Could you survive in the wild?

In my Band of Believers series, young Christians flee to the Montana wilderness to flee persecution and likely death. This raises the question: Could this actually happen? Could people really survive out in the forest?

As part of my research for this series, I studied persecuted groups that had fled to the wilderness to survive. (The earliest one I could think of was the Israelites, wandering around in the desert after escaping from Egypt – but that was a special case in which God actually provided their food and water, and I was looking for something more modern.)

While studying the end times, I found it interesting and practical to brush up on the Holocaust. There are many parallels between that time period in Europe and prophesied future events. As it turns out, the Nazi regime was an excellent focus area both for the question of wilderness survivability and for reviewing the fearsome intensity of exterminating a large population of religious people.

In a nutshell, the answer to the question in the first paragraph is “Yes.” This can actually happen (and it has, not long ago) and yes, people can actually survive out in the forest.

One of my favorite stories from this time period is that of the Bielski brothers. In 1941, they established a small base camp in the dense forest, then persuaded other Jews to join them there.

By the time the war ended in 1945, over a thousand Jews were living in their forest encampment. It was gritty and rough, and winters were hard and hungry. Some died (especially those younger than ten or older than forty). But many lived!

Many things contributed to their ability to survive – practical skills, health, fortitude and courage, not to mention God’s blessing. In today’s world, not many people have the basic skills needed, and few have serious interest in learning. But they could.

If you want to learn more about this fascinating story, there are a number of good books on the topic. I suggest “The Bielski Brothers” by Peter Duffy or “Fugitives of the Forest” by Allan Levine. (If you prefer to watch a movie, check out “Defiance.”). This is a true story, and it’s raw and hard – but also encouraging and hopeful.

What do you think about all this? Your thoughts and comments are welcome. God bless you, my friends!

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