InTheBookcase
Posted Sun Oct 05 00:00:00 EDT 2014
"Through Gates of Splendor" tells the bittersweet story of five missionaries. Five, who came together with the common mission of spreading the gospel. Five, who sacrificed everything they had on earth, in hopes of bringing someone new to God. The story is put down on paper by Elisabeth Elliot, the wife of one of those missionaries, who scoured the men's letters and journals after their death, to piece together the journey in its entirety.
Jim Elliot felt a stirring in his heart which led him to the natives of Ecuador. There, scores of tribes who had never heard of God, inhabited the jungles. It seemed like the place to go if one was to reach out to someone new, even though other missionaries had tried and fatally failed. This didn't stop Jim from carrying out his purpose. He knew that his own life and other lives from anyone who joined him on this trip would be endangered by the flighty warriors they were planning to convert. His own words show that he was willing to offer everything he could: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
Also joining "Operation Auca" was Nate Saint, airplane pilot. He already was performing his own works for the ministry, by his routine rounds of flying his yellow airplane around Ecuador, delivering food and supplies to the inhabited stations in the area. His service to Jim Elliot's expedition made everything work together. Without an airplane to fly over the dense jungles, it would take days to go far on foot.
One of my favorite descriptions comes from Nate Saint's notes, after the men had dropped a gift to the natives from the airplane: "In a sense we had delivered the first Gospel-message-by-sign-language to a people who were a quarter of a mile away vertically, fifty miles horizontally, and continents and wide seas away psychologically."
In addition to Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, three other men played their part of that 1956 expedition: Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian. These five worked together for months while they tried to make friends with the Auca people. Even then, it wasn't only those five men, but in fact, the five wives and all their young children who lived in Ecuador at the home bases and stations, adding their own helpful components to the mission work.
Some think that a person becomes an inspiration to the world when they die trying to do a most honorable thing. But I've found that the inspiration comes from the grueling effort put into such a weighty project, and never turning back to debate whether you should really finish it or not.
After the mission came to an end, the fruit of the men's work was seen. Their accomplishments turned up through the voices of people they had touched. To quote from an Indian they converted, who prays in simple earnest: "Send some more messengers, and give the Aucas, instead of fierce hearts, soft hearts. Stick their hearts, Lord, as with a lance. They stuck our friends, but You can stick them with Your Word, so that they will listen, and believe."
This is one of those books I'll remember for a lifetime.
Anonymous
Posted Sat Feb 02 00:00:00 EST 2013
Wonderful book. Must read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LibraryLady09
Posted Mon Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 2012
Through Gates of Splendor is the account of James Elliott and his group of missionary men who sought to take the gospel to the Auca Indians, as told by Elliott's wife, Elisabeth. What struck me was the total, unreserved, determination of James Elliott to reach these people for the Lord. This was a savage tribe of Indians. It is an amazing story and Elisabeth gives all the glory to God.You've got to read this book!
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Posted Wed Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2010
In January of 1956, the world was shocked to hear that five young American missionaries in South America, Jim Elliot, Ed McCulley, Pete Fleming, Roger Youderian, and Nate Saint, a pilot, were brutally killed by Auca tribesmen, whom they were trying to contact with the gospel, in Ecuador. One of the widows, Elisabeth (Betty) Elliot's first book, Through Gages of Splendor, tells about the lives of her husband and his four fellow workers, their backgrounds, their families, and their work, along with their preparation for going to the Aucas (now known as the Waoranis), what is known about that fateful day, and the aftermath. It is the same story that forms the basis of the 2005 book End of the Spear by Nate Saint's son Steve and the 2006 film of the same name based upon it which go on to relate Steve's subsequent work among the Aucas.
In the 1958 Epilogue, Mrs. Elliot tells how she and Nate Saint's sister Rachel later returned to the Aucas and led many of them to accept the gospel. In the 1996 Epilogue, she describes what has happened to the families of the five men in the forty years since that time. The author has gone on to write several other books, including a couple of "sequels," Shadow of the Almighty, which chronicles the life of her husband Jim, and The Savage My Kinsman, which concerns her first year among the Indians who had killed her husband and his friends. Through Gates of Splendor is certainly poignant, primarily at the end, and some parents might question whether to introduce smaller children to the story, but the book is sensitively written, and there is really nothing that would be objectionable for anyone. It could make a great read aloud, especially for a homeschooling family who is studying about South America. In my estimation, it is a really good book.
songlover
Posted Mon Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2010
Truely shows what it means to be a Christian. Very suspenseful. Even though I thought I knew the ending of the story, I couldn't put the book down until the bitter end. Even then I couldn't believe it! I stayed up all night reading this book. It is a story you will remember the rest of your life. Everyone should read this book at least once in their life, then read it again and again.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Jun 29 00:00:00 EDT 2009
I Also Recommend:
Enjoyed the fact that this one is a true story based on real events and delivered from the perspective of an actual participant. The photos were great, though not sequentially placed within the book, which made flipping around for them a bit annoying (and they sometimes gave away part of the story prior to reading it). Overall, very moving and lending in lessons of true faith.
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Posted Tue Oct 17 00:00:00 EDT 2006
A wife (Elisabeth Elliot) of one of the five martyers in Equador on January 7, 1956, explains all of the events that led to their brutal murder by a savage tribe. She goes in dept of their passion to do whatever it takes to present these exclusive Indians with Jesus Christ. Eventhough these men died, the wives went back to open lines of communincation and now they all live among eachother. Elliot dipicts, through her own heartache, the mystery of God's doings. Even though she did not understand her husbands death, she concluded that it sparked so many other hearts for the people secluded and unknowing of a Savior. This book was really enjoyable and inspiring. Those martyrs' example of passion for others made the book hard to put down. The book goes through a detailed account of the happenings through the men's journals and letters to their wives. If other people is a passion of yours, then read this book. This book is an addicting read because it is factual accout of people doing whatever it takes to reach others. The events are presented in a real way and the hearts of the men and their families are strongly shown. Elizebeth Eliot narrated a story close to her heart in an impactful way.
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Posted Sat Oct 14 00:00:00 EDT 2000
Elisabeth Elliot tells the story like no one else can. Her husband Jim and three other friends travel to South America to reach a group of Indians that have never heard the gospel, only to be martyred before they can see the fruits of their labor. You will be challenged and inspired by this story.
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Posted Tue May 09 00:00:00 EDT 2000
This book is a must read for all Christians especially those interested in the mission field. It's an amazing story of the commitment that five men and their families had to God. Dedicating their entire lives to spreading the gospel even dying for the glory of God.
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