Jim (1927-1956) and Elisabeth (1926-2015) Elliot

From Kindred Grace magazine (by Chantel): “Jim and Elisabeth met in college, but they didn’t get married until they separately went to Ecuador to minister to the Quichua. They married in Quito and moved to a more remote area to try to make contact with the Huaorani tribe (called the Aucas by the Quichua). Jim and four other missionaries were later killed by the tribe they were trying to reach. After her husband’s death, Elisabeth returned and spent two years ministering to the tribe that killed him. Elisabeth Elliot is one of the most known and loved women missionaries in the last few generations. Through her extensive speaking and many beautiful books, her legacy and inspiration will live on in the hearts of all who read them.”

If you have never watched the movie End Of The Spear (filmed in Panama) , I encourage you to do so. It will fill in the whole amazing story of these 5 missionaries who gave their lives trying to reach “unreached people groups” in Ecuador. Just when the missionaries thought they were making progress in befriending the Quichua, several Quichua natives became suspicious and speared them to death when they landed their plane by the river.

The follow up story is amazing. Eilsabeth Elliot was the wife of Jim Elliot. What would you do if your husband was speared to death by hostile natives in a foreign country. Grieve to death? Be filled with 2nd thoughts about trying to convert these “unreached people groups”? Be bitter and angry: how could God allow this to happen? Well, this is what she did. Two years “after her husband, Jim Elliot, was killed by the Waodani tribe, Elisabeth Elliot returned to the Ecuadorian rainforest to live among the tribe, choosing forgiveness over revenge, and later became a prominent author (over 20 books) and speaker, sharing her experiences and knowledge. In 1958 Elisabeth Elliot, wife of Jim Elliot, and Rachel Saint, sister of Nate Saint, made peaceful contact with the Huaorani tribe. They came to live with them, learned their language, and taught them the Bible. A native, Mincaye, soon converted to Christianity. He was one of the ones who speared the 5 missionaries.” (AI) Elisabeth died at age 88. Mincaye preached the gospel to fellow tribesmen in Ecuador until his death in 2020. I recently saw a picture of Waodani Indians being bapized exactly 50 years after and in the same river where the missionaries were speared. What a legacy? There is the song (and movie) “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me, with Bar Millard imagining meeting his father in heaven. Can you imagine these 5 missionaries meeting Mincaye in heaven as he introduces them to some of those he converted after the missionaries died?

When you get through watching the movie End Of The Spear, watch Beyond The Gates Of Splendor” documentary film (filmed partly in Ecuador, released in 2002, was based on Elisabeth Elliot’s best seller book written in 1957). Watch it on youtube. “Through Gates of Splendor (the book), ” the story of Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Jim Elliot, was first recorded in 1956 by Jim’s widow, Elisabeth in her best selling book. The story is told through the eyes of Elisabeth Elliiot. Decades later, its story of unconditional love and complete obedience to God still inspires new readers.” (AI) The documentary film Beyond The Gates Of Splendor documentary film (filmed partly in Ecuador, released in 2002, was based on Elisabeth Elliot’s best seller book written in 1957). Watch it on youtube. “Narrated by one of the missionary’s sons, Steve Saint, Beyond the Gates of Splendor not only documents the harrowing events of that fateful January day, but also reveals the dramatic changes in the Waodani culture that came as a result of the missionaries’ deaths.” (AI) In the film, the picture of the widowed Elizabeth in the canoe with her daughter, Valerie, heading back to the Huaorani​ with the gospel has inspired many missionaries to try to reach “unreached peoples groups”. I am watching Beyond The Gates Of Splendor film right now as I write this article.

I feel a little unworthy to even write this article. My mission work back in the 70’s was nothing in comparison to the work of these 5 missionaries and later their wives and children. My wife and I did spend 5 years doing mission work in Trinidad, West Indies (3 years) and Cali, Colombia (1 1/2 years). For some reason, as a teen my dream was to do mission work. I felt like it was a special calling. People living in the U.S. hear th gospel over and over in many different ways, but I felt like Paul did: “Romans 15:20 “And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation”. Although we taught and baptized many Trinidadians and started several churches there, we were not working with “unreached peoples groups”. To be honest, I don’t think I would have had the courage to do what those 5 missionaries did in Ecuador, risking their lives to share the gospel. I don’t think I would have had the courage or desire of Elisabeth to go back to convert those who killed her husband. I am still pleased withour mission work, however. I recently got a whatsapp call from the first sweet lady whom I baptized in starting a church in Siparia, Trinidad. She had 5 children and has been a strong leader in the church in Siparia since her conversion. It brought me great memories and joy to talk to her. I also recently talked to Eman Tobas and his wife Joan, one of the church leaders in the La Brea church with whom we worked closely. Eman is in the last stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. I know God is pleased with what we did in Trinidad as well as what they did in Ecuador. My wife and I went to Ecuador, actually, on a few mission trips to a Christian orphanage and school. We passed through the capital Quito just as Jim and Elisabeth did in the 50’s.

Maybe you don’t feel that God is calling you to do mission work in any foreign field. That’s all right. You can share the gospel right where you are. But you can still support mission efforts to share the gospel with the “unreached peoples groups”. “an unreached people group refers to an ethnic group without an indigenous, self-propagating Christian church movement. Any ethnic or ethnolinguistic nation without enough Christians to evangelize the rest of the nation is an “unreached people group. It is estimated that of the 8.08 billion people alive in the world today, 3.42 billion of them live in unreached people groups with little or no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The latest estimates suggest that approximately 7,400 people groups are considered unreached. That means over 40% of the world’s people groups have no indigenous community of believing Christians able to evangelize the rest of their people group. With over 1.3 billion people living in unreached people groups, India has the largest population living in unreached people groups.” (AI)

Jesus’s command to his followers in Matthew 28:19-20, known as the Great Commission, instructs them to “go and make disciples of all nations”. Are we doing that today? Less than 3% of mission work is with unreached peoples groups. I think if Jesus was with us today, he might be turning some tables over. Matthew 21:12 “And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.”

“This might surprise you. For every $100,000 a Christian earns, only $107 on average will go to world missions. And roughly 1% of that money will support the 3.1 billion people who live in unreached people groups.” (AI) Check your church’s budget. About 75-80% of contributions collected goes to staff and buildings. A small % might go to missions of some kind but a much smaller % goes to reaching the unreached peoples groups (if any at all). Churches should, in my opinion, focus on using the vast majority of their contributions to spread the gospel and help the poor and oppressed peoples of the world. Unfortunately, once you get into the “church business” stage of church organization, you end up with a budget mainly for buildings and staff.

As I have done before, I would encourage you to donate some of your tithes to organizations that work with helping the poor worldwide and spreading the gospel, especially among the unreached peoples groups.

Who are your heroes? Today, it is often famous athletes, movie stars, or musicians. Kinda like Isaiah 5:22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink.” The wrong kind of heroes in culture. There are many different “halls of fame” of athletes, musicians, actors, etc. The Bible “hall of fame” is in Hebrews 11 is often called the HEROES OF FAITH, the Bible “hall of fame”. There are quite a few people who make it into this “Hall of Faith” and some of these include Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Samson and David. Who are your heroes?

I hope these articles on courageous, sacrifical misionaries have inspired you in some way. Do you share the amzing stories of these missionaries with your children and others. Do they know Gladys Aylward, Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, and many others as well as they know Taylor Swift and LeBron James?