This Week's Story
click here to play audioThe Auca project with five young men brings loss and great gain!
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
Human and heroic - five young men, enter eternity! part five
Five young American missionaries, Jim, Nate, Pete, Ed, and Roger, were ambushed and speared to death in Ecuador January 8, 1956. They had formed Operation Auca as friends to share the message of Jesus and God’s Word, the Bible. They were disciplined for jungle survival, had many skills, and were well-educated.
The work they began in Ecuador inspired change in jungles of Ecuador and people in many countries. Books and films have increased the outreach.
The five men were not trying to convince the Waoranis to join a certain church or copy American culture. They did not speak the Waorani language well or understand the Waorani culture of violence.
They knew from personal experience that God’s love and forgiveness could end the culture of death among the Waoranis. Literacy could bring opportunities to read God’s word and opportunities for medical treatment and more education.
As Ellen Vaughn wrote in Becoming Elizabeth Elliot Jim Elliot and his fellow missionaries were not spiritual superheroes.” All had weaknesses and human uncertainties. Their faith was tremendous and with their human challenges, they were heroes!
January 3, 1956 Nate took his missionary buddies to a beach on Curaray River. It was about three hours from where for thirteen weeks they had been dropping gifts. The men set up a tree house and waited for the Waorani to visit them.
January 6th two Waorani women stepped out from the jungle. They were naked except for strings around their waists and wrists. Balsa plugs were in their pierced ears. Jim welcomed them. A Waorani man, Nenkiwi, came. He wanted to ride in Nate’s airplane. He tried to climb out onto the strut. It was hard for Nate to hold him back, because the man wore no clothes.
Peace disappeared as argument built between the Waoranis. Nenkiwi wanted to marry the younger woman, Gimadi. Her brother was opposed. Nenkiwi wanted Gimadi to spend the night in the woods with him. That violated Waorani moral standards.
Anger grew! More Waorani got involved. They needed Nenkiwi as an experienced warrior. Nenkiwi succeeded in diverting the Waorani to anger against the missionaries. Warriors began sharpening their spears. They would attack the missionaries the next day.
January 8th, Sunday, the warriors divided into two groups. Women joined them. First, was a friendly decoy group. Jim and Pete headed towards them. Jim smiled. Suddenly, a warrior threw his spear to the center of Jim’s chest. Jim drew his gun to shoot into the air, but a woman pulled his arm down and his gun went off. A bullet grazed the head of the warrior.
The second group of warriors attacked Nate, Ed, and Roger. Pete escaped to a log in the river, where he stood shouting phrases. He was speared. Roger tried to get to the airplane hand-held radio, but he was speared.
One of the warriors, Mincaye, later came to believe in Jesus, and said, “The missionaries had guns, but they did not use them in self-defense. Several fired them into the air.”
The missionaries passed into God’s presence. To paraphrase Jim Elliot, “They had gained what they could not lose.”
Alyce Steiner, Adrian Novak, and I, Barbara Steiner, are your story team today.
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