Friday, January 15, 2010
An Introduction to Jim and Elisabeth Elliot
Jim Elliot was a simple man from a simple home, with a relatively normal background. He then left all of this behind when he decided to become a missionary in one of the most dangerous places in the world. Along with four of his fellow missionaries and friends he risked his life to reach out to the Huaorani Tribe in the jungles of Ecuador. After making some progress communicating with the tribe Elliot and his friends were killed by the tribe in a sudden attack. The story however does not end there. Elliot’s wife along with the wives of other missionaries picked up where their husbands left off. They did not give up on the Huaorani people, nor did they condemn them, or blame them. Instead they continued the effort to bring the people the message of The Bible. After many years of living in the jungle with the tribe, and with the help of God, they were able to convert the tribe to Christianity, and they are now a non-violent people. Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Peter Fleming, Nate Saint, their wives, and their family’s, all made a difference.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Early Life of Jim Elliot
The Early Life of Jim Elliot
by Alison DeFiore
"God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus." ~ Jim Elliot
On October 8, 1927, Jim Elliot was born in Portland, Oregon. His parents were Fred and Clara Elliot, and he was their third child. He had two older siblings: Herbert and Robert. Later, a sister was born, named Jane. Mr. Elliot was an Evangelist. Mrs. Elliot ran a chiropractic business. It was a simple but enjoyable life. Fred and Clara loved inviting missionaries to their house, so their presence was a constant contributor to the household’s environment. When Jim was eight years of age, he decided to accept Jesus into his heart and dedicate his life to Him (Jim Elliot) Jim continued on, excelling at school and attending Benson Polytechnic High School. He concentrated on architectural drawing. During his high school years, Elliot participated in football and was considered a talented actor. When he was a senior, he was elected the class president. (Jim Elliot)
After graduating, Elliot went Wheaton College on a scholarship to major in Greek. He chose that college because his brother recommended it. While at college, Jim worked part time and joined the varsity wrestling team for all four years. He also enjoyed preaching to youth groups in Wheaton. At one point, he found a statistic that deeply affected him. It was: "There is one Christian worker for every 50,000 people in foreign lands, while there is one to every 500 in the United States." (Jim Elliot) This statement caused him to reevaluate his plans and consider his dream on mission work more seriously. He ended up spending a year in Mexico with a missionary family. While there, he learned Spanish. Elliot also found the love of his life, Elizabeth, at Wheaton and courted her for his junior and senior year. She was a year older than him and also wanted to be a missionary. At the time of her graduation, they agreed to live separately for a while and pray over their relationship. Jim still had one year left of college and spent the summer of 1948 as the elected president of Foreign Missionary Fellowship. Jim finished college and graduated in 1949 with high honors.
After college, Jim returned to his home and occupied his time with odd jobs and studying the Bible. He also continued to preach whenever he found an audience. Elliot also traveled to Norman, OK in June of 1950. There he worked with a former missionary. This missionary had worked with Quechua Indians of Ecuador and taught Jim about their reputation for violence. (Jim Elliot) Jim continued his relationship with Elizabeth and even joined her at a linguistics school for a period. While Jim travelled to work with youths in Indiana and Illonois, he kept in touch with Elizabeth through letters and visits. He also joined two friends to work on a radio broadcast series called “The March of Truth.” (Jim Elliot) Finally Jim set off to Ecuador to work as a missionary.
by Alison DeFiore
"God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus." ~ Jim Elliot
On October 8, 1927, Jim Elliot was born in Portland, Oregon. His parents were Fred and Clara Elliot, and he was their third child. He had two older siblings: Herbert and Robert. Later, a sister was born, named Jane. Mr. Elliot was an Evangelist. Mrs. Elliot ran a chiropractic business. It was a simple but enjoyable life. Fred and Clara loved inviting missionaries to their house, so their presence was a constant contributor to the household’s environment. When Jim was eight years of age, he decided to accept Jesus into his heart and dedicate his life to Him (Jim Elliot) Jim continued on, excelling at school and attending Benson Polytechnic High School. He concentrated on architectural drawing. During his high school years, Elliot participated in football and was considered a talented actor. When he was a senior, he was elected the class president. (Jim Elliot)
After graduating, Elliot went Wheaton College on a scholarship to major in Greek. He chose that college because his brother recommended it. While at college, Jim worked part time and joined the varsity wrestling team for all four years. He also enjoyed preaching to youth groups in Wheaton. At one point, he found a statistic that deeply affected him. It was: "There is one Christian worker for every 50,000 people in foreign lands, while there is one to every 500 in the United States." (Jim Elliot) This statement caused him to reevaluate his plans and consider his dream on mission work more seriously. He ended up spending a year in Mexico with a missionary family. While there, he learned Spanish. Elliot also found the love of his life, Elizabeth, at Wheaton and courted her for his junior and senior year. She was a year older than him and also wanted to be a missionary. At the time of her graduation, they agreed to live separately for a while and pray over their relationship. Jim still had one year left of college and spent the summer of 1948 as the elected president of Foreign Missionary Fellowship. Jim finished college and graduated in 1949 with high honors.
After college, Jim returned to his home and occupied his time with odd jobs and studying the Bible. He also continued to preach whenever he found an audience. Elliot also traveled to Norman, OK in June of 1950. There he worked with a former missionary. This missionary had worked with Quechua Indians of Ecuador and taught Jim about their reputation for violence. (Jim Elliot) Jim continued his relationship with Elizabeth and even joined her at a linguistics school for a period. While Jim travelled to work with youths in Indiana and Illonois, he kept in touch with Elizabeth through letters and visits. He also joined two friends to work on a radio broadcast series called “The March of Truth.” (Jim Elliot) Finally Jim set off to Ecuador to work as a missionary.
The Missionary Work of Jim Elliot with the Huaorani Indian Tribe
The Missionary Work of Jim Elliot with the Huaorani Indian Tribe
by Kelly Urmston
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" (Jim Elliot Quote).
Jim Elliot and his wife moved to Ecuador to begin missions work. He also started a family and they welcomed a son into the world. While in Ecuador, Jim met up with other missionaries who had made it their lives work to bring The Gospel to the Tribes in a neighboring jungle. Most of these tribes had never met anybody outside of their tribe, let alone out of the Jungle. Also, many of the tribes were known for being violent. They made spears for hunting, and would use them to harm invading tribes if they felt threatened. Jim began to work with the Quito Tribe to teach them about Christianity.
While still in the early years of his ministry Jim learned of the Huaorani Indian tribe that was known for their violence. They would attack other tribes and were even rumored to kill for sport. Jim and four of his friends decided to make it their mission to try to reach these people, and bring them The Gospel. Jim owned a plane a bi-plane would make trips into the jungle to meet the tribes. When he felt that he had gathered enough information about this tribe he took the daring step to reach out to this hostile tribe. “They had prayed for years for this primitive group that had never heard the redemption story of peace with God through the death of Christ” (Jim Elliot Martyred Missionary Did They Have To Die). The first time the group landed they were met by a small group of the Huaorani tribe. Both parties were leery of the other, but nothing violent took place. Jim and other missionaries, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Peter Fleming and their pilot Nate Saint, would return to this jungle several more times before it would finally end in disaster. “Here were five common young men whose unifying distinction was less their inherited abilities or acquired skills than their commitment to seek God's will and to carry out his purposes for their lives”( Jim Elliot Martyred Missionary Did They Have To Die?).
“They were approached several times by small groups of Huaorani Indians, and even gave an airplane ride to one curious Huaorani who they called ‘George’” (Jim Elliot - Biography of Jim Elliot). Since things had been going well, the team made plans to reach out to the entire tribe, and to move deeper into the jungle. However, they were never given the chance. As the plane landed at the edge of the jungle they were met by a large group of the Tribe. They were greatly out numbered, and the tribe felt the need to show their dominance. When the Huaorani began to feel threatened, they turned to violence. Members of the tribe killed Jim and his team. They used spears, and were violent in their attack. After many hours of painful waiting and wondering Jim’s wife began to think that something must have gone wrong, and so a search team was sent to search the area. In the next three days four of the five bodies would be found along the neighboring river. One was never located. “Elliot and his friends became instantly known worldwide as martyrs”( Jim Elliot - Biography of Jim Elliot). And their story would have been remembered simply as a tragedy if it was not for the unbelievable work of his wife, and the wives of his friends.
Other Indians fear them but the missionaries were determined to reach them. Said Elliot: ‘Our orders are: the Gospel to every creature’ (Jim Elliot Quote).
by Kelly Urmston
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" (Jim Elliot Quote).
Jim Elliot and his wife moved to Ecuador to begin missions work. He also started a family and they welcomed a son into the world. While in Ecuador, Jim met up with other missionaries who had made it their lives work to bring The Gospel to the Tribes in a neighboring jungle. Most of these tribes had never met anybody outside of their tribe, let alone out of the Jungle. Also, many of the tribes were known for being violent. They made spears for hunting, and would use them to harm invading tribes if they felt threatened. Jim began to work with the Quito Tribe to teach them about Christianity.
While still in the early years of his ministry Jim learned of the Huaorani Indian tribe that was known for their violence. They would attack other tribes and were even rumored to kill for sport. Jim and four of his friends decided to make it their mission to try to reach these people, and bring them The Gospel. Jim owned a plane a bi-plane would make trips into the jungle to meet the tribes. When he felt that he had gathered enough information about this tribe he took the daring step to reach out to this hostile tribe. “They had prayed for years for this primitive group that had never heard the redemption story of peace with God through the death of Christ” (Jim Elliot Martyred Missionary Did They Have To Die). The first time the group landed they were met by a small group of the Huaorani tribe. Both parties were leery of the other, but nothing violent took place. Jim and other missionaries, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Peter Fleming and their pilot Nate Saint, would return to this jungle several more times before it would finally end in disaster. “Here were five common young men whose unifying distinction was less their inherited abilities or acquired skills than their commitment to seek God's will and to carry out his purposes for their lives”( Jim Elliot Martyred Missionary Did They Have To Die?).
“They were approached several times by small groups of Huaorani Indians, and even gave an airplane ride to one curious Huaorani who they called ‘George’” (Jim Elliot - Biography of Jim Elliot). Since things had been going well, the team made plans to reach out to the entire tribe, and to move deeper into the jungle. However, they were never given the chance. As the plane landed at the edge of the jungle they were met by a large group of the Tribe. They were greatly out numbered, and the tribe felt the need to show their dominance. When the Huaorani began to feel threatened, they turned to violence. Members of the tribe killed Jim and his team. They used spears, and were violent in their attack. After many hours of painful waiting and wondering Jim’s wife began to think that something must have gone wrong, and so a search team was sent to search the area. In the next three days four of the five bodies would be found along the neighboring river. One was never located. “Elliot and his friends became instantly known worldwide as martyrs”( Jim Elliot - Biography of Jim Elliot). And their story would have been remembered simply as a tragedy if it was not for the unbelievable work of his wife, and the wives of his friends.
Other Indians fear them but the missionaries were determined to reach them. Said Elliot: ‘Our orders are: the Gospel to every creature’ (Jim Elliot Quote).
Elisabeth Elliot: Wife of Jim Elliot
Elisabeth Elliot: Wife of Jim Elliot
by Kendall Paige
Elisabeth Howard Elliot was born December 21, 1926 in Belgium. She was born to missionary parents and had four brothers and one sister. Her brothers Thomas Howard and David M. Howard came to become authors. Elisabeth and her family moved to Pennsylvania when she was a few months old. She lived in Franconia, New Hampshire, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Moorestown Township, New Jersey. She studied Koine Greek at Wheaton College, where she met her first husband, Jim Elliot. Prior to their marriage, Elisabeth took a post-graduate year of specialized studies at Prairie Bible Institute in Alberta, Canada, where a campus prayer chapel is named in her honor. Jim and Elisabeth were married on October 8, 1953 in the city of Quito, Ecuador. Their daughter, Valerie was born two years later in 1955. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ElisabethElliot)
In 1956, Jim Elliot and four other missionares were traveling to Ecuador to try to make contact with a tribe known as the Auca (now known as Huaorani. Valerie, her daughter, was 10 months old when her husband was killed. In October of 1958, Elisabeth went to live with the Huaorani with three-year-old Valerie and Rachel Saint. Rachel was the sister of Nate Saint, one of the four missionaries that Jim was with when he died. The Auca/Huaorani gave Elisabeth the tribal name Gikari, Huao for "Woodpecker." She later returned to the Quichua and worked with them until 1963, when she and Valerie returned to the US where they moved to Franconia, New Hampshire.
In 1969, Elisabeth married Addison Leitch, Professor of Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Leitch died in 1973. In 1977, she married Lars Gren, a seminary student who had been boarding at her house. Elisabeth and Lars worked and traveled together. In the mid-1970s she served as one of the stylistic consultants for the committee of the New International Version of the Bible. She appears on the NIV's list of contributors. (www.elisabethelliot.org)
From 1988-2001 Elisabeth could be heard on a daily radio program, Gateway to Joy, produced by the Good News Broadcasting Association of Lincoln, Nebraska. She almost always opened the program with the phrase, "'You are loved with an everlasting love'and underneath are the everlasting arms.” She says that this saying is from the Bible. “This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot .” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Elliot) In the past few years, Elisabeth and her current husband have stopped traveling but continue to keep in touch with the public through mail and their website.
Today, she lives north of Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband. Her daughter, Valerie, and her husband, Walter, and their eight children live in Simpsonville, SC. She is one of the few people who changed the way people looked at Christianity and taught tribes in the 1950s to look through the ways of God. She picked up where her husband and the four missionaries left off. Even through she is now retired, she still does her work from her home and she still recites the lord. She really does make a difference.
by Kendall Paige
Elisabeth Howard Elliot was born December 21, 1926 in Belgium. She was born to missionary parents and had four brothers and one sister. Her brothers Thomas Howard and David M. Howard came to become authors. Elisabeth and her family moved to Pennsylvania when she was a few months old. She lived in Franconia, New Hampshire, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Moorestown Township, New Jersey. She studied Koine Greek at Wheaton College, where she met her first husband, Jim Elliot. Prior to their marriage, Elisabeth took a post-graduate year of specialized studies at Prairie Bible Institute in Alberta, Canada, where a campus prayer chapel is named in her honor. Jim and Elisabeth were married on October 8, 1953 in the city of Quito, Ecuador. Their daughter, Valerie was born two years later in 1955. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ElisabethElliot)
In 1956, Jim Elliot and four other missionares were traveling to Ecuador to try to make contact with a tribe known as the Auca (now known as Huaorani. Valerie, her daughter, was 10 months old when her husband was killed. In October of 1958, Elisabeth went to live with the Huaorani with three-year-old Valerie and Rachel Saint. Rachel was the sister of Nate Saint, one of the four missionaries that Jim was with when he died. The Auca/Huaorani gave Elisabeth the tribal name Gikari, Huao for "Woodpecker." She later returned to the Quichua and worked with them until 1963, when she and Valerie returned to the US where they moved to Franconia, New Hampshire.
In 1969, Elisabeth married Addison Leitch, Professor of Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Leitch died in 1973. In 1977, she married Lars Gren, a seminary student who had been boarding at her house. Elisabeth and Lars worked and traveled together. In the mid-1970s she served as one of the stylistic consultants for the committee of the New International Version of the Bible. She appears on the NIV's list of contributors. (www.elisabethelliot.org)
From 1988-2001 Elisabeth could be heard on a daily radio program, Gateway to Joy, produced by the Good News Broadcasting Association of Lincoln, Nebraska. She almost always opened the program with the phrase, "'You are loved with an everlasting love'and underneath are the everlasting arms.” She says that this saying is from the Bible. “This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot .” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Elliot) In the past few years, Elisabeth and her current husband have stopped traveling but continue to keep in touch with the public through mail and their website.
Today, she lives north of Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband. Her daughter, Valerie, and her husband, Walter, and their eight children live in Simpsonville, SC. She is one of the few people who changed the way people looked at Christianity and taught tribes in the 1950s to look through the ways of God. She picked up where her husband and the four missionaries left off. Even through she is now retired, she still does her work from her home and she still recites the lord. She really does make a difference.
Conclusion
Jim Elliot’s life and the work of missionaries with the Huaorani Indian tribe, renowned for their unstoppable violence, is a fascinating story. It illustrates the true tale of a man who was well-liked by his peers and confident in himself yet decided to sacrifice everything to follow his calling to be a missionary and spread love to others in a world strange to him. Unfortunately he was slain for his troubles by the same tribe he was striving to save. Despite this, his wife, who had every reason to despise the people who murdered her husband and left her young child fatherless, returned to the Huaorani Indian tribe and forgave them. She did not blame the tribe for their actions. Instead she forgave them and helped them become a nonviolent tribe. The Elliots and their friends made a huge difference in the lives of the tribe members. For the Huaorani Indian tribe, the Elliots changed their entire lives and purpose. The unfailing love and generosity of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot was strong enough to spread to a group of secluded people who were originally consumed by violence.
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