2005 ECPA Retailer's Choice Award winner for best biography/autobiography! Steve Saint was five years old when his father, missionary pilot Nate Saint, was speared to death by a primitive Ecuadorian tribe. In adulthood, Steve, having left Ecuador for a successful business career in the United States, never imagined making the jungle his home again. But when that same tribe asks him to help them, Steve, his wife, and their teenage children move back to the jungle. There, Steve learns long-buried secrets about his father's murder, confronts difficult choices, and finds himself caught between two worlds. Soon to be a major motion picture (January 2006), End of the Spear brilliantly chronicles the continuing story that first captured the world's attention in the bestselling book, Through Gates of Splendor.
Steve Saint grew up in Ecuador in close community with the Waodani. His father, Nate Saint, was one of five missionaries martyred in their attempt to befriend the Waodani. After graduating from Wheaton College, Steve launched several successful businesses. He has also been a missionary in West Africa, Central America, and South America. At the request of the Waodani elders, he returned to the Amazon in 1995 along with his family. Steve's experiences living in the jungle led him to establish I-TEC, a nonprofit organization that assists the "hidden church" in its journey toward independence, self-sustenance, and maturity.
I've often read that a good author should be able to bring his readers to both laughter and tears, and this book did that for me several times. Not necessarily because Steve Saint is a great writer; with his heritage and experiences anyone should be able to write a great book.
"End of the Spear" is a book of many genres. It is the continued story of "Through Gates of Splendor", a missionary autobiography, a Waodoni history, and a commentary on so many aspects of life. There are several pictures, although it is too bad the ones on the cover are actors from the movie.
Speaking of the movie, if you have seen it, don't expect the book to parallel it. The book begins with Aunt Rachel's funeral, and jumps around a little. After Steve decides to bring his family to live with the Waodani, he learns more and more of the stories and accounts, so many of which are heartrending, that appear throughout the movie.
But then he continues with how he tried to them, and how he learned from them. What he did teach, and why he had to leave. How his children lived in the jungle, and the mutual love between them and the Waodani.
When he returned to the states, Mincaye made several visits, and they spoke at conferences together. Mincaye continued to be a part of his life, supporting him during a crisis he least expected.
If you have read about Nate Saint, Jim Elliot or the others of the 5 who were martyred, the Waodani or "Aucas", if you have seen the "End of the Spear" movie, if you enjoy missionary stories, if you are interested in the unreached peoples of our time, then this is a book you must read.
If you saw the movie and didn't like it, read the book anyway. It's much better, and I promise you'll be blessed by it. The power of God is illustrated so beautifully.
I simply could not put this book down. The experiences of Steve Saint and his family in reaching the Wadoni (sp?) defines what it means to be a Christian, displays perfect execution of the Great Commission, and demonstrates again the lesson taught by Jesus that there is no greater love then to give your life so others might live. The book is essentially spot on with the movie, though the book covers more detail.
I gave this five stars not for it's beautifully written epigraphs, pacing of plot points, or writing style, because honestly it has none of these things. It is a beautiful story that reminds you of what is important in God's economy. I think for Americans and other first world Christians this book will challenge you to redefine what a savage is as well. It points out that many times we don't run people through with spears, and yet we don't have to do that to be a savage. Instead we gossip about people we hate to get them fired, or ostracize someone from a group without even considering how much hatred we have for the other person. We just live in a cleaner environment. Everyone is a savage in his heart without Christ.
This is a great book. It is an unbelievable true story. I wish I was there to actually see the people and the places. The author, as a child, lives with the very same tribe that killed his father. He ends up having a love for these people anyway. How the tribe became "God followers " is unclear, but they did. It changed their lives and it changed their tribe for the better. I want to read more about this relationship.
It has probably been twenty or so years since I first read "Jungle Pilot," the life story of Nate Saint, and I remember being disappointed that his death, and those of his fellow missionaries, were never fully explained. Thus, I was quite interested when a friend (who has actually met the Saint family) gave me a copy of this book.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this riveting, "rest-of-the-story" account, especially the part where the truth came out about the real reason the five missionaries were killed. Even though their deaths seemed so pointless and wasteful at the time, we see through Steve Saint's eyes how God brought beauty out of the ashes of that horrible tragedy. Not only did their martyrdom directly result in the salvation of many of the Waodani, but indirectly, through the lives of missionaries inspired by the story, it has been used to bring many thousands more to faith in Christ. It's a good reminder that the "unsolved mysteries" of our own lives are perfectly clear to our Heavenly Father, who is even now working them for our good and for His glory.
I do feel the need to sound one cautionary note, which is also the reason this is only a four-star review. Having been basically raised in the jungle, among people whose lifestyle is still quite primitive, Steve Saint has what I would call a very "native" outlook on issues of modesty, taste, and circumspection in writing. I realize readers will have widely divergent perspectives on this matter, but I felt there were times when I was getting "too much information," especially regarding the pre-Christian culture and practices of the Waodani. (There were a few parts that I actually skimmed, in order to avoid some of this material.)
In summary, I would be happy to recommend this book to mature Christians, who won't object to the rather frank and earthy style of the author.
This book was soooo good! 100% recommend it to everyone. You will both laugh and cry. There are so many good stories - both of heartbreak and tragedy and of healing and restoration. Steve knows how to write in a way that moves you! His humor is spot on an there are so many stories to laugh over! His heart for the Waodani people clearly shines through. They're not a missionary project. They are his family. This book definitely made me think about some of the ways we do mission work and it just made me praise God for the way He works in this world. This is an amazing story!!
If you read the January 30, 1956 edition of Life magazine, this 2005 release by Steve Saint will cover very familiar territory for you. Nearly a half century following that Life cover story, Saint revisits the savage murder of his pilot-missionary father and four of his co-workers. In addition to retelling the story of the spearing and butchering of those five men, Saint sets the record straight as to the identity of his father’s executioners. He notes that the Ecuadorean head hunters should be called the Waodani, not Aucas, a derogatory term that means “naked savage.” Actually, as Saint explains, a neighboring tribe, the Quechuas first called the Waodani “Aucas,” a term they used in a demeaning way to question their historical enemy’s humanity.
There’ve been a number of books published about the mid-fifties massacre of jungle pilot Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming and Roger Youderian at Palm Beach, a sandbar on the Ewenguno River. Here, Saint’s oldest son explores how and why his father and the other four men were martyred. The author then begins to unpack the incredible, supernatural story of how he came to deeply love his father’s killers and adopted a number of them as members of his own family.
“End of the Spear” also explains why Saint chose decades later to give up a successful business career to return to the jungle to live with the once-savage headhunting tribe. A spoiler alert here: I didn’t see a couple of “plot twists” coming. I wasn’t expecting the extreme brevity of the Saint’s return to jungle life nor did I foresee the shocking loss of Steve and Ginny Saint’s only daughter. If you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people, this book may leave you with more questions than answers.
Everand 8 hours 35 min. Narrated by Todd Busteed(5)
If you are familiar with Through Gates of Splendor and Jungle Pilot, then you need to read this autobiography by Nate Saint's son. Steve Saint is a gifted storyteller, and he has a truly unique relationship with the Waodani tribe in Ecuador. In one chapter, I found myself rolling in laughter, and in the next, I was in tears.
Son of missionary Nate Saint and nephew of missionary Rachel Saint, Steve reveals his great love for the "Aucas" who speared to death his father and four other young missionary men in 1956. Unless you have experienced the change God can make in your own life, you may be skeptical that a man can forgive someone who has murdered your father. Mincaye, one of the Waodani men who had killed Steve's father, came to know the God of the Bible and became a surrogate father to Steve and later baptized him and his sister Kathy in the same part of the river where their own father had been slain.
As an adult, Steve, his wife Jinny, and their four children return to Ecuador to build a landing field and to train the people of Waodani "to do for themselves" so they could be more self-reliant.
Steve Saint later founded ITEC to develop technology that would equip indigenous people to be well-equipped God-followers.
Another great book about the continuing story of the five missionaries speared to death in the Ecuadorean jungle. This book is written by the son of one of the martyred men. After his father was murdered when he was 5, his aunt, mother, brother, sister and him go to live with this once murderous tribe who become strong God-followers shortly after their attack. They become as close and dear as family to Steve, the son, and he grows up there and is eventually baptized by two of the very men who killed his father. After he moves back to North America and makes a life and family there, the tribe asks him to come back and bring his family to live with them again.
It's an incredible story of forgiveness and the tremendous power of God to change lives. It is deeply moving and hugely inspiring and just remarkable.
Amazing read on how a person can be so forgiving despite what's being done to their loved ones. Nate Saint, one of the 5 missionaries who were being savagely killed in Ecuador in 1956; and his sister Rachel still went back to the tribe, befriended them and stayed there till a ripe old age, died and requested to bury there with his jungle family, at the same place her beloved bro Nate was killed and buried with the other 4 missionary friends. She came to love her Waodani family like her own, same as Steve (Nate's son) & his family who didn't want to leave. Also a heart-wrenching read about what really happened on that fateful day.
I've read this book many times, starting when I was eleven years old. It is beautiful, heartbreaking story. My dad, who never cries, actually broke down reading it. I would definitely recommend it.
Wow! This story continues to amaze me. After reading Through Gates of Splendor, I was in search for more of the story. This book, written by Nate Saints son, not only relays the original tragic story, but goes into great detail of his and his family’s experiences after the attacks. They didn’t run away from the people that killed their family, they shared the gospel and lead them to follow Jesus’s way. This is a must read, I’ll leave it at that.
“This isn’t the end of the story. As long as there are players willing to accept their parts and a Master to write the script, it will go on. After all, life is a story. It just happens that Mincaye’s [One of the men who killed his father] and my chapter included the end of the spear.”
This is a very powerful and moving autobiography, written by the son of one of the five missionaries who were savagely killed by the Auca's of Ecuador in the mid 1950's when they were making their initial face-to-face contact after exchanging gifts from a bucket lowered from the missionary plane for some time. The Auca's were at one time considered the most savage natives in the world, living an almost stone age-like life.
Steve Saint was only 5 years old when his father was killed, but his family returned to live with the Auca's for most of his childhood, and HE later returned with HIS family to live with the tribe as a middle-aged adult.
The men who killed the missionaries and others) became "God followers;" they were converted to follow "God's Trail", ceased spearing their enemies, and the man who speared Steve's father (Mincaye) adopted Steve and his siblings, and later his wife and children into their tribe. He felt responsible to help raise Steve as a father figure, and became a beloved grandfather to Steve's children.
After their conversion, they did not want to be called by the derogatory name Auca ( naked savage), preferring instead to be called by their language, Waorani.
When Steve grew up he left the Ecuadorian jungle and returned to the US to go to college, married, raised a family and was a successful businessman, but made trips back to the jungle now and then. On one of the visits for a funeral for Aunt Rachel, known to the tribe as Star, beloved by the Waorani, they asked Steve to return in her place with his family, which he did in the mid 1990's. Living in the jungle with his family, mostly living as the natives did, was a coming of age time for Steve, even though he was in his 50's by now.
Steve and his wife, Ginny, showed their true love for these people when they realized it was time for them to leave because the natives were too dependent upon them. The preparation for leaving and the things that happened after they left are the real meat of the story-- Steve's realization that his Dad and co-laborers had not died in vain, that their mission HAD been accomplished through Steve and his family. Their death was like throwing a pebble in a lake. The ripples from their death spread around the world. Their willingness to follow God's plan touched thousands and thousands of lives.
Wonderful, wonderful read. A very good follow-up companion to "Through the Gates of Splendor". I believe it is really is a necessary read to see truely how God was working through what on the surface is a real trajedy. It also shows that just because one does God's work on earth, they are not immune to trajedy....aka being a true Chrisitian does not make one immune to often unexplainable loss and hardship. While it's a serious book, I was in tears laughing when he brought the older Indian who had killed his father to the US because he did not understand our language or customs and attempted to use the jungle customs he knew in our culture...comedy ensued.
This is an incredible story. When five American missionaries were killed by Auca warriors in 1956, it may have seemed like a senseless loss of life, but God had a plan. A vivid account of the efforts of these five missionaries to reach the Waodani, or Auca tribe in Ecuador with the gospel, this first-hand account from the son of one of the missionaries provides never-before revealed details, personal stories, heart-breaking moments, but also moments of hope, faith, and redemption. What man meant for evil, God meant for good.
This is one incredible true story. Steve's father was killed by the Waudani tribe in the Amazon jungle in Ecuador. Now years later Steve and his family go to live with the very people that killed his father. By this time some of the Waudani had become God followers and learned to walk God's trail. These people became very dear to the Saint family. This is an amazing account of God's miraculous work.
An amazing true account of how the sacrifice of five men's lives changed a savage people group, and touched the hearts of all who heard about it. Told by Steve Saint, son of one of the men murdered in 1956. Includes photos of Steve and his family with the Waodani people, many of whom have been transformed by the gracious love of Jesus.
I was profoundly affected by the content of this story. There were multiple times I found myself both laughing and crying within a single chapter. I expected the writing to be terrible and was pleasantly surprised that, while it wasn’t poetic, it was actually fairly well-written.
A thought-provoking, honest and incredible story of the Waorani's encounter with the outside world. I find the terms "primitive" and "Stone Age" used to describe Waodani (or more commonly Waorani) offensive. And as a mother of mixed-race children, I found the term "mixed-breed" extremely offensive on a personal level, reducing people to animals. There is a huge mistake in the book, in that Quechua people live in Peru; each time he uses that word, it should be Quichua or Kichwa. It's quite an oversight for someone who lived in Ecuador for so long. Also where he writes Atshuar, it should be Achuar. The patriarchy is, at times, palpable and female pespective is very lacking. Do Waorani women have to obey their husbands? How do the Waorani view periods? What childbirth practices are there? How have women adapted to the changes? Is rape common? etc. That said, I did also learn a lot about the Waorani and things I never understood before now make sense, e.g. why the Waorani ask for so many things from tourists visiting their communities- gas tanks, money, watches etc. And I enjoyed the Waorani words and grammar that were skilfully woven into the narrative.
This was my favorite read of the year. The true story was well-told and it had me alternately laughing, weeping, and praying. I read several pages out loud to my kids because the stories they told were either hilarious or faith-building. I’m amazed at how God worked in and through this family. I especially appreciated the author’s intentionality about helping the Waorani without hurting their tribe or causing them to become more dependent on handouts. The modern short-term missions movement could really learn a few things from this book.
I borrowed this book from the library, but if I ever stumble across it for sale, I’ll be adding it to my library so I can re-read it.
This is a familiar story to many, or at least part of it. This book is much more than the story of the five missionaries murdered by the Waodani natives in Ecuador. The book tells that story, but mostly as a way of telling Steve Saint's own story with the Waodani.
It is a remarkable tale, and worth reading to see how God worked what had been meant for evil, for good, and for his own glory.
A great message of how God works for good what others meant for evil. While discussing one difficult circumstance in his life, Steve said: "I did not want to ask God for what I desperately wanted in the short run, only to find it had cost us what God wanted for us in the long run."
Captivating book! After reading Through Gates of Splendor many years ago, this answered some of my questions about the "Auca" Waodani people I knew very little about and what happened to the 5 missionaries that were killed. Steve Saint made the stories he shared come alive and I could picture myself living right there in the jungle with him and his family. The testimonies of the Waodani God followers will forever be engrained in my heart and mind. I will say the last chapter or so caught me off-guard in a sad way. Very highly recommend reading this book!
A great story to remind me that there is more going on in this big world than me and my problems. There were some parts where I wish he had been more obvious that what was going on was God working but he redeemed that at the end. Only God could’ve written such a wild story!
I recommend this book very much. I love how this explains what happens after the movie. I have always been interested in knowing about indigenous people groups. So to read that the Waodoni people want to be independent from the government and not have to depend on others for their survival makes me happy. I am glad that they are in charge of what happens to them.
I've known the story of the 5 missionaries killed in Ecuador since I was a child. This book, by Nate Saint's son, tells about his relationship with the Waodani tribe. The man who had speared his father became like a father to him and a grandfather to his children. The book explains how he and his family moved to the jungle for a time to help the Waodani become more self sufficient. What a fantastic story of God's grace- this book made me laugh and cry!