Steve Parker's story

I told you long ago that I would post Steve Parker's story.
On Wednesday the medical team was at a different church, we didn't really know what to expect, when we got there there were lots of people waiting to be seen by doctors. Some of us were busy trying to arrange things and get ready to see the people, John was trying to help register people and figure out what was going on. Up walks this man and in plain English, asks to see the doctor, John knew he was an answer to his prayers. John told him he could see the doctor if he would help get people registered, so Steve started helping out and once things were a little more settled John had the opportunity to find out what Steve was doing in Bolivia. John was so amazed by Steve's story he asked Steve to share his story with the group, so he came and shared with us at our devotional time.
This is Steve's story, as he shared with us. He had been in the military for 15 years and was teaching a Bible study on his base. He felt a calling to go into missions but they were really comfortable and had a growing family. He didn't want to say anything to his wife because he thought it would be hard for her to give up the life they were currently living. She knew that they were supposed to be missionaries, so she had a garage sale and sold most of their belongings and they were soon headed to training with New Tribes, which was the mission organization they were going through. They spent about 4 years in training and moved to Bolivia in 1982. They were they to find the Yuqui people and to share life with them. So Steve and some of the other men made an air strip in the jungle so that they could get in and out of the jungle since this area was a 45 minute flight from Santa Cruz. In August of 1983 the air strip was complete and they went into the jungle to find the Yuqui people. They finally found a camp, each family would stay in a hammock at night and they would move around in the jungle. Steve and the guys he was with saw footprints about 3 months before they saw the people. They were on one side of the river and the Yuqui were on the other side of the river, they sent bananas across to them. They really wanted to meet the Yuqui so they evenually crawled into the jungle looking for the Yuqui camp. They came upon them and crawled into their camp, the Yuqui quickly scattered and the missionaries stayed in the Yuqui camp praying that they would come back. Eventually they came back and started spending time with the Yuqui people. They asked them who created the trees around them and they talked about it and decided that they didn't know, so the missionaries knew they had to start at Genesis 1:1, to begin explaining who God was and His work. After about 3 years of making friends and establishing relationships they decided they would travel with them and spend more time with them. They were camping with them, the missionaries slept about 50 ft from the Yuqui and then they were going monkey hunting together in the jungle. The 3 missionaries were leading the way on this monkey hunt with the 3 Yuqui people behind them. Around 6 in the morning Steve was shot with an arrow by one of the Yuqui people. One other guy's shoulder blade was grazed buy an arrow and the other was unharmed. The missionaries had guns but chose not to shot at them because they were trying to send the message of God's love and killing them would have defeated all they had worked so hard to share with them. Steve was unable to move, the arrow had gone all the way through him. He was able to radio the mission board in Santa Cruz and they started trying to figure out how to help him, Steve was also able to talk to him family on the radio. The mission board sent 6 or 7 guys to help, they started trying to clear a path but couldn't find Steve. During this time the helicopter that brought the guys in, had broken a propeller, so they sent out a second helicopter, it couldn't get over the mountains due to a storm. The next day the guys found him and they tried clearing a space for the helicopter to come in, the place wasn't big enough so the pilot had to keep moving in and out until he finally got down far enough that they other guys were able to lift Steve up high enough to get him in the helicopter. The helicopter took Steve to the hospital in Santa Cruz, he was full of maggots and dehydrated. He spent 15 days in the hospital. One night he could hear drunks partying outside the hospital and he asked God why he was in the hospital in the condition he was in, agonizing in pain. He heard God tell him that this was all for Him. Steve spent a month in Santz Cruz after getting out of the hospital. When he returned to camp he went up and hugged the Yuqui man who had shot him with the arrow. That guy was shocked, he thought Steve was dead. One year later that man came to live at the camp with the missionaries and was saved. He learned about God and oddly enough he died of a lung infection. During all of this time, God met the needs of those serving Him, even though it wasn't always in the ways they wanted or expected.
Steve was an amazing man and during the time that he, his family, and other missionary families were there they were shot a total of 12 times.
God has obviously used Steve Parker in many ways and to touch many lives, including the 28 of us who were there from Crossroads. What an amazing man!