Jim Elliot

Jim Elliot’s life was filled with faith and trust in God even in the last fatal moments. Jim was born and raised in Portland, Oregon by his parents, Fred and Clara Elliot. From an early age his parents gave Jim a foundation in God’s Word. As he finished high school, Jim actively sought God’s direction for his life. This led Jim to move halfway across the U.S. to Illinois so he could enroll at Wheaton College in the fall of 1945. Jim’s classmates viewed him as a man always prepared to defend his moral beliefs and talk about his Christianity. During his third year in college he met his future wife Elisabeth Howard. Even though he liked living in the States, Jim was prepared to move if God called him.

After several frustrating false starts, in 1952 Jim Elliot finally headed for Ecuador. He was part of a mission team helping South American Indians learn about God. Shortly after arriving in Ecuador, Jim got married to Elisabeth and met up with his old friend Pete Fleming. Through sharing their passion to minister to unreached tribes, Jim and Pete joined forces with Nate Saint, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian. They became a mission team with one goal, to bring the Gospel to the most feared tribe in that area: the Waodani. After many flights above the tribe’s village, bucket dropping gifts, and exchanging greetings from the air, the five men landed in the jungle and set up a temporary camp. Soon a few Waodani people came, and the group welcomed them with food and gifts. A couple days later, a group of Waodani warriors came to the camp and killed Jim and his friends.

Jim Elliot is my hero because he trusted God at all times even to his death. When the Waodani attacked, Jim and the others did not fight back. Though equipped with guns, they could have killed the Waodani. The five had made a pact to never kill a man who was not saved. Amazed by this act, the Waodani were willing to listen to the Gospel message given by the relatives of the five men. So even though Jim died, his death was not in vain. Today, most of that Waodani tribe are believers in Christ. Someday I would like to become a missionary, and Jim Elliot will always be in my mind as a role model for his ultimate faith and trust in God.