Beyond Civilization

Sophie Muller (1910-1995) was a missionary for the New Tribes Mission headquartered in Wisconsin. In 1944, she traded life as a graphic designer in New York City for the jungles of Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela in order to reach the local tribes with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The original plan was to send her to the field to draw illustrations for the New Tribes Mission magazine, Brown Gold. Soon, however, Sophie Muller struck out on her own through the jungles with various traders and guides and established contact with the Curipaco people. Her first task was learning the language, and with the help of a bilingual man, she began teaching the people to read even while learning the language herself. She created a primer in their language and, ultimately, translated the New Testament in the Curipaco language and many other Indian languages. She taught the people using Bible stories and songs and began to see the people come to Christ. As the villagers came to Christ, she traveled with them, bringing the Gospel to the whole region. Over the course of her 50-plus years of ministry in the jungle, Sophie Muller was directly responsible for planting over 350 churches in the region, and an estimated 35,000 indigenous people came to Christ as a result of her service.