A Book Review of Made for the Journey by Elisabeth Elliot, One Missionary's First Year in the Jungles of Ecuador
*I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Revell at Baker Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts below are my own. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links which means I will receive a commission based on sales generated via these links.
"No one has had a greater impact on my spiritual development than Elisabeth Elliot. . . . May her experiences--and her confident conclusion--strengthen you for your journey as they have strengthened mine."--from the foreword by Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church and author of Choose Joy
In this deeply personal account of her first year as a missionary, Elisabeth Elliot shares the challenges she faced as she worked in the jungles of Ecuador to bring the Word of God to a people virtually untouched by the outside world. With fascinating detail, she captures the stark realities of life in the jungle, the difficulties she encountered while developing a written language for the tribe, and her confusion when God didn't "cooperate" with her efforts to accomplish what she believed was His will.
More than just a memoir, Made for the Journey is a beautifully crafted and deeply personal reflection on the important questions of life and a remarkable testimony to authentic Christian obedience to an unfathomable God. - Made for the Journey Synopsis
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★★★★★ | This powerful, insightful glimpse into Elisabeth Elliot’s first year as a missionary in Ecuador is not only heartwarming, but spiritually enlightening as well. Readers will follow along as Elisabeth shares her journey to the jungle, her experiences, her innermost thoughts and feelings and the impressions God laid on her heart in the form of multiple lessons.
In high school, I read about the missionary lives of Elisabeth Elliot and her husband Jim, an evangelical Christian who was one of five missionaries killed by the Huaorani Indians in 1956. While I haven’t yet read Elisabeth’s bestselling book, Through Gates of Splendor, I was familiar with their lives and story.
This book, Made for the Journey, is Elisabeth’s own memoirs of her life before marriage. After she graduates college and follows the Lord’s calling to the jungles of Ecaudor, she shares what life was like as a single female missionary, working and living life with three other missionary women, while completely disconnected from the rest of the world. Elisabeth feels led by the Lord to take up the matter of creating a written language for the Colorado Indians and uses her linguistics knowledge to do so with a help of a bilingual gentleman she meets in the Ecuadorian jungle. Upon his death, she begins to question the reason for her calling to that particular task…
I thoroughly enjoyed her story and found it to be relatable, deeply personal and very touching. Elisabeth did not shy away from sharing the harsh realities she faced or the thoughts she struggled with, but she shares in a tender and peaceful way. As she questioned what she felt was God’s will in her life, true human nature is displayed and I found myself identifying with those thoughts and feelings through hardships in my own life. The way Elisabeth presents the lessons she learned and the truths God revealed to her was concise and soul filling. Indeed, God always takes care of His children, even if we don’t understand the “how” or “why” at the present time. This book is well organized, with each chapter reviewing different aspects of Elisabeth’s first year - sharing about the native people, customs, daily chores and necessities, meals, flora and fauna, animals and creatures she experienced, her work in linguistics and more. I believe Made for the Journey is an excellent educational tool for homeschool teenagers, an inspiring read for any teen or adult and could be used as a discussion guide amongst Sunday school or Bible study classes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) was one of the most perceptive and popular Christian writers of the last century. The author of more than 20 books, including Passion and Purity and The Journals of Jim Elliot, Elliot offered guidance and encouragement to millions of readers worldwide.
Other Books By Elisabeth Elliot:
Lastly, pick up your own copy of Made for the Journey or borrow it from your local library. Then, I'd love to hear YOUR thoughts on the book in the comments below!