Through Gates of Splendor [Mass Market Paperback]

Five men entered the jungle in search of a savage tribe...and never returned. In January 1956, a tragic story flooded headlines around the world. Five men, spurred by a passion to share the good news of Jesus Christ, ventured deep into the jungles of Ecuador. Their goal: to make contract with an isolated tribe whose previous response to the outside world had been to attack all strangers. At an greed-upon time, their five young wives sat by their radios, waiting for a message that never came... Through Gates of Splendor, the story of Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Jim Elliot, was first recorded in 1956 by Jims widow, Elisabeth. Decades later, its story of unconditional love and complete obedience to God still inspires new readers. This edition contains subsequent developments in the lives of the families and the Waodani tribe.

In 1955 a group of missionaries entered a jungle in Ecuador to bring Christianity to a hostile and primitive tribe. Attempting to quell their distrust, they showered the natives with gifts and built an airstrip before being massacred by them. Written by the wife of one of these men, the story will be gripping for believers in such initiatives. Others may be overcome by the melodrama and the Jesus-as-Lord tone that explains the nobility but not the naïveté of the mission's intentions. The talented Marguerite Gavin narrates with erudite smugness. She also forces the pathos during some of the more poignant moments but probably not enough to bother listeners who are uplifted by the story. T.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.