Ep 1432 | A Witch Doctor Tried to Stop Our Family From Teaching the Bible Using Evil Spirits

October 1, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2005, the Wild Brothers family moved into a remote village in the Papua region of Indonesia to live with the Wano people, a group of fewer than 2,000 who still used stone axes and lived in constant fear of evil spirits. The infant mortality rate was around 80%, and the Wano worldview was dominated by animism—every rainbow, bird call, or unusual sunset was interpreted as a bad omen or a message from malevolent spirits. When a child died, parents would sometimes chop off a finger from the next child and offer it to the spirit of the deceased, hoping to protect the younger sibling. Witch hunts were still practiced: women would be identified through divination ceremonies, then ambushed and killed with arrows. The Wild Brothers grew up in this environment, and their parents spent four years just learning the language and culture before they could begin teaching the Bible.

The slow work of cross-cultural church planting

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What you'll learn

1 (00:46) **The Wild Brothers Origin Story** - Keenan and Morgan Wild explain how their parents left the American Dream to become missionaries in Papua, Indonesia.
2 (16:39) **The Darkness of Animism & Witch Hunts** - The hosts describe the brutal consequences of the Wano's spirit-based worldview, including ritual finger-cutting and witch killings.
3 (21:41) **How to Share the Gospel with a Stone-Age Tribe** - The family spent four years learning the language and culture before ever preaching, understanding they had to start at the very beginning of the Bible.
4 (35:05) **Spiritual Warfare During the Teaching** - As the teaching progressed, intense spiritual opposition erupted in the form of sickness and a witch doctor's curses.
5 (37:43) **The First Believers & A Church Is Born** - After seven years of work, the first Wano believers came to faith, and a mature church was established.
6 (41:23) **From the Jungle to Media: The Wild Brothers Story** - After returning to the U.S., the brothers launched a media company to make missions exciting for a new generation.
7 (55:29) **Final Challenge: The Ultimate Adventure** - The brothers close by urging listeners to see following Christ as the greatest adventure, far surpassing any worldly dream.

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Show Notes

The Wild Brothers grew up deep in the jungles of Indonesia, where their family lived among the Wano people before teaching them the Bible. They recount a childhood surrounded by fear of evil spirits, witch doctors, malaria, and intense spiritual opposition, until the incredible moment they watched the Gospel take hold. Al, Jase, Morgan, and Kian trace the unlikely connection between their family and ‘Duck Dynasty,’ which helped inspire their own adventure-based ministry. Today, the Wild Brothers are encouraging families to get outside, grow in their faith, and see following Jesus as the ultimate adventure.

Get the FREE Wild Brothers Field Pack with family devotionals, scavenger hunts, activities, and more: https://wildbrothers.myflodesk.com/ulirj544vs

In this episode: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 17:22-31; Genesis 3:15; John 3:16; Genesis 1-11

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Chapters

00:00 The Wild Brothers Invade Unashamed

04:32 Leaving the American Dream for the Jungle

08:45 Growing Up With the Wano People

13:09 Life in a Culture Ruled by Fear

18:36 Learning a Language No Outsider Knew

23:52 Teaching the Bible From the Very Beginning

29:41 Waiting Months to Introduce Jesus

34:47 The Wano Church Is Born

39:11 How ‘Duck Dynasty’ Reached the Jungle

44:23 Turning Missions Into the Ultimate Adventure

48:29 Getting Kids Outside Their Comfort Zones

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