Nate Saint

Nate Saint
Born	August 30, 1923(1923-08-30) Pennsylvania
Died	January 8, 1956(1956-01-08) (aged 32) Curaray River, Ecuador
Nationality	American
Education	Wheaton College
Occupation	Missionary pilot
Spouse	Marjorie Saint (née Farris) (Feb. 14, 1948 – Jan. 8, 1956)
Children	Kathy Saint Drown Steve Saint (1951) Philip Saint
Parents	Lawrence Saint Katherine Saint

Nathanael "Nate" Saint (August 30, 1923 – January 8, 1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary pilot to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Waodani people through efforts known as Operation Auca.

Early life

Nate was born and raised near Philadelphia. His father, Lawrence Saint, was a designer of stained glass windows. The family attended prayer meetings and Sunday school every week, Sundays and Wednesdays. Nate was an avid flier from seven on, and he took flying lessons in high school. During World War II, he served in the United States Army, but was forced to leave the army because of an infection in his leg. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1941. In 1948, with his wife, Marjorie Farris, he began working in Ecuador, establishing an air base, and delivering supplies to local missionaries.

Death

In September 1955, Nate was joined by his teammates, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian. Saint finally found a Huaorani (also known as Aucas) settlement while searching by air. In order 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 Ecuadoreans, 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, gave some gifts back. Finally, 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 the beach as a landing strip. Their initial contact with the Huaorani started out 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.

Legacy

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.

Rachel Saint, Nate's sister continued the mission efforts to the Waodani, which eventually came to fruition.

In 1966 Marjorie (Marj) Saint married Abe Van Der Puy, president of HCJB World Radio. He died in 2003, and Marj died on November 22, 2004 from cancer. She is buried in Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, south of Ocala, Florida.^[1]

The son of Nate Saint, Steve, now works with the Waodani people and often travels around the world preaching the gospel, often accompanied by Mincaye, one of the Waorani who attacked the missionaries at Palm Beach. 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. Stephen Saint, Nate Saint's son, helped write Jungle Pilot in conjunction with Nate's diary about his time in Ecuador and work with the Waorani Indians.

References

The reconstructed frame of Nate Saint's Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser is now on display at the headquarters of Mission Aviation Fellowship in Nampa, Idaho.

1. ^ Hillcrest Memorial Gardens is located at 28°46′46″N 81°53′35″W / 28.77944°N 81.89306°W / 28.77944; -81.89306.

• Biographical sketch
• Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt ISBN 978-1572930223
• End of the Spear by Steve Saint ISBN 978-0842364393

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	1923-08-30
Place of birth	Pennsylvania, United States
Date of death	1956-01-08
Place of death	Curaray River, Ecuador