Bruchko: The Astonishing True Story of a 19-Year-Old American, His Capture by the Motilone Indians and His Adventures in Christ

by Bruce Olson

Book Overview

What happens when a nineteen-year-old boy leaves home and heads into the jungles to evangelize a murderous tribe of South American Indians? For Bruce Olson, it meant capture, disease, terror, loneliness, and torture. But what he discovered by trial and error has revolutionized then world of missions.

Bruchko, which has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide, has been called "more fantastic and harrowing than anything...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159185993X
• ISBN13: 9781591859932
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Charisma House
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Why fierce warriors adopted an unarmed Scandinavian

If you gravitate to well crafted stories that include a divine call to adventure and near death encounters in foreign lands, this book exceeds your expectations. It has been retitled ‘Bruchko’. The author provides some vignettes from his cold family upbringing in small town America. They set the stage for his ultimate destiny into the dangerous and mountainous jungles of South America. Bruce is only 19 when he begins the journey. God will use him to change history and reawaken an ancient culture. Buckle up. Join Bruchko as he follows God’s leading toward new and treacherous destinations.

What a Great Read!

This book is like an Indiana Jones story but in the Mission Field. How awesome to see a young man dedicate his life to helping these primitive people. He used his heart and soul, no special skills to accomplish this. I loved this book. Read it in one afternoon. Could not put it down. If you like adventure, this is it!

Taking Missions to Heart

Bruchko is a fascinating story of a young man's struggles, Bruce Olsen, to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to civilizations that were previously unreachable within the South American continent. To me, a missionary, this book brings life to all the things that must be considered on and off the mission field. As an avid reader, the story of one man's determination to spread the gospel, as well as the trials and tribulations he faced, kept me riveted. I have heard and read stories like this most of my life, but could not believe some of the hard facts and daily adversity that Bruce Olsen had to face.I appreciated the day-by-day encounters of Bruchko, as he was called, with the tribal people of South America. The literary work by Bruce Olsen opened my eyes to the things of this world that one person can and does face daily when focused on getting the Palabra de Dios, Word of God, to other civilizations. The story tells of a man who was turned away by mission organizations because of his young age and inexperience. I recommend this book for anyone seeking a great story as well as those people considering going to the mission field for active work.Despite the book ending on the last page, I know the story of his mission did not end there and look forward to hearing more about it in the future. Even after reading it twice, I look forward to the next time I pick up the book to peruse the pages. I cannot help but think about what the world would be like if more people would follow the leading of God and use Bruchko's zeal and desire as an example to bring the gospel to the world.

One of the best books I've ever read outside the Bible

This is a riveting story of a young man who was so passionate about winning lost tribes for Jesus Christ that he plunges himself into the work and immerses himself into the culture. You have to pinch yourself to remember that this is a true story. It's so outstanding and so unbelievable that one man endured so much for Christ. I kept thinking of the words of God in Acts 9: "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

Heartwrenching

I read this along time ago and would like to find it. It is one of the greatest missionary books I have ever read and have never forgotten what this missionary went through for the sake of Christ and I would call him one of the greatest heros ever

Bruchko is da bomb!

As I read the book, I kept on checking the back flap to see if this guy is for real. Bruchko is real, as is the awesome power and love of Jesus Christ. Bruce Olsen's life reminds me how God uses his weakest people to do his mightiest works. People like me! Other missionary biographies I would suggest are "Peacechild" by D.Richardson, "Through the Gates of Splendor" by E.Eliot, "Living Faith" by H.Rosavere, and "God's Joyful Runner" by R.Ramsey (the true story of Eric Liddell, the Olympic hero portrayed in Chariots of Fire who later served as a missionary in China).