Nate Saint
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Nathanael "Nate" Saint (August 30, 1923 – January 8, 1956) was a Christian missionary pilot to Ecuador, where he was killed by Huaorani warriors during what may be referred to as Operation Auca.
Nate was seventh in a family of eight children who grew up near Philadelphia in an atmosphere of deep Puritan piety. His father, Lawrence Saint, was an eminent designer of stained glass (15 of his windows are in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington). The family attended prayer meeting on Wednesdays and, on Sunday, morning and evening services plus Sunday school. Says the father: "We didn't encourage the children's friends to come and play on Sunday. I read the Bible and each of the children prayed, beginning with the eldest."[1]
Nate was an avid flier from his childhood on — he began taking flying lessons in high school, and during World War II, he served in the Army. He enrolled in Wheaton College following the war but dropped out before graduating in order to join the Mission Aviation Fellowship. In 1948, with his wife, Marjorie Farris, he began working in Ecuador, establishing an air base at an abandoned oil exploration camp, from which he supplied local missionaries with medicines, mail and other necessities.
In September of 1955, after the arrival of teammates Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, and Peter Fleming (Roger Youderian would join them a few months later), Saint found a Huaorani settlement while searching by air. In order to reach the remote tribe, Saint and the team lowered gifts, including machetes and clothing, to the Huaorani in a bucket tied to the plane. The tribe displayed excitement on receiving the gifts, and soon gave back gifts of their own. After three months of successful air contact, the missionaries decided to attempt to meet the people on the ground, and on January 3, 1956, they set up camp four miles from the Auca settlement, using a portion of the beach as a landing strip. Their initial personal contact with the Huaorani started out encouraging; however, on Sunday, January 8, 1956 the entire team was killed on the beach when armed Huaorani met them. Saint's body was found downstream. He was 32 when he died.
Saint and his friends became instant heroes worldwide, and Life Magazine published a 10-page photo essay on their mission and death. They are credited with sparking an interest in Christian missions among the youth of their time and are still considered an inspiration for Christian missionaries working throughout the world. Today, a small school for the children of missionaries in Ecuador bears Nate Saint's name.
Rachel Saint, Nate's sister established a peaceful contact with the Huaorani after his death and continued the missionary work among them for many years.
The son of Nate Saint, Steve, now works with the Huaorani Indians and often travels around the world preaching the gospel, sometimes accompanied by one of the men who killed his father, Mincaye. In 2005, a documentary based on the story was released entitled Beyond the Gates of Splendor. The following year, a feature film entitled End of the Spear was released on January 20, 2006, a week and a half after the 50 year anniversary of the killings. Saint wrote a book about his experiences, also titled End of the Spear, to coincide with the release of the film.
[edit] References
- Biographical sketch
- Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt ISBN 978-1572930223
- End of the Spear by Steve Saint ISBN 978-0842364393
[edit] External links
- Missionary Aviation Fellowship history
- Nate Saint Memorial School
- Five Missionary Martyrs
- Articles and Links about Nate Saint
- End of The Spear Movie
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Saint, Nathanael |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Saint, Nate |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Martyred Christian missionary to Ecuador |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 30, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 8, 1956 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Ecuador |
