about

Elisabeth Elliot was a young missionary in Ecuador when members of a remote Amazonian indigenous people group killed her husband Jim and his four colleagues. And yet, she stayed in the jungle with her young daughter to minister to the very people who had thrown the spears, demonstrating the power of Christ’s forgiveness.

This courageous, no-nonsense Christian went on to write dozens of books, host a long-running radio show, and speak at conferences all over the world. She was a pillar of coherent, committed faith—a beloved and sometimes controversial icon. And while things in the limelight might have looked golden, her suffering continued refining her in many different and unexpected ways.

Her early years, related in Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, traced the transition of a young woman who dealt in “certainties” to the woman who lived with the unknown.

Now, being Elisabeth Elliot increasingly meant confronting how much she did not understand. She sought her reference point beyond her own experiences, always pondering what she called the “impenetrable mystery” of the interplay between God’s will and human choices.

And it is that strange mystery which shaped the rest of her startling life story.

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quotable quotes

“Elisabeth was certain of very few things—the good and holy character of God, His redeeming love, and merciful faithfulness. She sought her reference point beyond her own experiences, always pondering what she called the ‘impenetrable mystery’ of the interplay between God’s will and human choices.”

“Elisabeth believed in a God of power, love, justice, and mercy who had broken into human history in the person of Christ.”

“We can’t paint Elisabeth’s story with lovely pastels and blurred edges, pretty and placid. It is through the sharp edges and cracks in the veneer that God’s grace, no matter what, shines through.”

“Few loved the Bible more than Elisabeth Elliot. But she was appalled when Christians used it as a weapon to clobber or distance themselves from people who were different from them. Or to distance themselves from suffering, mysteries, and difficult questions.”

“She was certain of very few things—the good and holy character of God, His redeeming love, and merciful faithfulness.”

“Discover how a young seer of suffering, fresh-from-the-mission-field, learned the art of Being Elisabeth Elliot.” -Joni Eareckson Tada, foreword

“Our hero of the faith was not a bronze statue, impervious to fissures; nor was she an airbrushed paragon of virtue, untested by the things that thwart and frustrate us all. Elisabeth owned her flesh-and blood shortcomings and would bristle whenever people insisted on putting her on a pedestal.” -Joni Eareckson Tada, foreword

the author

Ellen Vaughn is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who has written or co-written twenty-four books. Former vice president of executive communications at Prison Fellowship, she collaborated with the late Chuck Colson on a number of his seminal works. She speaks at conferences, often travels to interview Christ-followers in hostile parts of the world, and serves on the board of directors for ICM, the global church developer. With degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Richmond, Ellen lives in northern Virginia and enjoys reading, hiking, drinking coffee with friends, and staring pensively at the ocean.

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discover more from Elisabeth Elliot

The Elisabeth Elliot Foundation was created to bring honor and glory through the life, love, and ministry of Elisabeth and Jim Elliot. Through ElisabethElliot.org and other media platforms, we intend to bring together a resourceful collection of the Elliots' writings and teachings into an evolving repository where the Elliots' faith, testimony, and legacy continue to reach people all over the world. Visit ElisabethElliot.org