Benny and I watched this movie Wednesday night and it was awesome! It is a documentary about the five missionary families that moved to Ecuador to bring God’s message to the Waodoni people (formerly known as the Aucas). In 1956, Jim Elliott, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and Ed McCully were speared to death on a beach while trying to bring peace and God’s message to this savage tribe of people. The story is amazing, sad, full of hope and peace, and new beginnings. It’s a story of great courage and greater forgiveness. The wives stayed and successfully ministered to the very men who had killed their husbands. Steve Saint was a small boy when his father was killed, but one of his father’s killers, Mincaye, is now a surrogate grandfather of sorts to his children. Steven Curtis Chapman’s album DECLARATION features Mincaye singing/chanting on the song No Greater Love. SCC also attempted to tell Mincaye’s story in the song God Follower and he dedicated it to the Waodoni people. God can do amazing things with those who are willing to follow Him – even to their deaths. I can’t say enough about this movie, yet I don’t know how to shorten my thoughts down into a single blog post. Just trust me and RENT IT.
On January 20th, the movie The End of the Spear will be released. It is going to be good, but it will be even better because I watched Beyond the Gates of Splendor first.
I leave you with the words sung by Steven Curtis Chapman and Mincaye:
No Greater Love
Man of courage with your message of peace what is that look in your eyes?
Why have you come to this faraway place?
What is this story you would lay down your life to tell?
What kind of love can this be?
There is no greater love than this
There is no greater gift that can ever be given
To be willing to die so another might live
There is no greater love than this
Broken hearted from all you have lost – How can you sing through your tears?
What is this music that can bear such a cost?
What is this fire that grows stronger than the wind?
What kind of flame can this be?
This is the love that God showed the world
When He gave us His Son
So we could know His love forever
Beyond the gates of splendor
“The Creation/Heaven Song” (Mincaye’s Song)
God, creating from nothing, has made all the things around us.
While our hearts are beating and we are alive, let’s all believe.
Believe without being afraid.
I also to God’s place am going.
We believers are going to God’s place.
Let us all believe that.
How can it be that we will go?
If we are clean in our hearts, then let’s be out of here.
We, the believing ones, shall go up to God’s place.
All of us believers who are still living, we will be saying to ourselves,
“We want to go up to God’s place.”
This movie made me want to read an Elisabeth Elliott book.
I will pay $$ to go to the theater to see “The End of the Spear” if at all possible. (I don’t do that very often!)
Surely I will be in Denver some time! I would love to learn more about the DB ministry, too!
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I LOVED this movie. My husband and I watched it several weeks ago and I was so inspired. I can’t wait for “End of the Spear.”
BTW- I’m not sure how I found your blog, but I LOVE that you homeschool. I graduated from homeschooling and my husband and I go back and forth about what to do with our own children. I’ll be interested to read how things are going for you!!!
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I received 2 Elisabeth Elliot books from the ladies at the church in Wichita when we moved to Colorado. I haven’t read them yet, but now I am newly inspired to do so.
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I received this book for Christmas. Didn’t know that it was a movie. I will read and then we can compare notes.
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