Ecuador

Last week I was visiting Ecuador. I had a lovely time sharing with the Latin Link team there for their annual conference. We stayed in a guesthouse in Shell - a small town on the edge of the Amazonas, which was the base for Jim Elliott and other missionaries who were reaching out to tribes in the 50's when 5 of them were killed by the Waurani indians. Elizabeth Elliott, Jim's wife, wrote a book (Through Gates of Splendour) about that and her decision to stay and to continue their work with the tribes.

Whilst I was there, I got to visit a little museum in the old house of Nate Saint (the pilot who was killed in the same incident). It was really interesting to hear of some of the legacy of that. The tribe believes that any death must be covered by the blood of another. Based on this belief, when Elizabeth explained that Jesus' blood already covered the death of her husband and she was not seeking revenge, this was a key to their understanding the gospel and for many of the tribe becoming followers of Jesus.

Today, 40 or 50 years later, missionaries are still working with that and other tribes, even as they work out a lifestyle which mixes their traditional lives in the rainforest, with elements of the settled lives with others in towns. It was incredible to hear of an attack between 2 tribes, where around 30 people were killed with spears in the traditional way, and it was all filmed on one of their smartphones!

Apart from the museum it was great to spend some time with the Ecuador team, and encourage them as they develop. We also had chance to visit a animal / bird rescue centre to see some of the wildlife.