A Biography of Nate Saint

Nathanael "Nate" Saint was an evangelical Christian missionary pilot to Ecuador. He was accompanied by four others: Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderain. All five were killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca.

Early Life

Nate Saint was born in 1923. When he was seven he took his first plane ride with his brother Sam, who would eventually become a commercial pilot for American Airlines. While in the airplane he discovered a love of flying.

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His family was somewhat unusual. His brothers made a sleeping patio on the roof of their home, and his dad built a roller coaster in the backyard.

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When he joined the army he was stationed in Las Vegas NV, but was transferred to several other locations over the years. A leg injury from a sledding accident caused him some problems while he was in the army. About a year before he was discharged, he almost died while climbing a mountain in Yosemite National Park. After that incident he learned to live life to the fullest.[1]

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When Nate was asked by a friend to fix a plane somewhere in Mexico, he finally agreed. After he repaired the plane, he discovered a need for his skill in the field of mission-work and also a new awareness of the value of missions. After going to Wheaton College, Nate married Marjorie Farris (commonly called Marj) in 1948 and eventually moved to Shell Mera, Ecuador. Here, Nate built his family a house which would also serve as a guesthouse and a radio center with the other missionaries.[2]

Life in Ecuador, Meeting the Huaroni

In September 1955, Nate was joined by his teammates, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian. Saint finally found a Huaorani settlement while searching by air. To reach the tribe, Saint and the team lowered gifts to the Huaorani in a bucket tied to the plane.

The Huaorani were widely feared by other Ecuadorians, because they combined a desire to be left alone with a willingness to use force. They attacked and killed any intruders without provocation. Nevertheless, the tribe was excited on receiving the gifts and gave some gifts back.

Finally, the missionaries decided to try to meet the Huaorani on the ground; and, on January 3, 1956, using the beach as a landing strip, they set up camp four miles from the Huaorani settlement.

How Nate Saint Died

Their initial contact was encouraging; however, on Sunday, January 8, 1956, the entire team was killed on the beach (known as "Palm Beach") when armed Huaorani met and speared them.[3] Nate Saint was the first of the five missionaries to be speared to death.

Saint and the other four men became famous worldwide as a result. Life magazine published a 10-page photo essay on the story, which was also covered in Reader's Digest and many other publications. Today, a small school for missionary children in Shell, Ecuador, bears Nate Saint's name. After 51 years, the school has closed in 2017 due to falling enrollment.

Rachel Saint, Nate's sister, continued the mission efforts to the Huaorani, which eventually came to fruition. This resulted in many of these natives becoming Christians, including those who had killed Saint.[3]

Nate Saint's Family

Parents:

Lawrence Saint

Katherine Saint

Spouse:

Marjorie Saint‍

Children:

Kathy Saint Drown

Steve Saint

Philip Saint

Siblings:

Rachel Saint

Sam Saint

Phil Saint

Dan Saint

Dave Saint

Steve Saint

Ben Saint

Recommended Resources on Nate Saint

1. End of the Spear (2006)
2. Jungle Pilot: The Story of Nate Saint, Martyred Missionary to Ecuador by Russell Hitt
3. Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer by Janet and George Benge (1998 - Christian Heroes: Then & Now)

Nate Saint Movies

1. End of the Spear (2006)
2. Through Gates of Splendor (2004)
3. Steve Saint: The Jungle Missionary (2007)

Nate Saint Books

1. Jungle Pilot: The Story of Nate Saint, Martyred Missionary to Ecuador by Russell Hitt
2. Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer by Janet and George Benge (1998 - Christian Heroes: Then & Now)
3. The Fate of the Yellow Woodbee by Dave & Neta Jackson (2016 - Kids Book)
4. Nate Saint: Operation Auca by Nancy Drummond (2012 - Torchbearers)
5. Nate Saint: Heavenbound by Renee Meloche (2001 - Heroes for Young Readers)‍
6. Gentle Savage Still Seeking the End of the Spear by Menkaye Aenkaedi

Nate Saint Quotes

1. "People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives... and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted."
2. “Son, we can’t shoot the Waodani. They’re not ready for heaven... we are.”
3. "When life's flight is over, and we unload our cargo at the other end, the fellow who got rid of unnecessary weight will have the most valuable cargo to present the Lord."
4. "If God would grant us the vision, the word sacrifice would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that seem now so dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short, we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ. May God help us ourselves by the eternities that separate the Aucas from a Comprehension of Christmas and Him, who, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor so that we might, through his poverty, be made rich."
5. "I would rather die now than to live a life of oblivious ease in so sick a world."
6. "As we have a high old time this Christmas may we who know Christ hear the cry of the damned as they hurtle headlong into the Christless night without ever a chance. May we be moved with compassion as our Lord was. May we shed tears of repentance for these we have failed to bring out of darkness. Beyond the smiling scenes of Bethlehem may we see the crushing agony of Golgotha."
7. "It was traumatic but exhilarating to feel what my father felt. I remember the ache of the separation from the people I loved. I would never go back to that time. Yet the things I learned benefited my life."

Fun Facts About Nate Saint

1. Nate went on his first plane ride with his brother Sam when he was seven years old.
2. Rachel Saint lived with the Huaroni two years after he died. She served as a missionary to Peru before later joining Nate in Ecuador.
3. Nate had six brothers and one sister.
4. Nate’s father, Lawrence Saint, was a famous stain-glass artist, who worked on the Washington National Cathedral. His father was also a painter, specializing in landscape painting and silhouette cutting.
5. As a kid, Nate built an 8-foot sailboat and took apart a car engine just to put it back together again.

Sources

1. Benge, Janet; Benge, Geoff, Nate Saint: On a wing and a prayer.
2. "Nate Saint". www.maf.org. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
3. Saint, Steve (1996). "Did They Have to Die?". Christianity Today (September 16, 1996): 20–27.
4. Barnes, Rebecca (January 1, 2006). "The Rest of the Story". Christianity Today. Retrieved February 28, 2018.

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