Author: Michael Dawson
Located in: Venezuela, So. America
Submitted: June 25, 2009
Tell us a little about yourself. I was born in the jungles of Venezuela to missionary parents Joe and Mildred Dawson. Growing up with the Yanomamö gave me a unique insight and understanding of their culture and their world. I returned to the US for missionary training and met and married a girl there. We returned to Venezuela in January of 1981. We had three boys. My wife Reneé passed away from a malaria attack in June of 1992. My boys and I continued working with the Yanomamö. I married Keila Cornieles in October of 1994, we had two girls, Mikeila and Mia. Mikeila went to be with the Lord in january of 2006. Keila and I continue working as missionaries to the Yanomamö Indians in Amazonas Venezuela.
What was your motivation behind this project? I started working on this project while waiting in the hospital room for a little girl that was more dead than alive. I wanted to be able to share my thoughts and all that was going through my mind to her when she was older. From there, i went back and started telling stories of my growing up years with the Yanomamö. Before i knew it, the book was over 400 pages long, and my editor told me it needed to be two books. I had no idea of trying to do two books, but decided to end book one with the passing of my first wife. So the chapters that actually inspired the book are not included in this book, but are now in book two which has yet to be published.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? i hope people will gain a love of the Yanomamö Indians and of missions. I also hope they will be inspired to trust God in every situation.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? For me, the biggest thing and i hope i shared it clearly, is that no matter what happens in life, God is still in control. the verse in 2 Cor 5:7 became my life verse. "We walk by faith not by sight.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? First of all, my Dad and Mom. they came to the jungles and worked against incredible odds to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Yanomamö. It was while reading my Mom's book, "All the day Long" to my three boys that i realized what an incredible heritage a book was to leave your family. I decided if i ever had the time, i wanted to leave something for my boys to read to their children. I had the time in the University of VA hospital in Charlottesville VA. Other sources of inspiration are Paul from the Bible, along with Daniel, David, Peter and a host of others. Authors would be Philip Yancy, Paul Brand, Michael Card, and i guess the list could get pretty long.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: God has promised that He will build His church. I believe one of the greatest thrills in life is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone who has never heard and then to watch the truth of God's Word dawn in the eyes of this person when they realize Christ died for them.
