Zeif

Last Sabbath I heard a fascinating children’s story, told secondhand by Nancy O’Brien, principal of the elementary school at 3ABN. I do not remember if the exact year was given, but she indicated this occurred during the 1960s.

At that time, Nancy was working on a kibbutz in Israel. Most of the people on the kibbutz were nominal believers in God. But one man attracted her attention as one who was very devout. He was a Jew named Zeif (spelling?). Nancy asked Zeif the reason for the fervor of his beliefs, and he told the following story.

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Movie: End of the Spear

Yesterday I watched a movie with friends, “End of the Spear.” It is based on the true story of missionaries who reached out to natives of Colombia, South America. Despite a major setback involving the loss of all the men in the group, those who remained decided to continue their work. It was such a powerful story, with a very beautiful and touching ending. The movie dramatically depicts the collision between the fierce, warring tribe and the steadfast faith (and self-sacrifice) of the missionaries.

I highly recommend it. There is some violence, mainly natives and foreigners being impaled by spears. But the gore is very minimal. I did not find the movie visually disturbing, but if you are sensitive you might need to exercise discretion.

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