Sometimes, you read stories of what people have endured and it makes you wonder how it could be possible. We’ve all endured something but there are certain of those among us who seem to have faced trials beyond anything imaginable. Such is the case for the children of the Mucutuy family.
Four children and their mother were being flown in a small, light aircraft by two pilots across the Columbian portion of the Amazon jungle. They all belonged to the Huitoto indigenous group. “The Cessna 206 aircraft … was flying from Araracuara, in Amazonas province, to San José del Guaviare, when it issued a mayday alert due to engine failure.”1 The plane went down in one of the worst possible areas, killing the mom and the pilots. The children, ages 13, 9, 4, and 1 were left stranded to fend for themselves.
The rainforest is filled with predators. Jaguars, ocelots, anacondas, boa constrictors, black caiman, and a host of poisonous insects and reptiles call the rainforest their home. The hopes that the children would be found alive were minimal.
Search parties were sent from the military as well as volunteers from other indigenous tribes. “On Friday, June 9, 2023, in the dead of night at the heart of the Colombian jungle, army radios crackled to life with the message the nation had been praying for: “Miracle, miracle, miracle, miracle.” The military code revealed that four children missing in the jungle for 40 days had all been found – alive.
“[How was it possible?] Huitoto people learn hunting, fishing and gathering from an early age, and their grandfather Fidencio Valencia told reporters that the eldest children, Lesly and Soleiny, were well acquainted with the jungle.
“Speaking to Colombian media, the children’s aunt, Damarys Mucutuy, said the family would regularly play a “survival game” together growing up.
“When we played, we set up like little camps,” she recalled. Thirteen-year-old Lesly, she added, “knew what fruits she can’t eat, because there are many poisonous fruits in the forest. And she knew how to take care of a baby”.”2
The spiritual application of this story could take many directions. We could easily talk about the many passages of Scripture that teach endurance in the Christian race. We could focus on rescue efforts and how we need to be available to rescue those in spiritual danger. But the direction I want to take is on the preparation that had been instilled in the kids long before there was a need.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. (9) And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” From an early age, the Bible admonishes the training of children in the things of the Lord. This has to be more than just rote Scripture memory or Bible stories. Children need to be shown and taught why these are important. They need to understand that the Word of God is to be applied to our everyday living.
James admonishes us to be “doers of the Word.” That means we put into practice what we’ve learned. Maybe, though, we need to take a page out of the Huitoto people’s playbook. They regularly played “survival games.” What about playing spiritual survival games with the kids and grandkids, teaching them truth for a while, then creating fun ways to practice what they’ve learned? Life will put them to the real test sooner rather than later. While we have time, we need to get them ready for what’s coming in life.
Adults, this isn’t just for kids. We need it, too. Rehearse scenarios in your mind of what could happen. Think about the Biblical response to the situation. Prepare with Scripture. And remember that we are told in 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
1https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-65864158
2https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65871238
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