Through May and June I read Mission to the Headhunters by Frank and Marie Drown and Through Gates of Splendor (affiliate link) by Elisabeth Elliot. Both tell of missionaries going to Ecuador. Mission to the Headhunters tells of the Drown’s 37 years as missionaries among the Shuar and Atshuar tribes; Through Gates of Splendor tells of the martyrdom of five missionaries (Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Jim Elliot) trying to reach the Aucas. Through Gates of Splendor takes place during the time covered in Mission to the Headhunters and many of the characters are the same. In fact, Drowns worked with "Roj" and Nate, and Frank led the operation to recover the bodies at Palm Beach.

My main thought in pondering these books is about the cost of missions. Jim Elliot’s famous quote "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" is demonstrated in these stories. Both books tell of missionaries who knew the risks of going to the jungle to reach violent tribes. While technology made some parts of life easier for these missionaries, their missions were not easy by any definition. Whether the cost was 37 years and difficulties raising a family in Ecuadorian jungles or five men dying and leaving behind families- the cost of taking the gospel was high.

I hope that pondering the cost of missions encourages you to treasure the value of the gospel more.

Have you been reading missionary biographies? Please share about your experiences in the comments.