Former shaman burns 'the old man'

UPDATES | NORTH AMERICA
November 2013

By a SEND North worker — Jack* wanted to get rid of a bunch of items in his house that were bothering him. I told him that I would support him in whatever he chose, but that I did not understand his culture enough to decide for him what needed to go. I had no idea how much he was going to get rid of. He chose the beach where he got baptized as the place to burn these items.

Jack, I soon found out, had been training to be a shaman. He had all kinds of traditional medicines (roots, barks, seeds, powders, fungi, etc.), which by themselves are not bad. Some were made to alleviate common ailments, but some were designed to reverse curses, fend off spirits, read minds and thoughts, and attract women. He also had clothing, crafts, animal pelts, and bird parts that he wanted destroyed.

Anything that didn’t have a spiritual connection had a connection to his life in enmity with God. He wanted a clean slate. As the pile to be burned reached the size of a kitchen table, Jack expressed how much weight was being taken off him. For the first time in my life I saw real idols (items that were prayed to and sought after for power) and watched them get destroyed.

Over and over we reassured him that he was not gaining favor in God’s eyes by doing this. He was loved fully by God, and nothing he did was going to make God love him more or less. This burning of “the old man” was a way to honor and worship God, but did not earn greater favor. We all read scripture, sang songs, and prayed frequently through the hours on that beach. I am not sure that we will see something like that again in our lifetime. What an amazing display of God’s power in a person’s life.


Even in North America, some communities have not heard of the saving love of Christ. Learn more about how SEND’s teams live out the gospel in these areas.

*Not his real name

Additional Posts

From Siberian winters and language barriers to pandemic isolation and regional conflicts, our missio
By Emily Westcott April 23, 2025
From Siberian winters and language barriers to pandemic isolation and regional conflicts, our missionaries share deeply personal moments of doubt, spiritual stretching, and questioning their calling.
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 bil
By Diaspora North America March 7, 2025
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution only to break it in less than a week? On March 1, 1.8 billion Muslims began their annual fasting month called Ramadan. They are supposed to fast completely—no water or food—during daylight hours from March 1–Mar 29. It begins with much fanfare, promises, and declarations, as fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe that faithfully keeping the fast ensures one’s place of favor with God.
By Diaspora North America February 10, 2025
Have you ever had your plans unexpectedly rearranged? That’s exactly what happened during my visit to a refugee family.
Show More