Today I'm changing it up a bit! I'd like to take the next few Wednesdays to focus on some authors that I really enjoy. For this post, I'll be focusing on Elisabeth Elliot.
Elisabeth Howard grew up in a mostly normal American home. She was born in Belgium, where her parents were missionaries, but they moved back to the U.S. when Elisabeth was still an infant. She spent most of her life in the U.S. When she graduated high school, she went on to Wheaton College. There she met her first husband, Jim Elliot.
Long story short, Jim and Elisabeth Elliot ended up married, living and serving in Quito, Ecuador. They began an endeavor to reach the Waorani people along with four other missionary couples, Nate and Marge Saint, Pete and Olive Fleming, Roger and Barbara Youdarian, and Ed and Marylou McCully.The success ended in the deaths of the five men. Some might say "Why would you call that a success?"
Why indeed?
Well, I call a success and the rest of the world does too, because the deaths of these five men opened the door to the salvation of the Waorani people. After their deaths, Elisabeth Elliot, along with her daughter, Valerie, and Nate Saint's sister, Rachel Saint were able to go into the jungle to teach the Waorani people.
They served there for two years, until major disagreements led to Elisabeth's leaving with Valerie. Elisabeth went back to U.S., where she served in a new way. She began to write. Elisabeth wrote many different books which were famous then and are so now.
Some of these include Through Gates of Splendor, Shadow of the Almighty, The Savage My Kinsman, These Strange Ashes, Joyful Surrender, Suffering is Never for Nothing, A Chance to Die, Let Me Be a Woman, The Mark of a Man, and Passion and Purity.
I have read all of these except for The Savage My Kinsman, These Strange Ashes, Let Me Be a Woman, and The Mark of a Man. I've just recieved Passion and Purity and I'm excited to begin reading it. Elisabeth Elliot has so much wisdom and insight to impart on the world.
I encourage you to reach out and find a book by Elisabeth Elliot. I would even suggest reading a biography on her life. My favorite is Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn, about Elisabeth's early life. Vaughn has a new book coming out on the later life of Elisabeth Elliot called Being Elisabeth Elliot.
So go find a book by Elisabeth Elliot and begin reading!
