 "Panama Tom" Willey brings
us back to Peru and shares with us a story of forgiveness, healing and
over-coming |
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"Panama Tom" Willey brings
us back to Peru and shares with us a story of forgiveness, healing and
over-coming |
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When Tom left Asbury College in Kentucky to come to Peru, the school was experiencing a deep spiritual revival. Tom figured that if things were this spiritually positive at school with his fellow students, then the mission field would be even better. He would be working side by side with men and women who were his spiritual elders, mature and experienced in their faith. He quickly found this was not necessarily the case. Upon arrival everything seemed friendly enough, but after a short time Tom began to notice tensions between the established team members. Not wanting to get involved in the squabbles of others he busied himself with his work around the camp. However, much to his dismay he found that as “the new guy” he had been unwittingly elected as the neutral sounding board that the different parties came to for a chance to voice their frustrations. He initially tried to be friendly and use his healthy sense of humor to ease some of the tensions, but inwardly he was shocked and disappointed at their negativity and the seeming lack of spiritual maturity, patience and willingness to forgive. As time went on he found it better to just let his companions vent as he quietly and calmly concentrated on his woodwork. As hard as he tried though, the constant negativity being voiced around him was an infectious damper that seemed to drown his efforts to remain positive and upbeat. Tom’s main source of relief was the hunting trips he would take with the natives. Even with the language barrier he felt more comfortable out in the bush with his Campa Indian friends. It was a chance to get away from the politics of the mission station and enjoy nature at it’s most savage and beautiful. |
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As the months wore on, the station began to run out of sources for fresh meat. It was finally decided that some of the monkeys that guarded the camp would have to be sacrificed until more supplies could be brought it. As the monkeys were pets of Tom’s friend Clyde Taylor who was away in Lima, he felt a slight twinge of guilt as the animals were slaughtered. The next morning, with a full stomach and undisturbed night of sleep, he quickly got over it. As he came close to completing the main house, a missionary couple by the name of Ross and Ruth Stull arrived to the station. They had been appointed as the permanent heads of the Peruvian mission, which allowed the pioneer members of the group to be relieved of duty and return home to the States. As Tom stood on the shore and waved goodbye to his companions, he was overcome with loneliness. Although working with these people had been a challenge, he had eventually come to value their friendship at the remote station. After a couple more months of working at the station with the Stull family, an opportunity to return home arose for Tom, but not in the way he had hoped. A radiogram was received at the station stating that Tom’s father in New Jersey was deathly ill with cancer and not expected to survive long. Tom had not been close to his father. John Willey was given to transient living, and had subjected Tom, his mother and sister to many sudden moves during their childhood. He also used to make a habit of getting drunk just so he could mock and embarrass Tom when he got home from school. In spite of this, his father’s spiritual condition had been weighing on his heart the last several years. He knew he must see his father before he died, and try to share his faith at least one more time. Although the Stulls hated losing such a strong and dedicated worker, they agreed he should follow the burden of his heart and return home. As he packed his bag for the journey home, he reflected on the almost 2 years that had passed since he left New York harbor for Peru. When he arrived he had a healthy, vivacious 190 pounds. He was now a mere 165 pounds, making his 6’1” frame look gaunt. He felt that his spiritual condition matched his outward appearance, as he was frustrated that so much of his energy had been spent trying to be a reconciling force between his co-workers instead of sharing the Gospel with the lost. After saying goodbye to the Stull family and his Indian friends, Tom took one more look around at the clearing that had been his home for the last two years. It had been a time in the desert spiritually, but he sensed deep down that the lessons in patience and perseverance learned here would be important in years to come. He felt a deep sense of pride at the work he’d done on the buildings around the camp and knew that they would be used well by the Stulls and other missionaries who would follow. As he stepped into the boat that would take him down the river, a still small voice inside assured him he was getting ready to embark on the next chapter of what was to be an exciting and adventurous life. But he was not out of the jungle yet. The wood burning launch that was to take him back to civilization looked like something out of The African Queen. It was crowded with Peruvian soldiers, and after some searching Tom found an open spot to sit and try to make himself comfortable. After a couple of days of travel the boat captain stopped at a clearing by the river to get some more wood to fuel the engines. While they waited a group of the soldiers suggested that to pass the morning they could take the trail that led from the clearing to visit one of the villages that was supposed to be nearby. Tom immediately spoke up against this idea and explained that it was probably only a hunting trail with no guarantee to lead to a village. His time in the jungle had taught him that without a guide familiar with the area, a traveler could easily find themselves irreversibly lost in the dense and confusing brush. The soldiers declared that their path finding skills were equal to the natives and insisted that Tom come with them so they could prove it. Reluctantly Tom agreed and the group set off. Very quickly Tom’s warnings came to fruition, as what had initially been a clear trail eventually began to circle around and spider web into various other trails that were less distinct. After hours of walking around in circles they realized that they had completely lost their sense of direction. The only thing they could do was stay where they were and hope the other members of the group still at the river would realize they were lost and come to find them. |
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Night eventually fell, and as the hours stretched on Tom began to feel more and more angry. It was as if all the frustration and depravation he had been putting up with for the last two years was bubbling up to the surface. He no longer bothered with the cheerful façade. He prowled around the camp like a tiger, angrily snapping at the soldiers when they tried to make small talk. It was their fault that they were in this mess - why hadn’t they just listened to him? To further complicate matters they had left most of their supplies with the boat at the river side. The canteens were running low, and they had brought little to no food. Tom went off away from the group for some time alone. So this how his story was to end - dying alone in the jungle? And what about his father – was he never to have the chance to see him and share his faith before the cancer finished him off? As he sat quietly and listened to the sounds of the jungle, as still small voice spoke inside of him. “When did I ever let you down before?” Tom began to remember back over his life. Sure, things had never been easy, but he had always made it through. He had always been provided for, always protected. God had never let down, and as he sat there all alone in the jungle, the promises from scripture came flooding back to memory: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” “He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” Tom put his head in his hands as the tears streamed down his face. He claimed to be a man of God, yet had so easily lost his hope, his temper and his composure. He begged for forgiveness and the strength to make it out alive. Peace settled on him like a mantle. He took a deep breath and looked up through the jungle canopy at the stars – he knew his work was not finished. Somehow they would be rescued. Tom would find out later that at that precise moment a pair of women he had known from Asbury College were in a prayer meeting. They both had gotten the sense that “young Tom Willey was in danger,” and had prayed specifically for his safety and deliverance. The next morning Tom apologized to the soldiers for his behavior. He assured them that the God he served had made this jungle and knew every trail it, and that they would be rescued. All through the day he encouraged the soldiers to be strong and not lose hope, and not to waste their energy on fear. He often led the group in prayer, and shared with them the same scriptures that had given him strength. Another night came and went, and on the morning of the third day, with their water gone and the end seeming near, help finally arrived. By the time they finally got back to the river, with their clothes in rags from 3 days fighting the jungle, the soldiers had a new name for their American companion: “El Macho” – the man. |
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Tom did eventually get back to New Jersey before his father died. Although initially rebuffed by the father who had treated him so poorly as a child, there was eventual reconciliation and healing. John Willey in the end finally listened and tearfully trusted in the message of forgiveness shared so compassionately by his son. In the next few days they spent together, a sweet friendship grew that had never existed before between father and son. After several days at his father’s bedside Tom received an invitation to speak and share his jungle experiences at an evangelistic meeting that was being held in Long Island. He felt torn as he did not wish to leave his father’s side when he was so close to death. John Willey gripped his son’s hand. “Go. Share with them the same hope you shared with me. And don’t worry – if I’m not here when you get back, I’ll be waiting for you up there, just inside the gate…” Just before Tom took the stage to speak in Long Island, he was handed a telegram with a single sentence: “Father has gone on.” As he stood there with the telegram in one hand and his jungle tattered Bible in the other, his said a quick “Thank you” to the God who had seen him through so much in the last two years. The groundwork had been laid for a career in ministry that would eventually see a lot more jungle, a lot more pain, and a lot more joy and hope as Thomas H. Willey shared his faith and his heart wherever and with whoever was willing to listen…
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