__NOTOC__ Elisabeth Elliot (née Howard; December 21, 1926 – June 15, 2015) was a Christian author and speaker. Her first husband,

Jim Elliot Philip James Elliot (October 8, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was an American Christian missionary and one of five people killed during Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador. Early life Elliot was born in Portland ...

, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca people (now known as

Huaorani The Huaorani, Waorani, or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are an Indigenous people from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador ( Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza Provinces) who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate ...

; also rendered as Waorani or Waodani) of eastern

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband. Returning to the United States after many years in South America, she became widely known as the author of over twenty books and as a speaker. Elliot toured the country, sharing her knowledge and experience, well into her seventies.

Biography

Elisabeth Elliot was born Elisabeth Howard in Brussels, Belgium on December 21, 1926; her family included her missionary parents, four brothers, and one sister. Elisabeth's brothers, Thomas Howard and David Howard, are also authors. Her family moved to the

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...

neighborhood of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in the U.S. when she was a few months old. In addition to Philadelphia, she lived in

Franconia, New Hampshire Franconia is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2020 census. Set in the White Mountains, Franconia is home to the northern half of Franconia Notch State Park. Parts of the White Mountain Nation ...

and

Moorestown, New Jersey Moorestown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia and geographically part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of ...

. She studied Classical Greek at Wheaton College, believing that it was the best tool to help her with the calling of ultimately translating the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

of the Bible into an unknown language. It was at Wheaton where she met Jim Elliot. Before their marriage, Elisabeth took a post-graduate year of specialized studies at

Prairie Bible Institute Prairie College is an interdenominational Christian College located in the town of Three Hills, Alberta. Founded as Prairie Bible Institute, classes began on October 9, 1922, on the property of the McElheran family farm. History A local Bible St ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where a campus prayer chapel was later named in her honor. Jim Elliot and Elisabeth Howard went individually to Ecuador to work with the

Quichua Kichwa (, , also Spanish ) is a Quechuan language that includes all Quechua varieties of Ecuador and Colombia (''Inga''), as well as extensions into Peru. It has an estimated half million speakers. The most widely spoken dialects are Chimborazo ...

(or Quechua) Indians; the two eventually married in 1953 in the city of

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...

, Ecuador. In January 1956, her husband Jim was speared to death along with four of his missionary friends while attempting to contact the

tribe. Their daughter, Valerie (born February 27, 1955), was 10 months old when her father was killed. Elisabeth continued her work with the Quechua for two more years. Two Huaorani women living among the Quichua, including one named Dayuma, taught the Huao language to Mrs. Elliot and fellow missionary

Rachel Saint Rachel Saint (January 2, 1914 – November 11, 1994) was an American evangelical Christian missionary who worked in Ecuador. Rachel Saint was born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. She attended the Philadelphia School of the Bible (now Cairn University ...

. When Dayuma returned to the Huaorani, she created an opening for contact by the missionaries. In October 1958, Mrs. Elliot went to live with the Huaorani with her three-year-old daughter Valerie and with Rachel Saint. The Auca/Huaorani gave Elisabeth the tribal name ''Gikari,'' Huao for "Woodpecker." She later returned to the Quichua and worked with them until 1963, when she and Valerie returned to the US (

). In 1969, Elisabeth married Addison Leitch, a professor of theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in

South Hamilton, Massachusetts South Hamilton is a postal address assigned to ZIP code 01982 by the Postal Service and is part of the town of Hamilton, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the Uni ...

. Leitch died in 1973. In the fall of 1974, she became an adjunct professor on the faculty of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and for several years taught a popular course entitled "Christian Expression." In 1977, she married Lars Gren, a hospital chaplain. The Grens later worked and traveled together. In the mid-1970s, she served as one of the stylistic consultants for the committee of the

New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...

of the Bible (NIV). She appears on the NIV's list of contributors. In 1981, Mrs. Gren was appointed writer-in-residence at Gordon College in

Wenham, Massachusetts Wenham () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,979 at the time of the 2020 census. The town of Wenham, originally settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1643, has retained much of its historic character and rural scenery ...

. From 1988 to 2001, Elisabeth could be heard on a daily radio program, Gateway to Joy, produced by the Good News Broadcasting Association of

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. She almost always opened the program with the phrase, "'You are loved with an everlasting love,' – that's what the Bible says – 'and underneath are the everlasting arms.' This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot..." Today re-runs of the program may be heard over th
Bible Broadcasting Network
In her later years, she and her third husband stopped traveling, but they continued to keep in touch with the public through email and their website. Elisabeth Elliot died in

Magnolia, Massachusetts Magnolia is a small village in Gloucester, Massachusetts, located on the Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts town line in the southwestern part of the city. Straddling the town line between the two communities is Surf Park, a two-acre swath of ...

on June 15, 2015 at the age of 88. Shortly after her death, Steve Saint, the son of

Nate Saint Nathanael Saint (30 August 19238 January 1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary pilot who, along with four others, was killed in Ecuador while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca. Earl ...

who was killed alongside Elliot's first husband, posted on Facebook about her final victory over "the loss of her mind to

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

" and "her ten year battle with the disease which robbed her of her greatest gift." She was interred at Hamilton Cemetery in Hamilton, Massachusetts. She was survived by her third husband, Lars Gren, a daughter, Valerie Elliot Shepard and Valerie's husband Walter, and eight grandchildren.

Books

* ''Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot'', 1958, * '' Through Gates of Splendor'', 1957, * ''These Strange Ashes'', 1975, * ''Quest for Love'', * ''The Savage My Kinsman'', 1961, * ''Furnace of the Lord: Reflections on the Redemption of The Holy City'', 1969, * ''Twelve Baskets of Crumbs'', 1977, * ''

Let Me Be a Woman ''Let Me Be a Woman: Notes to My Daughter on the Meaning of Womanhood'' is a 1976 book by Elisabeth Elliot that was published by Tyndale House in Wheaton, Illinois, Wheaton, Illinois, United States. The book is 185 pages long and is about what is ...

'', 1977, * ''The Journals of Jim Elliot'', 1978, * '' Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under God's Control'', 1984, * ''Discipline: The Glad Surrender'', 1982, * ''Love Has a Price Tag'', * ''The Mark of a Man'', 1981, * ''Keep a Quiet Heart'', * ''A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of

Amy Carmichael Amy Beatrice Carmichael (16 December 1867 – 18 January 1951) was an Irish Christian missionary in India who opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She served in India for 55 years and wrote 35 books about her work as a miss ...

'', 1987, * ''Path Through Suffering: Discovering the Relationship Between God's Mercy and Our Pain'', 1990, * ''The Path of Loneliness: Finding Your Way Through the Wilderness to God'', 2001, * ''No Graven Image'', 1966, * ''Secure in the Everlasting Arms'', * ''The Music of His Promises: Listening to God with Love, Trust, and Obedience'', * ''The Shaping of a Christian Family'', 1992, * ''God's Guidance: A Slow and Certain Light'', 1976, * ''Taking Flight: Wisdom for Your Journey'', * ''Be Still My Soul'', * ''Suffering Is Never For Nothing'',

Portrayals of Elisabeth Elliot

*In 1973, a readers theater production of '' Bridge of Blood: Jim Elliot Takes Christ to the Aucas'' was first performed at

Tennessee Temple University Tennessee Temple University was a private Christian university in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Temple Baptist Seminary was the university's graduate school of Christian theology, also operating in Chattanooga. The university merged with Piedmont Int ...

. *In 2003, a musical based on the story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, entitled ''Love Above All'', was staged at the

Victoria Concert Hall The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is a performing arts centre in the Central Area of Singapore, situated along Empress Place. It is a complex of two buildings and a clock tower joined together by a common corridor; the oldest part of the ...

in Singapore. This musical was staged a second time, in 2007, at the University Cultural Centre, Singapore. *In the 2006 film '' End of the Spear'', she was portrayed by actress Beth Bailey. *In ''Beyond the Gates of Splendor'', a documentary film released in 2002, she appears as herself. (The other wives of the murdered missionaries, as well as several Indians, and others, also appear.) *In 2019, Canadian author

Joan Thomas Joan Thomas (born 1949) is a Canadian novelist and book reviewer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Thomas grew up in Carberry, Manitoba and later worked as a freelance journalist and book reviewer for ''The Globe and Mail'', the ''Winnipeg Free Press' ...

won the Governor General's Award for her book ''

Five Wives ''Five Wives'' is a novel by Joan Thomas, published in 2019 by Harper Avenue. Russell Smith"With its examination of evangelists, Five Wives puts Joan Thomas in Alice Munro’s league" ''The Globe and Mail'', September 5, 2019. Based on the real-l ...

'' which is a fictionalized account of the Elisabeth Elliot story.

References

External links

Elisabeth Elliot's home page

* ttp://www.beyondthegatesthemovie.com/ web site of the documentary film, ''Beyond the Gates of Splendor,'' which includes an interview with Elisabeth Elliot
Elisabeth Elliot Papers
Billy Graham Center Archives, Wheaton College.
LIFE Magazine (Nov. 24, 1958)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot, Elisabeth 1926 births 2015 deaths American evangelicals Protestant missionaries in Ecuador American biographers Christian writers Operation Auca Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary faculty Writers from Philadelphia American Protestant missionaries Female Christian missionaries People from Franconia, New Hampshire People from Moorestown, New Jersey 20th-century American women writers American expatriates in Ecuador 21st-century American women