Wayumi

Wayumi. Why-you-me. Wayumi. If you’ve never heard it before, wayumi is a word describing a cultural practice of the Yanomamo people of Brazil. Going wayumi means leaving where you normally live to go somewhere else for a specific period of time, for a specific purpose. Where, why, and how long varies depending on the situation. Similar English words are “vacation” and “business trip.”

Missions Exposure = Summer Camp

Wayumi is a generic word in Yanomamo, but Ethnos360 (Ethnos Canada’s partner in the USA) named a facility Wayumi. Located in Pennsylvania, Wayumi is a combination of a missions exposure course and a summer camp. People of all ages are welcome to visit Wayumi for a week or a weekend. So if you’re interested in becoming a cross-cultural missionary, if you want to learn what life is like for the missionaries you support, or if you want your kids — or your church’s youth group — to have a fun time while being exposed to missions, consider Wayumi.

My Wayumi Adventure

I, Emily Kopf, an intern at Ethnos360 and Bible Institute student, went to Wayumi with my college in March. It was a really cool experience. Even though I have been hearing about cross-cultural missions all my life, I learned a lot about the process of planting a thriving church. One of the most memorable things about Wayumi was the real-life scenarios. The missionary-teachers showed us a slice of what life is like in the Yanomamo and Joti people groups, and we observed and asked questions to learn their languages and cultures. The perfectionist in me was terrified of mispronouncing words, but the writer/editor in me loved the puzzle of dissecting those words for understanding. Another thing I enjoyed about Wayumi was the fellowship. Experiencing Wayumi with my friends and talking with the missionaries was amazing.