Reflections on "The Peace Child"

A detailed Summary of Reflections on "The Peace Child"

The book that I read for the second missions' book report was, Don Richardson's book Peace Child. This book gives an account of the missionary work among the Sawi tribe of then Netherlands New Guinea, carried out by Don Richardson son and his wife. This is a story of the change that came about when the truths of scripture are presented.

I have wanted read this book for some time, yet I have never gotten far in to reading this book. Growing up, I enjoyed listening to stories of mission life and serving with Regions Beyond Missionary Union.

The book begins by explaining a brief history of the people of the Sawi tribe before the Richardson's came to live among the Sawi tribe. The lifestyle of the Sawi people had had for the most part gone unchanged from the primitive lifestyle that those who came before them had lived for a few thousand years. The Sawi were a people who were cannibals and headhunters. Among the Sawi tribe the highest of all the virtues of war, was that of treachery involved in the act of taking the head of an enemy. So developed was this art of war that the Sawi would carefully and methodically plot out the treachery before putting it in to action. The book

Don Richardson goes on to tell of his arrival back to Kamur with his wife and son and of the welcoming ceremony as it were that the Sawi had for the Richardson's. Soon three villages moved to Kamur, the co-existence at times was fragile.

When Don Richardson came back build the house at Kamur, as he and a Kayager worker cleared an area for the house, Don sent out the rest of the worker to go to Sawi villages to tell of the arrival of Tuan (their name for white men). Within hours there the men from the surround villages were at Kamur to see this Tuan. At one point thing got rather tense, for not all in attendance were shall say the best of friends. At moment an MAF airplane circled for landing and dispensed of the tension in that most of the men ran to hide. That day and the next, the villagers helped Don build his new house, thus Don left them saying next time I come I shall bring my wife and son.

Don Richardson goes on to tell of his arrival back to Kamur with his wife and son and of the welcoming ceremony as it were that the Sawi had for the Richardson's. Soon three villages moved to Kamur, the co-existence at times was fragile.

Don also talks of daily living and how they overcame some things that were to them foreign.

This was the key that Don would used to share the gospel: "God's Peace Child"

opens telling a story of one of the methods of treachery, called fattening with friendship. This was a practice were someone would seek to befriend someone from an enemy village, once they had gained that enemies trust, and had been given many gifts of food, it was then that the enemy was told the purpose of the friendship before the "friend" was killed; that they had been fatten with friendship. For the purpose of giving the reader an understanding of the situation that the Richardson's were going into, Mr. Richardson shortly explains the nature of the biggest rivalries that they mediated to avert more bloodshed.

After Gradating from Prairie Bible Institute, Don and Carol Richardson obtained some additional training; they too joined the work in Netherlands New Guinea. It was then decided that the Richardson would serve with the Sawi tribe.

To try to make contact and also find a suitable spot to build a house, Don Richardson and two other missionaries that had been in Netherlands New Guinea start out on a journey up the Kronkel river and its tributaries. Traveling up the river they had hoped to make contacts with the Sawi along the river but they did not see anyone at first, the people of the Sawi villages were frightened by the sound of toe motor on the boat, and therefore they had retreated in to the jungle. The came upon the former location of a village, because of the location, this is where Don Richardson decided he wanted to build his house. Later that day the three men, did come upon a group of forty Swai men who were going to the government trading post, for the first time. When the one of the missionaries called out to the men in Kayager and one of the men answered. Man was actually part of another tribe and not a member of the Sawi tribe, but he was able to speak three different local languages. Finding out that the group would be coming past the mission station that the missionaries had started out from; they asked the man if he would come with them as a guide. The man agreed, to ease his fears and the fears of the others they asked if another man wanted to come with. Thus they were able to navigate the river better and were informed as to where different villages were. The two tribesmen also provided some valuble early lesson in the Sawi language. Upon returning to the mission station Don made plans to build the Richardson house at Kamur.

After Gradating from Prairie Bible Institute, Don and Carol Richardson obtained some additional training; they too joined the work in Netherlands New Guinea. It was then decided that the Richardson would serve with the Sawi tribe.

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Approximate Word count = 2667
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion