Her absence continues to tug at my heart, my emotions, and my needs. What I would give to be able to discuss my current challenges with her!
If only she and I could return to that evening in Bavaria over wiener schnitzel, apfelstrudel, and coffee when our hearts first bonded. If only we could still be sitting comfortably around our dinner table in Germany with my children asking her questions about jungle life. If only as two couples—she and Lars with Larry and me—we could sit beside the Danube in Budapest, enjoying ice cream, and meander like the river itself in a slow movement of easy conversation. If only.
But we can’t; alas, we can’t. She is gone, and June 15th marks her Homegoing.
Therefore, Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, Ellen Vaughn’s authorized biography of Elisabeth’s early years is a soul-nourishing, sweet treasure to me. Destined to be a classic, this volume is rich with research beyond belief and offers summer reading at its best.
I never knew that Jim Elliot was nearly killed by a train in Wheaton, Illinois. Nor did I know that only a rolled shirt sleeve prevented his death from the fangs of a deadly viper while on a jungle trek. Details like these fill the pages with this new release.
Relationships receive primary attention in this work. Ellen Vaughn vividly describes “Betty’s” association with her mother and the family dynamics in the home where she grew up. As well, she articulates the painful challenges Elisabeth encountered upon visiting Jim Elliot’s Oregon family for the first time. Deeper into the book, the writer opens the door to the ongoing challenges Elisabeth encountered, as a young widow, with a coworker.
From these pages, I learned that the mission to the Waodani—the mission that ended in the violent deaths of five missionaries—was, in fact, a secret mission. “The event that some say galvanized the Christian movement for the second half of the twentieth century took less than fifteen minutes. Days later, the search and recovery party found the carnage . . .” (Ellen Vaughn).
Forever, I will be grateful for the woman, as Vaughn describes, “a critical thinker who wasn’t afraid to ask real questions . . .” This is the wife, mother, and missionary who said, “Obviously, God has chosen to leave certain questions unanswered and certain problems without any solution in this life, in order that in our very struggle to answer and solve we may be shoved back, and back, and eternally back to the contemplation of Himself, and to complete trust in Who He is. I’m glad He’s my Father.”
For your summer reading, without hesitation, I recommend Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
Be sure to offer your recommendations for summer reading so that we can all benefit. And, by way of suggestion, I think this book would make a rich contribution to a book club in the fall.
