"monstrous" woman of the week ~ Elizabeth Elliot

Welcome to the second in a series of biographical sketches that I plan to publish on Fridays.

These entries will briefly tell about women I believe have done many things to further the cause of Christ in America, and some even around the world, and have maintained a godly femininity while doing so. They will be women whose choices in life have also disqualified them from being given the godly woman status in some of today’s hyper-patriarchal circles, though the hypocrisy certainly has escaped some of these list keepers! Grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy! Oh, and feel free to emulate.

This week's "monstrous woman" is missionary and exemplary Titus two woman, Elizabeth Elliot. Elisabeth Elliot was born in Brussels, Belgium, where her parents served as missionaries. She graduated from Wheaton College and later went to Ecuador as a missionary. In 1953 she married a former classmate, Jim Elliot. Together they worked on translating the New Testament into the language of the Quichua Indians. Their daughter, Valerie, was born in 1955. Ten months later, Jim was killed by the Auca Indians while attempting to take the Gospel to that primitive tribe. Elisabeth continued her work among the Quichuas and later lived and worked among the Aucas.

She returned to the United States and remarried. Her second husband, Addison Leitch, a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, died of cancer in 1973. Today, she lives north of Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband, Lars Gren. She has one daughter and eight grandchildren.

Elisabeth is the author of a number of books, including Shadow of the Almighty, Passion and Purity, A Path Through Suffering, The Shaping of a Christian Family, and Keep a Quiet Heart. For many years she hosted the radio program Gateway To Joy.

Most recently, a documentary, Beyond the Gates of Splendor, has been released about Elizabeth's heroic ministry in Equador to the same tribe who murdered her husband. It will be followed by another film, End of the Spear, also based on their lives, that will be theaters in January, bringing the good news of the Gospel to those in our culture who so desperately need to hear it. Elizabeth Elliot is a role model for any young lady and a picture of God's providence in using her unique gifts and abilities as a woman for His glory!