My children & I were blessed to get to meet the missionary
pilot & his wife who took over in Equador after Nate Saint
& Jim Elliot & the other missionary men were killed. I
was so inspired by these missionaries who were willing to give up their
lives to show God's love to people who had never known that kind of
love. I was even more inspired by the missionaries families willingness
to not only forgive the Indians, but also to befriend them &a
have a relationship with them. Such a powerful example of forgiveness!
This
is a picture of the five missionaries that went into the jungles of
South America to show the love of God to the Auca Indians who knew
nothing but killing and being killed.
If you have not heard the story, I encourage you to check out these resources:
I
have seen all three of these DVDs &a they are all very moving.
"The End of the Spear" is a Film based on the story of what happened
between the Aucas and the Missionaries. Though not everything in the
movie is true. "Through the Gates of Splendor" is a documentary by
Elisabeth "Betty" Elliot ( Missionary Jim Elliot's widow). "Beyond the
Gates of Splendor is a documentary by Steve Saint ( Misssionary pilot
Nate Saint's son). I highly recommend these three videos for anyone
interested in learning more about the story. (Viewer discretion is
advised for ages 13 & under.)
For younger children I recommend watching this movie to begin with until they are old enough to handle the others:
This
is an animated movie of the missionary story that begins when the five
boys were in school. My kids watched this and said it was not scary at
all :) It also has a cd-rom that includes a pdf printable activity book
with comprehension questions.
Our whole family enjoyed this one! This story of love, sacrifice & forgiveness
will live in our hearts &a not be forgotten.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."--Jim Elliot
