"God, I pray thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus" this quote was from a journal entry Jim Elliot wrote in college.
Jim Elliot was born in Portland, Oregon on October 8 1927. He was the third child of four. He had two older brothers, Herbert and Robert, and he had a younger sister named Jane. His father, Fred, was an evangelist. His father couldn't finish school because he had to work. His mother, Clara, finished her studies and opened a chiropractic practice in their home to support the family.
At home missionaries from all over the world would come and stay with them. He liked to hear their stories of far away lands and peoples. He had a happy childhood. As a boy he enjoyed sledding on the mountainside for excitement. His parents encouraged them to grow fruits and vegetables. They also taught their children to get along with animals. They encouraged their children to have hobbies as well. Jim liked to collect stamps, read, and make models. Although Jim's father was an evangelist he wasn't strict or overbearing with his children. He would read the bible to them every day and pray for them. When Jim was 6 he told his mother that he was saved after a meeting. He spoke of his relationship with God very naturally to his family and friends.
At the age of 14 he switched high schools and attended Benson Polytechnic High School. He decided to take architectural drawing as his main subject. He had an artistic flair and enjoyed different shapes and colors. At school he was very active in extra circular activities. He wrote editorials for the school newspaper. He participated in the School Theater by taking many lead roles in dramatic productions. His drama teacher was so impressed by his acting ability that she subjected he should go into the theater for his career. He also belonged to the public speaking club.
In high school he would carry a small bible with his other schoolbooks. At lunch he always said grace before eating in the school cafeteria. He began to preach at this time. When the war broke out he thought about it carefully and decided that he would be a conscience objector. It was not an easy decision because patriotism was very high in the country at that time. When the school dance came around he decided not to buy a ticket to it reasoning " I am in the world, but not of it." Although he made some unpopular decisions he was nonetheless elected vice president of his senior class.
In order to make money Jim and his brother Bert would work odd jobs after school. Sometimes instead of going home from school he and his friends would take supplies and go camping in the Oregon countryside. His father didn't mind him camping with his friends, but just insisted that he didn't miss church on Sunday. Jim loved the outdoors. He took long hikes, canoeing, and often went camping with his friends.
In 1945 Jim graduated from high school and decided to attend Wheaton College in Illinois. He would live about 2000 miles from home and money would be tight. He had to support himself through odd jobs, his friends help and scholarship money. When he wanted to visit home for the holidays it wasn't easy getting home. He couldn't fly because flying was a luxury and way too expensive. Sometimes he didn't even have enough money to take the train home so he would have to hitch hike.
In 1948 he started keeping a journal of his daily thoughts and meditations. One of his most famous quotes is "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot keep" At college he dedicated himself to his Christian commitments. He majored in Greek because he thought this would be helpful on the mission field when he would have to translate the bible into another language. Although his parents wanted him to stay in America and preach he decided to go overseas because he felt that was the greatest need. In order to keep his body strong for the demands of the mission field he joined the wrestling team at school.
In the summer of 1947 he and a friend hitchhiked down to Mexico, to stay with his friends parents who were missionaries there. He spent six weeks there, and begun to study Spanish. He wrote a letter to his parents saying in it "Mexico has stolen my heart" and "Missionaries are very human folks, simply a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt somebody." Pg 29
He liked college but sometimes he thought he was wasting time there when he could be out on the mission field. But despite this feeling he did his best at college. He had a routine of studying prayer life, bible study, physical exercise that left very little leisure time. It was at this time that he met his future wife, Elizabeth. They liked each other but they decided not to get serious or think of marriage until God gave them the sign to marry. For now Jim and Elizabeth decided that they would put God's priorities first before they're own relationship. It would be another 5 years before they would get married on the mission field in Ecuador.
Jim enjoyed going home for the holidays and participating in all the festivities. But Christmas 1948 he wrote his parents and told them that he wouldn't be coming home for Christmas because he would attend the Student Missionary Convention at Illinois University. It was here that he felt called to be a missionary to South American jungles to work with the tribal community there. He wrote Elizabeth saying " I am quite at ease about saying that tribal work in the South American jungle is the general direction of my missionary purpose." Pg41
Toward the end of his college career he wrote in his journal that he had felt a "renaissance" He said he created a false barrier between the more spiritual students like those part of the Foreign missions group and the less spiritual like those who were more interested in sports. This allowed him to take part in more activities then he usually would have. For instance he dressed in a Victorian costume and sang funny songs at the wrestling banquet. He went on outings and other activities with many students. He mentioned this in his journal saying "The Lord has freed me from many things-good consecrated attitudes, priggish little laws whereby I used to govern my conduct...I experience new fellowship, new freedom, new enjoyment," he also acknowledged "I love to be with a gang. Fellowship with the gang is enticing fun." pg 42
In the spring of 1949 Jim graduated with honors from Wheaton College. His parents drove out to see his graduation. His older brother Herbert had already gone out into the mission field with his wife in the high Andes Mountains of Peru. Jim didn't have a practical, long-term plan for his life at this point except that he wanted to serve overseas as a missionary in South America. He wrote in his journal "I feel that three month's building would prepare me more for the mission field than another three months in the books." pg. 45 He was going to help his brother Robert build a house for him and his wife.
At home from college he had a lot of free time which was totally different then the busy days he spent at college. He couldn't work on his brother's house because of local zoning issues that came up. He didn't have a way to actualize his vision of being a missionary in South America yet. At home he filled his time with reading biographies of other missionaries, secular books, bible study. He especially liked to read Amy Carmical's biography. He empathized with her. He did odd jobs, and he was a substitute teacher at a Christian school. In January of '50 he was accepted at Camp Wycliffe for the summer to study Linguistics, in order to help break down native language into written symbols. The course lasted 10 weeks. There he met a man who worked with the Quichuas of Ecuador, and he told him about the Auca Indians who lived there also. He told him there was an abandoned mission station there and was available for use. Jim was fascinated and prayed earnestly for 10 days to see if this was God's mission for him. He wrote in his journal " I dare not stay home while Quichuas perish."
Jim prepared to make arrangement to go to Ecuador. In 1951 he traveled through the East Coast talking to fellowships of his church about the unreached tribes on South America. He applied for a visa, and he sought another co-worker's to go with him. time he met 10 days with Dr. Tidmarsh whose family was serving the Quichia Indians. The Quichia Indians are the largest population group. He confirmed his mission to Ecuador through this meeting. In October of '52 he met with Elizabeth and she would be going to Ecuador for mission
