Birth: 08.10.1927
Death: 08.01.1956
City: Portland, Oregon
Country: America
Place of Vision : Ecuador
Jim Elliot whose real name is Philip James Elliot was the third child of Fred and Clara Elliot. He was raised in the fear of God and was encouraged to read the Bible regularly. He grew up listening to the missionaries and dreamed about being a missionary himself someday. He studied architectural drawing in Benson Polytechnic High School at Portland and led an exemplary Christian life among the students.
While studying at Wheaton college Jim participated in the ‘International Student Missionary Convention’ at Illinois University in 1948. There he realized the immense need of reaching out to the tribes of South American jungles. Then in 1950, he joined Cameron Townsend’s Camp Wycliffe where he learned to break down native language into written symbols. Here he heard about the Auca Indians of Ecuador and felt that the Lord is directing him to preach the gospel to them.
After many months of prayer, Jim landed in Ecuador in 1952 along with his friend Pete Fleming. They stayed in the Shandia mission station and worked among the Quechua Indians. After a fruitful ministry among Quechuas, Jim now started preparing to reach the Huaorani tribe (alternatively called as Aucas), the most fearsome of all. Along with Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and their pilot, Nate Saint, for several months Jim tried to contact the Huaoranis by passing down the baskets with gifts.
Successful in their initial efforts, they decided to build a base near the village. After four days of waiting, one native man named Naenkiwi and two other women appeared, with whom they shared meals and tried to extend their friendship. However, these people out of their ignorance misunderstood the missionaries and thought that they were threat to them. They went back and gave false feedback to the tribal leaders. Finally, on day six, several Huaorani warriors attacked them with spears and killed all the five missionaries. But Operation Auca didn’t end there, it was just the beginning. In less than two years Jim’s wife Elisabeth Elliot, and their daughter Valerie, moved to an Auca village and continued the missionary efforts that brought many Aucas to Christ.
