Through Gates of Splendor DVD

Through Gates of Splendor

Follow the amazing story of Elizabeth Eliot, the woman who chose to forgive the people and travel to the location where her husband had been killed years earlier in this tale of a missionary wife and her outreach to the Aucas. Made popular by movies and accounts, the story of Nate Saint, Jim Eliot, and others' outreach to the Aucas is a story that is known and remembered by many for being a truly amazing tale of a group of missionaries that came together to forgive those that had taken the lives of many family members. It has become known as one of the most well known and thrilling missionary stories in our modern time. In the beginning, five missionaries were sent into the Waodani tribe to offer a message of peace, hope, and love. These men, unfortunately, we not greeted with the same friendship and they were heartlessly murdered by the men of the tribe. Elisabeth Elliot, who was the wife of Jim Elliot, one of the martyrs in the original five, chose not to give up or let the Aucas remain in their lost lives. She understood that even though they had done horrible things to her and her family, they still didn't know Christ, and this was something that needed to be remedied. She couldn't turn a blind eye just because they had hurt her; they still needed Christ in their lives. So, she, along with her daughter Rachel Saint chose to live among the people and help teach the Gospel to the Aucas. Follow this incredible true story in Through Gates of Splendor, the amazing story of women who chose to not be driven by hate and revenge, but by love.

Based on the Book

Through Gates of Splendor was originally a bestselling book that was written in the year 1957. Interestingly enough, it was written by Elizabeth Elliot herself, the widow of Jim Elliot. In this book, she tells the story of their mission to the Auca people in Ecuador. She begins by explaining the mission of Operation Auca, the original journey of the five men into the Auca land to try and bring them to Christ. This crew involved Pete Fleming, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian. Sadly, none of these men survived, as all of them were killed while trying to bring the gospel message to these people. This is the very first book to be written by Elizabeth Elliot and is well-known as a classic and well-known version of the true events that happened.

The book Through Gates of Splendor was written while Eliot was still in Ecuador serving as a missionary to the people of Auca. The original copy of the book was actually written a year before they were able to make peaceful contact with the Huaorani tribe. So at this time, Elizabeth didn't know if they would ever be able to make peace with these people. But she chose to write the book anyway, after being encouraged by the five families to come together and remember everything these five men had done. She was able to compile a number of documents, writings, quotes, and letters to quote and write about in her book.

The Movie

10 years after the release of her book, the story of Operation Auca was well known and so it was decided that a documentary would be made that continued the story and could reach a new audience with this incredible story of men who did everything they could to bring the Gospel message to the people in Auca. The film was well received and contains 40 minutes of powerful footage, capturing interviews with the families, dramatic retellings of the story, and even several instances of footage shot by Nate Saint himself at the beach where they landed. The film was even narrated by Elisabeth Elliot, the widow who had been in the midst of it all and could attest to everything that was being told. Through Gates of Splendor is a powerful documentary narrating the life of these men and showing how the families were able to come together after the fact and continue to work to bring the Gospel message to the people there.

A Powerful Message of Forgiveness

Through Gates of Splendor tells a powerful story of forgiveness. If this film were a fictitious story and was being produced by Hollywood, it's possible it would have an entirely different message or plot. Once the men were killed, it would have been very easy for the families to come together for vengeance. More than anything, they would most likely desire to kill whoever it was that killed their fathers and husbands. Revenge is a bitter thing, but it's incredibly prevalent in our culture. Some would even say that these families had every right to try and seek revenge -- their family members had been brutally and unfairly killed. Shouldn't they deserve to die? But rather, the families chose to do exactly what God calls us to do. They didn't seek vengeance. They wanted to forgive. They wanted to be able to communicate with these people and tell them that they forgave them for everything they did. More than anything, they wanted these people to know that Jesus loves them and that they need him in their lives. Through Gates of Splendor tells this powerful true story and it's an important wake up call for us. What would we do in this situation? If somebody killed a loved one, how would we respond? Would we respond in kind or in anger?

If you enjoyed films like End of the Spear, or maybe you've read the account of Nate Saint or Jim Elliot before, you'll really enjoy Through Gates of Splendor. It's a powerful film with a redeeming message of hope and forgiveness. It's inspiring and encouraging. We can do the same, we can show love to our enemies. Look at the lives of Elisabeth Elliot and the others that chose to forgive instead of hate. This film feels authentic and the narration by Elisabeth Elliot helps to bring this film to life as the true account of these people who gave their lives to share the gospel.