A Biography of Elisabeth Howard Elliot

Elisabeth Elliot was a Christian author and speaker. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca (now known as Huaorani; also rendered as Waorani or Waodani) of eastern Ecuador. She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband.

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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. [1]

Early Life

Elisabeth Elliot was born Elisabeth Howard in Brussels, Belgium on December 21, 1926, [2] and her family included her missionary parents, four brothers, and one sister. Elisabeth's brothers, Thomas Howard and David Howard, are also authors.

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Her family moved to the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the U.S. when she was a few months old. [3] In addition to Philadelphia, she lived in Franconia, New Hampshire and Moorestown, New Jersey. 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 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 in Alberta, Canada, where a campus prayer chapel was later named in her honor.

Life in Ecuador

Jim Elliot and Elisabeth Howard went individually to Ecuador to work with the Quichua (or Quechua) Indians; the two married in 1953 in the city of Quito, Ecuador. In January 1956, her husband Jim was speared to death along with four of his missionary friends while attempting to contact the Waorani 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.

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Two Huaorani women living among the Quichua, including one named Dayuma, taught the Huao language to Mrs. Elliot and fellow missionary Rachel Saint. 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.

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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.

Life Back in The US

In 1969, Elisabeth married Addison Leitch, professor of theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. 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.

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From 1988 to 2001, Elisabeth could be heard on a daily radio program, Gateway to Joy, [5] produced by the Good News Broadcasting Association of Lincoln, Nebraska. 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..." [6] Today reruns of the program may be heard over the Bible Broadcasting Network.

How Elisabeth Elliot Died

Elisabeth Elliot died in Magnolia, Massachusetts on June 15, 2015, at the age of 88.[2] Shortly after her death, Steve Saint, the son of one of the other missionaries who were killed alongside Elliot's first husband, Jim, posted on Facebook about her final victory over "the loss of her mind to dementia" and "her ten year battle with the disease which robbed her of her greatest gift." [7][8]

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She was survived by her third husband, Lars Gren, a daughter, Valerie Elliot Shepard and husband Walter, and eight grandchildren.

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Elisabeth Elliot's Family

Spouses:

Jim Elliot

Addison Leitch

Lars Gren

Children:

Valerie Elliot

Recommended Resources on Elisabeth Elliot

1. Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot (1981 - Book)
2. Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot (2009)
3. End of the Spear (2007 - Book)

Elisabeth Elliot Movies

1. End of the Spear (2006 - DVD)
2. Through Gates of Splendor (2004 - DVD)
3. Torchlighters: The Jim Elliot Story (2005 - Kids DVD)
4. Steve Saint: The Jungle Missionary (2007)

Works of Elisabeth Elliot

1. Be Still My Soul: Reflections on Living the Christian Life (2017)
2. Let Me Be a Woman (2013)
3. Quest for Love: True Stories of Passion and Purity (2013)
4. Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control (2013)
5. Facing the Death of Someone You Love (2012)
6. Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot (2009)
7. The Mark of a Man: Following Christ's Example of Masculinity (2007)
8. End of the Spear (2007 - Book)
9. The Path of Loneliness: Finding Your Way Through the Wilderness to God (2007)
10. On Asking God Why: And Other Reflections on Trusting God in a Twisted World (2006)
11. The Shaping of a Christian Family: How My Parents Nurtured My Faith (2005)
12. A Lamp Unto My Feet: The Bible's Light For Your Daily Walk (2004)
13. These Strange Ashes: Is God Still in Charge? (2004)
14. Keep a Quiet Heart (2004)
15. A Path Through Suffering (2003)
16. The Music of His Promises, Listening to God with Love, Trust, and Obedience (2000)
17. The Shaping of a Christian Family (1992)
18. A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael (1987)
19. Lamp for My Feet (1985)
20. Discipline, The Glad Surrender (1982)
21. The Journals of Jim Elliot (1978)
22. No Graven Image (1966)
23. The Savage My Kinsman (1961)

Elisabeth Elliot Quotes

1. By trying to grab fulfillment everywhere, we find it nowhere.
2. Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us.
3. The devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds. He will not allow quietness.
4. God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t need now.
5. There is nothing worth living for, unless it is worth dying for.
6. The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.
7. The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.
8. Leave it all in the Hands that were wounded for you.
9. The world cries for men who are strong, strong in conviction, strong to lead, to stand, to suffer.
10. The fact that I’m a woman doesn’t make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I’m a Christian does make me a different kind of woman.

References

1. Shellnutt, Kate. "Missionary Pioneer Elisabeth Elliot Passes Through Gates of Splendor". Christianity Today. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
2. Roberts, Sam (June 18, 2015). "Elisabeth Elliot, Tenacious Missionary in Face of Tragedy, Dies at 88". The New York Times.
3. Elisabeth Elliot. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
4. "NIV Translators and Editors". Bible Researcher. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
5. "The Making of a Missionary", Gateway to Joy, Back to the Bible.
6. "Missionary Pioneer Elisabeth Elliot Passes Through Gates of S..." Gleanings. ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
7. Owens, Tiffany (March 8, 2014). "Walking through fire". World. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
8. "Elisabeth Elliot". Wheaton.edu. June 16, 2015. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.

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