Cross from Nate Saint house

Some of you have have heard the names of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderin and Peter Fleming.  These are names that just over 50 years ago rocked the Christian and secular worlds alike. In 1956 these five American men were killed by the very people, the Auca Indians,  that they were trying to reach with the gospel of Christ. This group of young men gave thier lives so that the Auca would have the opportunity to know Christ on a personal level.  They have become well-known throughout the world, and a few years back, their story was even told in Hollywood through the film End of the Spear.  Many people have great respect for these men and their families, and rightly so. For this group of people were used by God in a way that would forever change the mission field and Ecuador its self. Even after the death of their husbands and fathers of their children, the families continued serving God, in Quito, Ed's wife, Marilou McCully set up a school for missionary children.  Barbara Youderin went to work with another Missionary, Frank Downs, who worked with the Jivaro Indians of eastern Ecuador.  Elisabeth Elliot continued to work with the Aucas with Rachel Saint (Nate's sister) for several years, had a radio program and wrote several books.

• It has been stated, "The deaths of these men, a personal tragedy for their families, has become a world-wide testimony of faith in Christ and dedication to the work of God, which is much, much bigger than the conversion of a jungle tribe to Christianity." ---http://www.christianheroes.com/people/christian_heroes_jim_elliot.asp

The Waorani (also known as Auishiri, Huao, Huaorani, Sabela, Waodani) people formerly named Auca Indians, have one of the most dramatic and exstreme changes in their lifestyle as a testement to the impact of the way that Christ's love can transform us.  The term Auca is actually the name the Quichua gave to them, which translates roughly into English as "savage!"  They have changed their name since people from all around were afraid of them and were known as the tribe that killed people. They felt that since they have changed (been transformed) that they are no longer the "feared Auca Indians".  For a more detailed account on how they have changed, follow this link and read the article  (http://www.connectionmagazine.org/archives_old/archives/1998/september/amazon.htm.).

 Bellow the photos is the history of the cross and story behind it.



Full view, slightly smaller than this picture (6.25"x4"). 

Itota is the Waoroni word for Jesus

bottom part of front of cross

back of cross, the grandson's signature 

Nate Saint's, the pilot, had a house in Shell, Ecuador.  Over the years, it had become severely damaged by termites, weather and age, the house needed to be rebuilt. Because of the significance the house played in the area and what it meant to missionarys in the country, they decided to renovate it and actually just finished this summer. It was with the discarded original lumber that the grandson of one of the native Waoroni Indians, Mincaye, who killed the five Missionaries, constructed this cross. He has crafted roughly 200 crosses.The grandsons uses the crosses and other products to sell for funds for jungle mission work and to help maintain the restored house. 

A PIECE OF HISTORY THAT KEEPS THE STORY GOING

From the blog, "Musings from Graceland" who had three teenagers go on mission trips this past summer, and I had donated some items to their auction.


In 1956, 5 young missionaries were killed in the jungles of Ecuador as they worked to build a relationship with indigenous people who had long been known for their violent ways and isolated culture. Nate Saint and the other missionaries, including Jim Elliot, "had a burning desire to follow Jesus' command to take the gospel message into all the world. They had prayed for years for this primitive group that had never heard the redemption story of peace with God through the death of Christ."*Because of their deaths, untold numbers of young people were motivated to give their lives to taking the message of Jesus to the unreached across the world. And today, a new generation is growing up and many of them are choosing to turn away from the its-all-about-me Western mentality and live their lives for the sake of the call...the call to take the pace and love of Jesus to dark and hurting places.

The home of Nate Saint still stands. It is still used as a base for mission work in Ecuador. But over the decades, the house began to need work done on it and termite infestation meant that if major restoration was not undertaken, it would fall to bits. The restoration process took place last year and now pieces of the wood and nails are being used to make handcrafts that provide a financial living for area Ecuadorians. The cross we now have is fashioned from wood that was part of the house that Nate Saint and his family called home and that many of the other area missionaries would often gather in for meetings and fellowship.

To read more about the life of Nate Saint, go to this website: http://www.atanycost.org/
To read about the house restoration, go to: http://www.outreachmagazine.com/news-and-stories/organizations/3895-Rebuilt-Nate-Saint-House-Dedicated-Ecuador.html
*Quoted from: http://www.atanycost.org/images/DidTheyHaveToDie.pdf

http://www.christianheroes.com/people/christian_heroes_jim_elliot.asp
http://www.bobjordan.net/ministry/catalyst/natesaint.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHPcioYjhmg

Now this simple, wooden cross, is a reminder of the lives that were freely given for the cause of Christ and the life that Christ gave for all of us.

The bidding on this simple yet powerful cross will start at $20.