“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot
The Story of the Waorani of Ecuador
In 1956, five missionaries were speared to death in the jungles of Ecuador. The world was shocked.
Behind the headlines was the story of five young missionary families burdened to reach an isolated tribe, the Waorani. Their pilot, Nate Saint, devised a way to drop gifts into the villages for months. When they thought the time was right, the five men landed on a river bank. A few Waorani greeted them. Soon, however, they were martyred and escorted to their heavenly Father.
Jim Elliott was one of those speared. His wife, Elisabeth, and Rachel Saint moved in to live in one of the villages. One of the men who killed the missionaries, Mincaye, later came to faith in Christ.
Currently, about 40% of the 3,000 Waorani say they are Christians.
Taking the Gospel to the Amazon River Basin
Cru’s JESUS Film Project was asked to translate the film into their language. The language is unique and is the 2,100th translation of the JESUS Film. The people’s opportunity is also unique.
According to Mission Network News, “It’s illegal for Western missionaries to share Christ with certain Amazonian tribes, but the Waorani have full access.”
Early in March 2024, 400 tribe members came to watch the first showing of the JESUS film in their language. Many traveled hours by canoe to get to the town for the premiere.
Mincaye, the grandson of Mincaye, shared the gospel message in Waorani with all those in attendance.
Cru staff member Chris Deckert helped train the Waorani with Bible studies and new tools in their language. He explained, “They now have [training] to go out and share the Gospel [with] other language groups of the Amazon jungle.”
The Waorani people asked us to pray “for God to give them strength and vision to present the Gospel and reach out beyond their own tribe to other tribes.”
Thank you for praying that the people of the Amazon jungle would respond to Jesus. It’s a privilege to be a part of Cru and watch God at work through our Jesus Film Project.
Thank you for joining with us, prayerfully and financially, so that many more people may know our Lord.
Serving Christ with you and all of Cru’s ministries,
Mike and Sus Schmitt
NOTES:
- Want to know more about the Waorani story?
- Read Elisabeth Elliot’s books about her husband and about the events of 1956.
- Shadow of the Almighty about Jim Elliot’s life and witness.
- Through Gates of Splendor about the five missionaries martyred in Ecuador as they sought to contact the Waorani.
- The Savage My Kinsman Elisabeth, with her daughter, and Rachel Saint, with her young nephew, lived with the tribe that had killed Elizabeth’s husband and Rachel’s brother. They worked hard on learning the language and the society of these people in order to bring God’s love to them.
- Sus (and a small group of Cru women) had the privilege of sharing dinner with Elisabeth Elliot (1926 – 2015). Learn more about Elisabeth on her website.
- Watch movies based on the events:
- Through Gates of Splendor
- The End of the Spear is an amazing account from the perspective of the Waorani.
- The End of the Spear is also available in book form.
- Find the most current data about the Waorani, compiled by the Joshua Project.
- Read Elisabeth Elliot’s books about her husband and about the events of 1956.
- Elisabeth Elliot spoke on a radio program, “Gateway to Joy,” for 13 years. Listen to episodes here.
- Steve, son of martyr Nate Saint, grew up with the people who killed his father.
- He appears in the documentary Beyond the Gates of Splendor, which chronicles the events of 1956 and the reconciliation that happened over the years.
- Sus highly recommends the 22 episodes of Steve’s podcast, It’s a Jungle Out There. He shares many stories of Mincaye, including bringing him to America.
- Steve started an innovative missions organization, ITEC (Indigenous People’s Technology and Education Center).
- The story and photo about Chris Deckert and Mincaye are from the article, “JESUS Film Project celebrates 2,100th translation” by Mission Network News.
- The Waorani village photo is available on Wikimedia Commons.
- Give securely to our ministry at give.cru.org/0124650.
Mike and Sus Schmitt 