Estávamos dispostos a morrer, se preciso fosse, mas entendíamos que era com as nossas vidas e não com a morte que Deus iria nos usar para alcançá-los. Qualquer choque que porventura ocorresse em um primeiro encontro, certamente seria uma marca negativa no relacionamento entre as duas sociedades, que estava prestes a se iniciar. Era preciso muita cautela para que tudo tivesse um final verdadeiramente feliz.
Depois de algumas horas de caminhada por baixo de imensa selva, encontramos um acampamento recentemente abandonado… É impossível descrever a emoção daquele momento. Era como se estivéssemos frente a frente com o povo para o qual as boas novas de salvação estavam chegando. Com os olhos espirituais antevíamos o momento de estarmos ensinando a eles o Evangelho de Jesus Cristo e isso era o que mais desejávamos. Todo o esforço de nove meses viajando por rios e matas e de separação dos familiares estava sendo coroado com a primeira vitória que aos poucos ia sendo conquistada.
Seguindo o procedimento normal de uma frente de atração, deixamos alguns brindes no local (facões, espelhos, etc.) em demonstração de que estávamos ali com fins pacíficos e propúnhamos a eles a nossa amizade. Depois disso, voltamos para o nosso acampamento e prosseguimos no trabalho de construção da base de apoio. De dois em dois dias, voltávamos ao local para verificar se havia aparecido alguém e recebido os presentes. Caso positivo, seria o sinal de que estariam aceitando a nossa aproximação. Do contrário, novos cuidados deveriam ser tomados e novas estratégias teriam que ser adotadas para que eles percebessem que não éramos pessoas nocivas a eles. Se no passado tivessem passado por experiências desagradáveis em contatos ocasionais com outras pessoas não indígenas, teríamos que lhes mostrar, de alguma forma, que não éramos como os demais. Mas tudo isso era uma questão de tempo e, na dependência de Deus, aguardávamos o desfecho dos acontecimentos.
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Naquele dia coube ao Edu e Gerani ir verificar os presentes, que até então não haviam sido levados. Mas, ainda a caminho, enquanto limpavam um porco que fora abatido por eles, ouviram vozes humanas ali por perto e qual não foi a surpresa! Estavam frente a frente com dois homens e uma mulher que tremiam e falavam em uma língua totalmente desconhecida. Embora os missionários estivessem preparados para aquele momento, não tremiam menos do que os indígenas. Afinal de contas, nem um nem outro sabia o que iria acontecer, pois era o primeiro encontro de pessoas pertencentes a etnias distintas e de costumes totalmente diferentes. Só o tempo revelaria tudo o que se passava em suas mentes e corações naquele momento. | We were prepared to die, if necessary, but we understood that it was with our lives and not through our deaths that God would use us to reach them. Whatever conflict should by chance arise in a first meeting, this would be taken as a negative sign in the relationship between the two societies which was about to be formed. A great deal of caution was needed so that a truly happy conclusion could be reached. After several hours of walking through the vast rainforest, we found a camp which had recently been abandoned... It is impossible to describe the emotion we felt at that moment. It was as if we were face to face with the people for whom the good news of salvation was approaching. With spiritual vision we could anticipate the moment when we would be teaching them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and this was what we most desired. All the effort expended in nine months of travelling on rivers and through undergrowth and the separation from our families was being crowned by this, the first victory which was slowly but surely being attained. Following normal procedures at a point of contact, we left some gifts at this place (machetes, mirrors, etc) to show that we were there with peaceful intentions and to offer them our friendship. We then returned to our own encampment and continued with the building of a support base. Every two days we would return to the place we had found and check to see if anyone had come and taken away the gifts. If they had, it would be a sign that they were happy with our approach. If not, new steps would have to be taken and new strategies adopted so that they would realise that we would cause them no harm. If they had, in the past, had bad experiences with any sporadic contact with non-indigenous peoples, we would have to show then in some way that we were not like the others. All this was, however, a question of time, and, relying on God's will, we waited to see how things would unfold. That day it fell to Edu and Gerani to go and check the gifts, which, as far as we knew, had not yet been taken away. En route, however, while they were skinning a pig which they had slaughtered, they heard human voices nearby and were greatly surprised! Suddenly they were face to face with two men and a woman who were trembling and speaking in a totally unfamiliar language. Although the missionaries had been prepared for such an encounter, they too shook with fear, just like the natives. In short, neither side knew what would happen, since this was the first meeting with people of another race and people who had totally different customs. Only time would reveal all that was going through their minds and in their hearts at that moment. |