Through Gates of Splendor

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

This is a quotation from Jim Elliot’s journal, and it shows his characteristic style of writing, which was often eloquent, inspiring, and imbued with passion. It comes from a section of the book in which Elisabeth Elliot is narrating Jim’s sense of missionary calling, and she uses it as an example of his fixedness of mind once he had decided on a certain course of action.

“We have arrived at the destination decided on in 1950. My joy is full. Oh how blind it would have been to reject the leading of these days. How it has changed the course of life for me and added such a host of joys!”

This is another quotation from Jim Elliot’s journal, written upon his arrival to Quichua territory in eastern Ecuador. He references 1950, which was the occasion of a conversation with a veteran missionary who had mentioned the needs of the people of Ecuador, with specific reference to the Huaorani. Here we also see a reflection on the theme of Discerning the Will of God, pointing out the joy of feeling that one is living and working within the scope of God’s purposes for one’s life.

“In Shandia, Jim and Pete became full-fledged missionaries for the first time. They had come to reach the Quichuas with the Word of God, a task for which they were prepared but could accomplish only if they gained the Quichuas’ confidence and love. So by living among them, sharing in their lives and thus laying the foundations of mutual trust they hoped to open the minds and hearts of the Indians to the Christian message.”

The theme of Cross-Cultural Dynamics of Missionary Work is evident in this quote, pointing out cross-cultural interactions as part of the foundational task of missionary work. Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming were primarily in Ecuador for evangelistic ministries, but that aim necessarily entailed a host of other activities, including daily practices of learning the local language and customs, spending time with people, and building trust with the Indigenous population of the region.

“The life of a missionary calls for infinite adaptability—from winning a national oratorical contest to struggling with an unwritten language…from starring on the college football field to teaching a bunch of small Indians to play volleyball…from prospects of a law career in a North American city to a life in the jungle of South America.”

This quote is part of Elisabeth Elliot’s summation of Ed McCully’s personal journey toward becoming a missionary. One discerns here a note of the theme of sacrifice, as Elliot details the things that McCully has given up in the life he left behind, exchanging them for the challenges of cross-cultural ministry.

“During the last war we were taught to recognize that, in order to obtain our objective, we had to be willing to be expendable […]. Missionaries constantly face expendability.”

These lines are part of a sermon that Nate Saint preached over the radio in Quito, Ecuador. He takes the analogy of soldiers in World War II, who had been trained to obey their commanders without considering the risks involved, and applies that attitude to the circumstances of missionary life. In the same way as soldiers, Saint argues, missionaries must be willing to be expendable for the sake of obeying the command of their leader, Jesus Christ, who called them to proclaim his message to all peoples and nations.

“Forgive me if I feel a little strongly at this point. I’m concerned about safety, but I don’t let it keep me from getting on with God’s business. Every time I take off, I am ready to deliver up the life I owe to God. I feel we should be quick to take advantage of every possible improvement in carrying out the job before us.”

This quote is also from Nate Saint, describing his practical commitment to safety when flying, but his overriding commitment to prioritize the call of God’s mission, regardless of risks. Once again, the theme of Faith and Sacrifice comes out strongly, as it is Saint’s faith that undergirds his willingness to contemplate making the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the work he has been called to do.

“I used to say, ‘This is a great world.’ With this new faith, this feeling has increased a thousandfold and I fairly ache within from happiness and rejoicing in sharing God’s manifold blessing which He gives to this world with Infinite mercy and grace.”

Roger Youderian wrote these lines, reflecting on his experience of coming to faith in Christ. Here he contrasts his former view of the world—which was already remarkably positive—with his feelings after his conversion, which has brought joy beyond what he could formerly have conceived. The sincerity of the men’s faith is evident in quotes like this, showing that their motivations in engaging in missionary work were centered on their personal experience of the Christian gospel.

“Thus Roger spent many hours talking to the Jivaros in their houses, slowly acquiring their language, absorbing their way of life, and above all, telling them the story of Jesus.”

This quote touches on the theme of cross-cultural dynamics in ministry work, describing the way that Roger Youderian undertook the process of learning Jivaro language and culture. It also illustrates the sub-theme of faith, noting that the paramount goal of Roger’s ministry was the communication of the gospel.

“Even though Nate by this time was greatly concerned about finding Roger, he looked this new house over carefully and made a mental note about its location, ‘because they would need to hear the Gospel, too, way out there in their isolated places. You feel convinced that it is the will of the Lord that we do everything possible, that each Indian have an opportunity to know of the grace of God, and to hear that Name that is above all other names.’”

In this passage, Nate Saint was flying over the jungle, trying to find his way to Roger Youderian’s remote location with the Atshuaras, when he spotted the settlement of an uncontacted people group—likely the Huaorani. This chance finding leads to the beginning of “Operation Auca,” and Saint’s reflections on the event illustrate the book’s main theme of Discerning the Will of God. We can also see here the fluid way in which Elisabeth Elliot interweaves her own narration with extracts from the men’s journals.

“It is a grave and solemn problem; an unreachable people who murder and kill with extreme hatred. It comes to me strongly that God is leading me to do something about it […] I know that this may be the most important decision of my life, but I have a quiet peace about it.”

Pete Fleming wrote these lines in his diary as he reflected on the condition of the Huaorani people. The theme of discerning the will of God is in sharp focus here. Due to Fleming’s belief in Jesus’s sacrifice for all people, the logic of his theological commitments drives him to the conclusion that God’s will is for the Huaorani to receive the gospel, and Fleming’s participation in reaching that goal is confirmed by his internal sense of peace.

“In September, 1955, ‘God’s impelling’ moved five pioneering missionary families to crystallize their plans of months and years into common action. Truly they were being ‘thrust out’ to carry the Word of God to the Aucas.”

This quote, introducing Chapter 9, represents a turning point in the book’s narrative. The first seven chapters had been concerned with the missionaries’ backstory and Chapter 8 with the Huaorani backstory, and now the narrative shifts to the events that would lead directly to the fatal day of contact on the beaches of the Curaray River. Elisabeth Elliot’s narration in this quote aligns with the repeated writings of the missionaries on the theme of discerning the will of God.

“Back at Arajuno, the three pioneers had a council of war, deciding that the next full moon would witness the first attempt at a contact on the ground with these remote people who had won their hearts. Nate wrote that night: ‘May God continue to put His good hand on the project and may we drop it when not fully assured of His direction. At present we feel unanimously that God is in it.’”

This quote further illustrates the theme of discerning the will of God and conveys the sense of certainty the missionaries had regarding it. The “three pioneers” mentioned here are Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, and Nate Saint, who were each fully committed to the program of outreach to the Huaorani from the beginning. The quote above also shows the way that Elisabeth Elliot weaves extracts from the men’s writings into her account.

“Although five men would eventually make up ‘Operation Auca,’ only three—Nate, Jim, and Ed—were definitely committed at that time. Pete, who had been as vitally interested as these three, was, however, not clear whether God’s leading was for him to go or to stay.”

Here we have another exploration of the theme of discerning the will of God. While Pete Fleming was convinced that God’s ultimate will was for the Huaorani to be contacted with the gospel, he was not sure that the advanced timeline of “Operation Auca” was the right way to approach the matter, nor that he was being called to be personally involved. Each man walked his own journey of discernment, guided largely by prayer, and in the end Fleming felt convinced that he too was meant to join the attempt.

“Roger had not yet emerged from his ‘dark night of the soul’ when Nate approached him. The days which followed found him in a desperate struggle to know the will of God. He had no doubt of his own desire—he would go if that were all that mattered. But to go without the smile of God—that would be impossible. ‘If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence.’”

Here another quote illustrates the theme of discerning the will of God, in this case with reference to Roger Youderian’s process of discernment. The “dark night of the soul” refers to a period of Roger’s disillusionment with the results of his missionary service and of wondering whether he ought to be engaged in that kind of work at all. This quote also shows just how seriously the men took the process of seeking knowledge of God’s will.

“I reminded Jim of what we both knew it might mean if he went. ‘Well, if that’s the way God wants it to be,’ was his calm reply, ‘I’m ready to die for the salvation of the Aucas.’ While still a student in college Jim had written: ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’”

Elisabeth Elliot relates an interaction between herself and her husband Jim in the days leading up to the “Operation Auca” outreach. The theme of faith and sacrifice is present here, as both characters are fully aware of the possibility of Jim’s death, yet for reasons of faith they do not hesitate. The latter part of the passage, an extract from Jim’s college journal, has become his most famous quote and stands as the most widely known saying to emerge from the events of the book.

“Each of us knew when we married our husbands that there would never be any question about who came first—God and His work held first place in each life. It was the condition of true discipleship; it became devastatingly meaningful now.”

Here Elisabeth Elliot speaks for herself and the other missionary wives. While the book gives most of its attention to the men’s thoughts and actions, the later chapters provide an additional focus on the women’s experience during “Operation Auca.” The theme of faith and sacrifice is shown here to apply not only to the men, but just as strongly to the women.

“Was it the thrill of adventure that drew our husbands on? No. […] Their compulsion was from a different source. […] To these men, Jesus Christ was God, and had actually taken upon Himself human form, in order that He might die, and, by His death, provide not only escape from the punishment which their sin merited, but also a new kind of life, eternal both in length and quality. This meant simply that Christ was to be obeyed, and more than that, that He would provide the power to obey.”

In most of the book, Elisabeth Elliot simply assumes the Christian convictions of her readers, presenting the missionaries’ actions without any further explanation beyond their convictions regarding the will of God. In this passage, however, she outlines the substance of the men’s faith, explaining what it was the men believed about Jesus and why it provided such consistent motivation to them, even in the face of great dangers.

“Immediately three Aucas stepped out into the open. They were a young man and two women—one about thirty years of age, the other a girl of about sixteen—naked except for strings tied about the waist, wrists, and thighs, and large wooden plugs in distended ear lobes. The missionaries, temporarily struck dumb by the surprise appearance, finally managed to shout simultaneously, in Auca: ‘Puinani!…Welcome!’”

This scene is one of the turning points of the narrative, the moment to which the whole course of the story’s rising tension has been building: the first face-to-face contact with members of the Huaorani. In these lines, one can see the book’s thematic focus on cross-cultural dynamics, as the Huaorani are portrayed in terms of their unique cultural accouterments and in the context of their own language.

“Undoubtedly the [Huaorani] men were on their way to the Curaray! And, sure enough, on the flight back he spotted a group of men ‘en route’ to Palm Beach. As he touched his wheels down he shouted to the four, ‘This is it, guys! They’re on the way!’”

This passage reveals the moment just before the story’s climax, when Nate Saint realizes that the Huaorani are coming to Palm Beach to meet the missionaries there. The narrative conveys the joy and excitement of that moment, a feeling that is followed with the jarring and tragic silence of the following chapter.

“It was the first I knew that anything was amiss. A verse God had impressed on my mind when I first arrived in Ecuador came back suddenly and sharply: ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee…’ I went upstairs […] praying silently, ‘Lord, let not the waters overflow.’”

In this poignant scene, we are given a glimpse of Elisabeth Elliot’s reaction to the idea that her husband Jim was in danger, possibly missing or dead. She is shown to be as much a person of faith as any of the men in the story, with her first impulses being the remembrance of scripture and the practice of prayer. The Bible verse she cites is Isaiah 43:2.

“To the world at large this was a sad waste of five young lives. But God has His plan and purpose in all things. There were those whose lives were changed by what happened on Palm Beach.”

In this quote, we have an admission of the divergent views on how to judge what happened at Palm Beach—some people saw it as a tragedy, while others were convinced that it was a noble sacrifice for the ideals of faith and love. Elliot underscores her belief that the events of her husband’s death were God’s will, and she follows this quote with an extended set of anecdotes about people who testified that their lives had been transformed on account of the example of the five men killed at Palm Beach.

“They say they killed the men only because they believed them to be cannibals. Basically it was fear that led them to what they now regard as a mistake. But we know it was no accident. God performs all things according to the counsel of His own will.”

This quote, written in an epilogue published more than a year after the original version of the book, relates new information about the men’s deaths. Elisabeth Elliot, living among the Huaorani at that point, had access to their firsthand account of the deaths, and even though she has discovered the event was based on a mistaken assumption, she still regards it as having been the fulfillment of God’s will.

“There can be little doubt that the drama of the story awakened many to the existence of ‘harvest fields’ they had not thought of. At least hundreds were jolted by the sacrifice of five young men to whom obedience to their Lord was quite literally a matter of life and death.”

In this passage, coming 40 years after the events of 1956, Elisabeth Elliot again underscores the blessings that had resulted from the story of the men’s deaths at Palm Beach. This quote highlights the role that that story played in motivating a wave of renewed interest in world missions among mid-century evangelical Christians.