take two.

What does Jesus want us to do for the Sawi?

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

What do you live for? Do you live for an acceptance letter to Harvard or Yale? For fame and success like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs? Or maybe, you really don't have a purpose of living. You're just here because you were born into this world on the day of life's first cry, and you have been living since then. But whether you have a purpose or not, all followers of Christ have a purpose for living- to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and help others find the same purpose in life, which is in Christ.

The Sawi are so different from us, from their philosophy to their lifestyle that we cannot understand how they think in such manners or manage to live in such 'uncivilized' ways. It is unheard of for one to value treachery, let alone go hunting for people's heads in our society. It is so easy for us to label the Sawi as uncivilized savages. However, are we not savages also? We abuse God's creation by tainting this world with our sinful nature. Abortion. Drugs. Child labor. Rape. Murder. The problems occuring worldwide from the sin in mankind is endless. We may be advanced in technology, science, and education than the Sawi, but apart from those superificial aspects, we are no better than them. In fact, we may be even more inferior than them; nevertheless, Jesus welcomes us as His children and restores us. Jesus does not want us to help the Sawi physically only, such as aiding them with food, medicine and housing. If that was case, Don Richardson didn't need to be the one who had to travel across half the globe into the forests of Papa New Guineau. It could have been anyone. Anybody could have sent food or antibiotics to the Sawi. However, there was a mission that God had for Don Richardson- to spiritually restore the lives of the Sawi people. This is the same mission given to all Christians. Jesus wants us to go out into the world and preach the Gospel before His coming. That is simply our purpose in life.

Through the Sawi and many more lost souls in the world, we are able to fulfill our commission given to us by Jesus Christ. Instead of thinking, 'What should I do for the Sawi?' we must step outside of our circle of egocentricity and think, 'What does Jesus want me to do for the Sawi, and those who are less fortunate than me?' It all goes back to the famous acronym, W.W.J.D. we've all heard of. What Would Jesus Do?