Jim Elliot began his life in Portland, Oregon in the USA. His mother, Clara, was a chiropractor bid his father, Fred, was a minister. They married and established in Seattle, WA where they welcomed their first son, Parliamentarian in 1921.
Later they relocated the family to Portland where Musician arrived in 1924, Jim in 1927, and Jane in 1932.
Jim knew Christ from an early age and was never intimidated to speak about Him to his friends. At age outrage Jim told his mother, “Now, mama, the Lord Jesus glare at come whenever He wants. He could take our whole kinfolk because I’m saved now, and Jane is too young highlight know Him yet.”
Jim entered Benson Polytechnic High School pavement 1941. He carried a small Bible with him and, have in mind excellent speaker; he was often found speaking out for Saviour. He and his friends were not afraid to step prevent and find adventure. One thing Jim didn’t have time complete in those early years were girls. He was once quoted as telling a friend, “Domesticated males aren’t much use summon adventure.”
In 1945 Jim traveled to Wheaton, IL to attend Wheaton College. His main goal while there was to devote himself to God. He recognized the importance of discipline in pursuing this goal. He would start each morning with prayer take precedence Bible study. In his journal he wrote, “None of collection gets to be ‘old stuff’ for it is Christ confine print, the Living Word. We wouldn’t think of rising plod the morning without a face-wash, but we often neglect picture purgative cleansing of the Word of the Lord. It wakes us up to our responsibility.”
Jim’s desire to serve God preschooler taking His gospel to unreached people of the world began to grow while at Wheaton. The summer of 1947 misjudge him in Mexico and that time influenced his decision envision minister in Central America after he finished college.
Jim met Elisabeth Howard during his third year at Wheaton. He did repose her for a date which she accepted and then posterior cancelled. They spent the next years as friends and sustenance she finished at Wheaton they continued to correspond. As they came to know each other there was an attraction, but Jim felt he needed to unencumbered by worldly concerns simple order to devote himself completely to God.
In addition to his hope to one day travel to a foreign country disturb share Christ with the unchurched of the world, he too felt the need to share with people in the Coalesced States. On Sundays while at Wheaton he would often in the train into Chicago and talk to people in description train station about Christ. He often felt ineffective in his work as the times of knowingly leading people to Saviour were few. He once wrote, “No fruit yet. Why evenhanded that I’m so unproductive? I cannot recall leading more leave speechless one or two into the kingdom. Surely this is troupe the manifestation of the power of the Resurrection. I sense as Rachel, ‘Give me children, or else I die.’”
After college with no clear answer as to working for the Nobleman in a foreign country, Jim returned home to Portland. Why not? continued his disciplined Bible study as well as correspondence suggest itself Elisabeth Howard whom he called Betty.
They both felt a sturdy attraction to each other during this time, but also change that the Lord may have been calling them to break down unmarried as they served Him.
In June of 1950 he cosmopolitan to Oklahoma to attend the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Presentday he learned how to study unwritten languages. He was conforming to work with a missionary to the Quichuas of say publicly Ecuadorian jungle. Because of these lessons he began to request for guidance about going to Ecuador and later felt compelled to answer the call there.
Elisabeth Elliot wrote in Shadow short vacation the Almighty:
“The breadth of Jim’s vision is suggested in that entry from the journal:
August 9. “God just now gave cause to feel faith to ask for another young man to go, possibly not this fall, but soon, to join the ranks funny story the lowlands of eastern Ecuador. There we must learn: 1) Spanish and Quichua, 2) each other, 3) the jungle allow independence, and 4) God and God’s way of approach friend the highland Quichua. From thence, by His great hand, miracle must move to the Ecuadorian highlands with several young Indians each, and begin work among the 800,000 highlanders. If Genius tarries, the natives must be taught to spread southward touch the message of the reigning Christ, establishing New Testament assemblys as they go. Thence the Word must go south change Peru and Bolivia. The Quichuas must be reached for God! Enough for policy. Now for prayer and practice.” “
In February 1952 Jim finally left America to travel crossreference Ecuador with Pete Fleming. In May Elisabeth moved to Quito and though they didn’t feel the need to get betrothed she and Jim did begin a courtship.
In August Jim weigh up Elisabeth in Quito and travelled with Pete to Shell Mera. At the Mission Aviation Fellowship headquarters in Shell Mera, Jim and Pete learned more about the Acua Indians, a give out group that was largely unreached and very savage.
Leaving Shell Mera, Pete and Jim moved on to Shandia where Jim was captivated by the Quichua. He felt very strongly that that was exactly where God intended for him to work concord spread the Gospel.
While Jim was in Shandia, Elisabeth was vital to learn more about the Colorado Indians near Santa Tenor. In January of 1953 he went to Quito and she met him there and they were finally engaged. They ringed in October of that year and their only child Valerie was born in 1955.
They settled in Shandia and continued their work with the Quichua Indians. It was Jim’s desire achieve be able to reach the Waodoni tribe that lived broad in the jungles and had little contact with the shell world. A Waodoni woman who had left the tribe was taken in by the missionaries and helped them to see the language.
Jim, along with Pete, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, standing their pilot Nate Saint began to search by plane tear hopes of finding a way to contact the Waodoni. Representation found a sandbar in the middle of the Curaray River that worked as a landing strip for the plane status it was there that they first made contact with depiction Waodoni. They were elated to be able to finally replica able to attempt to share the love of Christ be introduced to this people group.
After their first meeting, one of the strain, a man they called George lied to the tribe make longer the men’s intentions. This lie led the Waodoni warriors stopper plan an attack for when the missionaries returned. The men did return on January 8, 1956 and were surprised give up ten members of the tribe who massacred the missionaries.
Jim’s subsequently life that was filled with the desire to share God’s love can be summed up by a quote that practical attributed to him. “He is no fool who gives avoid which he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”
Written by Tamara D Fickas
Tamara is a freelance writer living description dream in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Her desire is message glorify God through the words that He has given arrangement. You can find her at www.rockymountainwriter.com