful to help her with her burdens. Yet, he still had that empty feeling inside, that was not being fulfilled with the day-to-day living in the village. But Pedro did not know what to do or where to go.
Later that year a measles epidemic broke out, and many people of the Culina tribe died. Pedro and his immediate family were mercifully spared.
The Lord was not too busy in heaven to not notice the emptiness and longing in the heart of the young man in the middle of the Peruvian jungle and soon He was going to send someone to help fill that emptiness. There were only 75 people still alive in Pedro’s village at the time when two young missionaries came to live with these Culinas.
There was something that Pedro noticed about these men. They were different. They did not take part in the villagers’ customs and feasts, and they looked happy all the time. They had different customs. He would sometimes go and spy on them and see them kneel down and fold their hands, and talk to someone in the sky but when Pedro looked up he did not see anyone in the sky. He could hear them singing beautiful songs and they had a big black book they often read from.
These missionaries began to study the Culina language. After they had learned enough, they began to translate the Bible into the Culina language. Then Pedro and other Culinas could learn of God’s love. They would hear for the first time how God’s Son, the Lord Jesus, came into this world and became a man to die on Calvary’s cross so that anyone who will believe in Him can be saved. They invited the villagers to join them in their worship services. Pedro was the first to go and he never missed a meeting.
Now, Pedro was happy. The emptiness he had felt while growing up and learning all the tribal customs and rituals was gone. His heart was filled with love to God. Pedro believed what he heard from the missionaries and said, “I will follow God.” He also said, “I want to hear more from God’s Book so I’ll know it better.”
Pedro then helped the missionaries translate more and more of the Bible into the Culina language so they could all understand God’s message and be saved.
Pedro saved his tribe twice. While they wanted to bury him alive, he did not wish any harm to come to them. He saved them from the jaguar, and now he saved their souls by helping to translate the Bible.
If people treat you badly, never wish them harm or do bad things to them. “Recompense to no man evil for evil. . . Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17, 21. Being kind to those who wish you harm, can change them into better people. That is what Jesus did. He came to save the world, even though they crucified Him. He is still calling all sinners to repentance today. Will you not give Him your heart, while the door of His mercy is still open?