Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today’s Christmas-themed podcast is a story that still moves me every time I think about it. It's about five young missionaries who spent their last Christmas on earth preparing gifts for people who had never heard the name of Jesus—people who would kill them just weeks later.
This is the story of five missionaries and their final Christmas in the jungles of Ecuador in 1955.
By the mid-1950s, five young missionary families were serving in Ecuador: Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, Nate and Marj Saint, Pete and Olive Fleming, Ed and Marilou McCully, and Roger and Barbara Youderian. They were all burdened for one group in particular—the Waodani people, then called the "Aucas," which means "savages" in the Quechua language.
The Waodani were known as the most violent tribe in the Amazon. They lived in complete isolation and killed any outsiders who entered their territory. They also killed each other—some estimates suggest that 60% of Waodani deaths were from internal spearings and revenge killings. Oil company workers, rubber traders, other indigenous groups—anyone who came near them died.
But these five missionaries saw the Waodani differently. They didn't see savages. They saw people made in God's image who had never once heard that Jesus loved them. They saw an unreached people group that deserved a chance to hear the Gospel. And they began planning a way to reach them.
They called it "Operation Auca."
Nate Saint was the pilot of the group—a skilled aviator with Missionary Aviation Fellowship. He had developed a technique for lowering a bucket from his plane on a long line, allowing him to deliver gifts to people on the ground while circling overhead.
In September 1955, the missionaries began making regular flights over Waodani territory, dropping gifts—machetes, ribbon, clothing, buttons, photographs of themselves smiling. They wanted to show the Waodani that they were friends, not enemies. They wanted to soften the fear and hostility before attempting face-to-face contact.
Week after week, they flew over and dropped gifts. And something remarkable began to happen. The Waodani started leaving gifts in return—a feathered headdress, food, a live parrot. Communication was being established. Trust was slowly building.
Then came Christmas 1955. This would be the last Christmas these five men would ever celebrate on earth—though they didn't know it at the time.
During that Christmas season, the missionaries intensified their efforts. They prepared special gifts for the Waodani. They continued the food drops and friendly gestures. They spent time with their families, celebrated the birth of Jesus, and prayed for the people they were trying to reach.
Jim Elliot wrote in his journal during this time about the tension between the joy of Christmas with his wife Elisabeth and baby daughter Valerie, and the burden he carried for the Waodani who had never heard of Christ's birth. Here was a man celebrating the Savior's coming while preparing to risk his life to tell others about that Savior.
The missionaries knew the danger. The Waodani had killed before and would likely try to kill again. But they also believed that the Waodani needed Jesus—and someone had to go.
Nate Saint wrote during this time: "As we weigh the future and seek the will of God, does it seem right that we should hazard our lives for just a few savages? As we ask ourselves this question, we realize that it is not the call of the needy thousands. Rather, it is the simple intimation of the prophetic word that there shall be some from every tribe."
They were thinking about Revelation 5:9—that people from every tribe and tongue and nation would worship around God's throne. The Waodani needed to be there. And these five men were willing to die to make it possible.
Just after Christmas, the missionaries decided the time had come for face-to-face contact. On January 3, 1956, Nate flew the five men to a sandbar on the Curaray River, which they nicknamed "Palm Beach." It was in the heart of Waodani territory.
For the next few days, they waited excitedly. On Friday, January 6, three Waodani—a man and two women—emerged from the jungle. The contact was peaceful, even friendly. The missionaries were thrilled. They gave the visitors gifts, shared food, and even gave the man a ride in the airplane. It seemed that the months of gift-dropping and the Christmas preparations had worked. Trust was being built.
On Sunday, January 8, Nate radioed to his wife Marj: "Looks like they'll be here for the early afternoon service. Pray for us. This is the day! Will contact you next at four-thirty."
The four-thirty contact never came.
That afternoon, a larger group of Waodani warriors attacked. All five missionaries were speared to death on the banks of the Curaray River. Jim Elliot was 28. Nate Saint was 32. Ed McCully was 28. Pete Fleming was 27. Roger Youderian was 31. They left behind five widows and nine children.
The news shocked the world. Life magazine ran a ten-page story with photos. Many people questioned the wisdom of the mission. Why would these young fathers risk their lives for a handful of "savages" in the jungle?
But the missionaries themselves had already answered that question. Jim Elliot had written in his journal years earlier: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
They gave their lives—which they couldn't keep anyway—to gain eternal impact for people who had never heard of Jesus.
But here's what makes this story even more remarkable. The story didn't end on Palm Beach. It was just the beginning.
Elisabeth Elliot—Jim's widow—and Rachel Saint—Nate's sister—did something almost unbelievable. They went to live among the Waodani. They went to the very people who had killed their husband and brother.
They learned the language. They built relationships. They shared the Gospel. And over time, the Waodani began to come to faith in Christ.
The same warriors who had thrown the spears became followers of Jesus. They were baptized. Churches were planted. The cycle of violence that had been destroying the tribe began to break. The transformation was profound and documented—National Geographic, major news outlets, and eventually a feature film called "End of the Spear" told the story.
Today, the majority of the Waodani people are Christians. They have their own pastors, their own churches, the New Testament in their own language. Waodani believers have shared the Gospel with other tribes in the region. Several of the men who killed the missionaries became church leaders and shared their testimonies around the world before they passed away.
Steve Saint, Nate Saint's son, grew up among the Waodani and was even baptized by Mincaye—one of the men who killed his father. He has spent much of his life serving them and telling the story of reconciliation and redemption that God brought out of that tragedy.
So why is this a Christmas story? Because Christmas is ultimately about this: God giving His most precious gift—His own Son—to people who were His enemies, so that they might be saved.
Think about what these missionaries did in Christmas 1955. They prepared gifts for people who would kill them. They showed love to people who hated outsiders. They laid down their lives for people who had never asked to be saved.
That's the Christmas message! "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son" (Romans 5:10).
The Waodani didn't deserve those gifts. They didn't deserve the love of those missionaries. They didn't deserve the Gospel. But that's grace—giving people what they don't deserve because God first gave us what we didn't deserve.
And just as God's gift of His Son brought salvation to enemies, the missionaries' sacrifice eventually brought salvation to the Waodani. What seemed like defeat became victory. What seemed like death became life. That's the power of sacrificial love offered in Jesus's name.
Let me give you an update on the Waodani today. As of 2025, the tribe numbers around 4,000-5,000 people living primarily in Ecuador's Amazon region. The majority identify as Christians, and there are multiple Waodani churches with indigenous pastors.
However, the community faces significant challenges. Encroachment from oil companies and illegal loggers threatens their ancestral lands. Some younger Waodani have drifted from faith as Western materialism and cultural pressures have increased. The tribe is navigating the tension between preserving their culture and engaging with the modern world.
Organizations continue to work with the Waodani on Bible translation, discipleship, community development, and advocacy for their land rights. Steve Saint's organization, I-TEC (Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center), has developed tools and training to help the Waodani and other indigenous groups become self-sufficient.
The story continues. The seeds planted in blood almost 70 years ago on January 8, 1956, continue to bear fruit—and the Waodani still need prayer as they navigate the challenges of the 21st century.
What can we learn from this Christmas story? First, reaching the unreached is worth any cost. Five young men gave their lives, and as a result, an entire tribe came to know Jesus. The Waodani will be around God's throne in Revelation 5 because someone was willing to pay the price.
Second, sacrificial love opens doors that nothing else can. The gift drops, the Christmas preparations, the friendly gestures—these softened hearts and prepared the way for the Gospel. When the widows returned in love rather than vengeance, the Waodani were undone. That kind of love can only come from Jesus.
Third, death is not the end of the story. The missionaries' deaths seemed like a terrible waste. But God used those deaths to bring an entire people group to Himself and to inspire thousands of others to go to the mission field. "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24).
Merry Christmas, friends. May this season remind you that the greatest gift is always sacrificial love—and that some gifts are worth dying to give.
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and remember: He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
You can listen to this in podcast form at Spotify podcast
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