Whoo hoo, finally a book about a missionary experience that is a fun read! The Jank's truly are people with a mission, but rather than hit you over the head with it, their exuberant descriptions of their time in the field make you want to join them. I laughed out loud! ( )

This is the best missionary biography I have read in years! He made the hardships of jungle life sound so exciting, I was ready to pack up and move to the Amazon just for the adventure. He has a knack for playing with language to such an extent that he even made the bookish, dull job of language/grammar learning sound funny and fun. I plan on reading this book again with my kids this week and then to pass it on to everyone I know. Read it! You'll love it!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I cracked this book open, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Davey is a wonderful storyteller, and he tells of daily life--the toils and struggles--with humor and delightful wit. The chapters in this book are quite brief, and in some cases, I am left wanting to know an outcome; however, it was a great book for me to read at bedtime, as I could stop between chapters relatively quickly.
The stories themselves delve into life and culture among the Wilos, speak of his growing acceptance by the tribal people and difficulties with a language so different than English (or even Spanish), and brings to light many details that those who have never been on a mission (and even many that have!) would never think of, including that the Wilo culture is based on fear, starting with putting the fear of everything into the youngest child, with these fears staying with them into adulthood. He also tells of the witchdoctors and their "power," and how certain Bible stories could be construed as spirits and witchdoctors, and his own personal struggle with how to honor the people so as not to offend them, but also let them know that he doesn't believe in those powers.
I was blessed to tears by the last few chapters--and don't want to say more, in case you wish to read the book.
I will definitely be sharing this one with my missionary friends! ( )

This book is not your typical missionary biography. Because it had very short chapters and did not flow from one chapter to the next, it did not keep my interest. The book gives a lot of insight into the life of a missionary and the translation process and learning a language. There were some parts that I laughed out loud because the author used a lot of humor to describe his life. Overall it was interesting but was disappointed in the way it was written. Also, there were pictures in the book, but none of the author or the other missionaries or people that he describes in the book. ( )

At the top of the cover of Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak by Davey & Marie Jank it says "An astonishing biography." While very interesting, I did not find it astonishing. As a Christian I was very happy to learn that missionaries didn't simply decide that the Wilo people needed to be evangelized. This is the story of a missionary who was invited by a people who wanted to learn "God's Talk." It is also good to know that missionaries (at least some) now learn to accept their new "flock" they way they are, without imposing missionary culture on them. There are several instances in the book where Jank explains a Wilo custom that is something unacceptable in our culture. His compassion and acceptance shine through, along with his concern that they learn about the God of the Bible in a way that is true to the Bible and fits in with their culture.

Davey's story is given in short personal chapters. Through his accounts of specific incidents, the reader is able to garner a general understanding of Wilo life. The chapters in which Jank recounts a bit of the work on language make very clear the time and tedium it takes to learn a language sufficiently to put it into written form for the first time and then to translate the Bible accurately and in a culturally relevant way.

Humor is clearly one of Jank's strong points. Like most good humorists, he is very adept at laughing at himself. Humor is apparently also a common Wilo trait, because he seemed to be laughed at by them as much as by himself. Considering Janks apparent frustration with the linguistics difficulties he had, and boredom with all its rules, I appreciate his humor. A dry rendition of the formalities of linguistics and what it took to adequately learn this language would have been rather dull.

At the point where I thought Jank's tongue was surgically attached to his cheek (and it was getting tiresome), he becomes more serious. He tells of the Wilo finally hearing God's Talk for the first time in their own language and of two serious hard times that befall them at the same time and how hearing God's Word affects their reactions. He ends with the Wilo's own words about what hearing God's Talk meant to them. ( )