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TV Program
Shawn Boonstra: If you could go back in time and relive your life in any period of history you wanted, what time would you choose? Would it be the Roman Empire? The Reformation? Or maybe the Enlightenment? Is there some other period in history that you would find exciting or meaningful to experience? Well, today on It Is Written, we’re going to explore the possibility that you might already be living in Earth’s most exciting moment. In fact, if our ancestors ever dreamed about living in a different period of history, I suspect that many of them would have wanted to be alive right now.
That idea may not be as farfetched as you think. In most homes today, there is clear evidence that a form of time travel is entirely possible. In fact, there is clear evidence that thousands of years ago, there were people who saw the future clearly. The Bible refers to them as the prophets, and they were shown some remarkable things. They saw the history of the Christian church long before it happened, and most importantly, they saw the last few moments before world history wraps up and Jesus returns.
Let me give you an example found in Revelation 14:6, 7. The Bible says:
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”
It’s a theme you find over and over again all through the Bible. Before Jesus returns, the gospel will be preached to all the people groups on Earth, which, of course, includes even the remotest tribes in the most forbidding places on Earth.
Today, right now, this is literally taking place. We are living in moments that the prophets saw in vision, and that our forefathers in faith wished they could have seen.
Over the last few years, It Is Written has been working closely with the Pilgrim Relief Society to carry the gospel and much-needed humanitarian support to some of the remotest places on Earth. In past programs, you have helped provide the San people of the Kalahari Desert with fresh water to drink. And you’ve put the Word of God in their hands. You’ve also been a part of carrying the gospel to the frozen wasteland of the Canadian Arctic.
And today, my special guest on the program is Gabriel Buruiana, or Gabi, as we like to call him, who is a missionary among the Bambuti Pygmies in the heart of the Congo wilderness. Gabi, what would make you want to pack your bags, leave Romania, and live in the heart of the Congo? Why would you do this?
GB: At the moment, I didn’t know this, but now I can say it was only the voice of God that changed something in my mind and made me do it. I was a young guy in Romania going to his second year of medical school.
SB: So you weren’t preparing for ministry or missionary work—you were going to medical school.
GB: Yeah, I wasn’t even thinking of being a missionary with my medical training. I wanted to have a career teaching at a university and so on—high dreams. And besides that, I was enjoying life. I had a few friends, we were in a band, and we often played clubs at night. Then I went to church on the weekend.
SB: So you were going through the motions. You’re going to church for the sake of appearance or tradition, but it’s not in the heart yet.
GB: It was not in the heart. I mean, I knew that God existed, but I didn’t really think that people should submit to God. So I was just going my own way until one day, one of my friends came back from Africa. He was saying it was so interesting to be there, to see those people, to see that culture, to help them out. And I said, “Yeah, right.” And then I had this big exam—a very, very difficult exam in biochemistry. I was not prepared at all, so I just prayed to God the evening before the exam. So I just prayed to God, “If you want me to pass this exam, please do it, and I’ll promise you I’ll cut my hair and give up my band.”
SB: Right.
GB: And it happened, I got an eight, an eight out of ten.
SB: Eight out of 10 on the exam.
GB: Yeah, that was a miracle, but I didn’t believe it. I was just saying “I’m a smart guy” and not that God did something. But then I think we have conscience. I’m sure we have it. So a voice was telling me, “Hey, God did it. Do your job, do your part.” I went to cut my hair. Everybody was astonished. And then another friend told me about mission school training in Romania—which was sending people to work in Africa.
SB: This is the school in northern Romania that the Pilgrim Relief Society runs. It Is Written is involved in this school and it’s a program of study that lasts six months. It’s a six-month course of study to prepare people to live in some of the remotest places on earth. So this is the school you went to. What was it like when you got there?
GB: Well, it was a very interesting environment, because first, you know, in medical school, you’re just a student. There everybody was saying, “Hey, do your chores, go get some exercise, go have a devotional. It was kind of like the military for me, and everybody was getting up early in the morning to study the Bible. And I was asking, “Why are you doing that? It’s so early!” So, I didn’t understand all that, but later something changed. Step by step, I began to get a small glimpse of what God’s plans are for this earth, and I understood that it is something that we have to do. It is something we’re given the honor to do, for hastening the return of God of Jesus Christ. I understood that if we go to people and tell them about Jesus, He will come sooner back on the Earth.
SB: Amazing. Now, you’re at this school for about six months. That begins to change what happens in your heart. At the end of the six-month course of study, you’re given an assignment, and in a moment we’re going to come back and talk to Gabi about the assignment he got. You won’t believe where God took him.
SB: We’re talking to Gabriel today on It Is Written, a missionary to the heart of the Congo, and as we were talking to him just a moment ago, he said he heard God speaking to him as he was preparing for a medical career. He ended up in our missionary school in the north of Romania, and he’s about to be assigned to go the Congo jungle, to the Congo wilderness to serve God.
How does this happen? How does it strike you when you’re given your assignment?
GB: Well, being honest, I was thinking to that, because I knew they were up to opening a mission in Congo, and I was thinking, “Wait a minute, I’m the only guy who speaks French here.” So I suddenly realized that God made me learn French for a reason. And finally, they said, “Okay, you’re going Congo.” And for a moment I was a little bit afraid.
SB: Well, the Congo is not one of the easiest places on Earth to get into. As a matter of fact, right now as you and I are talking, there’s more trouble in the Congo again. So I can imagine you must have had some apprehension when you thought about going.
GB: Yes, yes, of course, I’d been studying about Congo, but also I had this calling in me saying I need to go, I need to know the Pygmies, I need to do something for them.
SB: Now, the Bambuti Pygmies live in Congo. How many of them are there?
GB: Some studies say there are around 90,000.
SB: Ninety thousand.
GB: Yeah, living in the DRC, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
SB: But they can’t be entirely sure because they don’t have accurate records, correct?
GB: Of course. They don’t have accurate records for their population.
SB: Why is it difficult to go to the Congo?
GB: They have no stability; I mean, they have the government, which is not able to put in an administration in all the country. There are a lot of rebel groups fighting, especially in this area where we were supposed to go in north Kivu—fighting there, killing people, a lot of refugees and so on, and a lot of problems. Congo is also full of disease. I got a lot of shots for, yellow fever, typhoid fever, cholera and so on, thought it didn’t help too much…
SB: You’ve actually managed to contract quite a few of the diseases that Congo has to offer in your time there.
GB: And also another problem is Congo is not a developed country. When you come to help someone, you need some means to do it. You need roads to carry stuff.
SB: Right.
GB: And you need electricity to run some machines. Congo doesn’t have roads. Congo doesn’t have electricity. Congo doesn’t have water.
SB: It rains every day, so your car or your truck will get stuck in the mud. I imagine you’ve spent a few nights sleeping out in the rain.
GB: Yeah, yeah. That’s why I gave up with the car and I got a motorbike.
SB: The motorbike is a little bit better.
GB: A little bit.
SB: Gabi, you’re a missionary. You’ve arrived among the Bambuti Pygmies after quite a struggle to get to where they are. It’s not easy to travel there. When you get there, what are your first impressions? What are their first impressions of you? What happens when you make contact?
GB: It was a happy day that day because they are very friendly people. You know, usually they are kind of serious. They don’t laugh when they see you, but the moment you touch them, they just start laughing. Of course, some of them are very, very afraid because they have never seen a white man.
SB: And they don’t have many reasons to smile when a stranger comes, not naturally, I would think.
GB: Yeah, of course, because they’ve often been mistreated. They were really the owners of the forest in Congo. But later the Bantu people invaded, white people came in, as well as other tribes. Pygmies are not a violent people. They are not warriors, so they had to run in order to survive.
SB: Would they have reason to be suspicious when Europeans arrive?
GB: Yes, of course. Congo was a Belgian colony. They were interested in doing medical research, so they thought, “Wait a minute, we found some nice animals, and these animals are Pygmies.” There’s a tribal war also. Then in 2002, some ritualistic cannibals actually began eating Pygmies.
SB: They were eating the Pygmies.
GB: Yeah.
SB: Gabi, how do you do it? How do you share Jesus with this group of people?
GB: I didn’t really do it. I don’t know how God managed to share Himself with these people, but I always had the impression that I cannot do it because these people have a hard time focusing for more than three or five minutes. If you’re trying to talk to them, they will get bored and just run into the forest. If you’re trying to have a certain topic, they will change the subject. They will say, “Okay, enough.”
SB: You can’t just walk in, open your Bible, and begin to read to them.
GB: I tried it once.
SB: Oh, you did?
GB: Yeah.
SB: How did that go?
GB: I preached about 15 minutes, and at the end, there were no Pygmies.
SB: They left.
GB: They left. Anyway, you know, you were saying that they have no reason to trust people.
SB: Right.
GB: Especially Europeans. But finally I got the answer, and some other people were telling me, “If you promise them something and then you keep your promise, they’ll trust you.”
SB: So you have to prove that you’re trustworthy.
GB: Yes. So this was actually the work that I tried to do first: make friends.
SB: Okay.
GB: I got one friend, Avion. I don’t know why they would give the name Avion to a Pygmy, because in French, Avion means “airplane.”
SB: Right, he’s named after an airplane.
GB: Yeah. And I was traveling all over with him. He was showing me the locations where the Pygmies were because they are nomads, so it’s very hard to know a certain location.
SB: So, no established cities; they move as they need to.
GB: Not cities, just camps. And Avion knows where they are. He also knows where to find fruit when I’m hungry. He knows where to find water when I’m thirsty. It was a very, very nice experience having him with me. We went to meet the Pygmies and I just stayed with them. I played guitar, I sang, and they listened. They seemed to like it. And then we just shared stories around the fire.
SB: I’m noticing the difference. Months before, you’re playing in a nightclub and now you’ve got a guitar and you’re singing to Pygmies. I mean, what a difference God makes in your life! How are they responding to your friendship?
GB: They really started to integrate me in their groups. I was roaming around throughout all of this. We were working with 14 camps, 14 groups of Pygmies. So, each time I was arriving there, they would say, “Okay, let’s do something. Let’s do this, let’s do that. Let’s go hunting.”
SB: Did you go hunting with the Pygmies?
GB: Yes, of course I did.
SB: Okay. It must be very clear to you that you’re no longer at home.
GB: Yeah. Yeah.
SB: Very clear. Why is it, I mean, if hunting is a way of life there, I’m taking it they don’t garden, they don’t plant their food?
GB: They don’t know how to do this. No one has ever told them how to do it. So all they do is hunt stuff, and they maybe find some roots, some wild sweet potatoes, some wild casaba, bananas and papaya, and the fruits that they know. But besides that, there’s nothing. They have no land and they have no seeds, so they have no concept of agriculture.
SB: I understand that you helped them understand what it’s like to grow food.
GB: At least we tried. So it doesn’t mean that we solved this problem because there are a lot of Pygmies, but we tried to plant something in each camp. They were so eager to see what was going to happen. They were sitting there and watching.
SB: They stayed to watch the seed after you had just covered it up.
GB: Yeah. At first I didn’t know what they were doing, but then they asked me, “What should we do? It has to come out, right?” And I said, “Yes, it has to come out, but not right now.” Then they’d say, “But why not now?” So it was like a three-year-old child asking a lot of questions—“Why, why?” And then I realized, “Wait a minute, these people, they are Pygmies, and the name of the tribe is Bambuti, which means ‘children.’”
SB: Oh, that’s the very name of the tribe.
GB: Yeah, they really look like children, they really speak like children and they really ask questions like children. And finally, we were very lucky because in Congo the weather is nice, so in one month and a half, we would say, “You have kidney beans you can eat.” So they finally understood and other Pygmy groups started joining in as well.
SB: So the word is spreading that the life is improving.
GB: Yeah, and they realize this is a good way of life, a good way of living, because once you eat some kidney beans, then you still have something to go to the market with, and they exchange it for a good knife.
SB: What are some of the other things that we’re helping the Pygmies with right now?
GB: You see, there is no school.
SB: No school at all.
GB: No education for Pygmies. There is only one Pygmy who knows how to read and can write very little. The rest of them have no clue. So, I said, especially children, let’s take them and do something about it. So we built a school. It’s a Pygmy school, in a very nice traditional way, with mud on the walls, benches made out of timber and this blackboard. So we now have 60 Pygmy people. And they are learning how to read and write.
SB: So the Lord has blessed you to be able to open a school.
GB: Yeah, and they are really astonished about that. It’s not really the building of the school, but the intention of someone taking the time to teach them. They really feel that someone is taking care of them, is paying attention to them. They are more open, and they were saying to everybody, “They’re the white guys, they care for us. And they have been sent to us by God.”
SB: I understand you are going to go back. You’ve just gotten married, just weeks ago, and your wife is willing to go back. After all that hardship and seeing how tough life is there, why are you going back?
GB: For the Pygmies, there is no other hope for the moment. I don’t know, maybe God can do something else, but for the moment, He called us. So that’s the only way to go, to respond to His calling to go there.
SB: When you talk about Jesus, I know that you’ve been involved in helping them find clean water. This is very important. You’ve been involved in helping them learn to grow food—also very important. But behind it all, you want to share the love of Jesus with them. How do they respond to the story of Jesus?
GB: You know, it’s very interesting, they have a notion of God, but they do not really know much about Him, so I told them about a Creator God who made everything around us and He made animals, and so on. And then I told them the story of the lost sheep. I was telling them,
“There was an owner and he was a very well-to-do Pygmy. He had five goats, and he was going with his goats to special places so they could find good grass to eat, good plants, nice water, and he wouldn’t go where the big snakes are. He wouldn’t go where the lions are. He would go to perfect places where goats could live. But one day, one of the goats was gone. So in the evening, the fifth goat was not there anymore. And what does the Pygmy do? He goes and he starts searching for it. He went into the forest where there were a lot of thorns and a lot of insects, snakes and other troubles. But he goes. And he’s calling for the goat and finally, he finds it and he takes it on his shoulders…”
And I was just telling them that this is the same thing. You know, we are running from God. We’re separated from God. And even though we don’t deserve it, God is sending His Son to search for us. So if we want to come back, He’s able to love us, He’s able to take care of us. He’s able to give us hope and He’s able to make us happy. So they’re really moved about it.
Another reason for them being nomads is that when someone dies in the camp, they bury the person and then they say “We have to move again because God saw us here.” Once they understood that God is different and when they understood that Jesus really loves us and He died for us, they were like, “Woah, this is really love.”
There are moments when they don’t really have a concept, but then something moves them. I cannot explain that. I don’t know how the Holy Spirit is working that out with those people, but there is a change.
SB: Their hearts are moved. I understand quite a number of them have already indicated the desire to give their hearts to Christ.
GB: Yeah, we’ve had baptisms there. Thirty Pygmies decided “Okay, we want to become Christians now.” And they were really sure about it. I’m sure many others will give their hearts to Christ from now on because the Light was already brought there.
SB: Gabi, thank you for being here today. I want you to know you’ve inspired me, and I know you’ve inspired many other people with the selfless way in which you’re letting God use you to carry the Gospel to the last places on Earth, and I know that means that Jesus will be here soon. Thank you.
So, what about you? What is it that God is calling you to do with your life? You only get one try at this thing called life, and it’s up to you right now how you’re going to spend your one and only lifetime.
Is everybody called to go and live in the Congo wilderness? No, of course not, but you can still be there. We really need your help. Gabi is willing to head back into the wilderness, and right now there are other dedicated young people like him, willing to head out into the worst environments on Earth.
Your gift to It Is Written will help sponsor a young person to literally fulfill the prophesies of the Bible. In some places it will provide fresh drinking water, in other places, much needed mosquito nets, schools and churches. A lot of the things that you and I just take for granted. Click here for more information.
Scriptures Used in “The Heart of the Congo”
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”—Revelation 14:6, 7