End of the Spear

I want to see this movie that's only showing at limited theatres, it's called "End of the Spear". This is based on a true story involving the death of 5 missionaries back in the 1950's. I have actually seen a documentary shot based on this series of events last spring as a part of our missionary preparation work before going to Mongolia. I recall that all the girls watching the documentary was crying, and everyone was silent and deeply touched after it ended. Five young men including Jim Elliot left their comfortable homes in the States and went down to S. American jungles to reach out to the savages living there. They co-existed peacefully for a few weeks, made friendly contact at first, then one day, they disappear and their bodies were found flowing down the river a few days later by American search teams. All of them were well educated, mostly married and even have young kids. Elizabeth Elliot is the one who wove the beautiful love story between Jim Elliot and herself into the well known Christian book "Passion and Purity".

The most touching part of the story happened after the missionaries' deaths. Their family members and wives went down to Ecuador, learned the language of the tribal people there, approached and contacted the very men who killed their husbands/brothers. By reaching out in such a great way, they were able to soften the hearts of these originally savage men, and decades later, that very killer became a grandfather to the grandsons of the missionary he speared to death.

We've talked about going on missions, we've talked about reaching out, we've talked about having a heart and a burden for others. But this story that happened half a century ago still stirs up emotions that were hidden deep in my heart. Admiration is not even close to describe the feelings I have for the missionaries and their family members.

Everyone is destined to die some day, with the exception of a few, rarely do many of us "leave a legend" behind. To die in such a way for Christ, and after their deaths in the 50s, to have impacted so many people in such a profound a way, that is a fulfilled life statement!