Steve Saint, Mincaye, and the Redemptive Power of the Gospel

By Randy Alcorn

January 7, 2013

Mincaye and Steve Saint In a post last June, I shared a video about Steve Saint, son of one of the five missionaries who were murdered in Ecuador in 1956. Steve, who is founder of ITEC (Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center) was seriously injured while testing a design for ITEC.

Some of you may have wondered how Steve was doing in his recovery. I want to share with you a very touching 8.5 minute video, titled “‘Nanicabo’ (Family).” It shows Steve during a recent visit from Mincaye and his wife.

Mincaye is the former warrior who was one of the murderers of Nate Saint and the other missionaries, and who later came to faith in Christ. Several years ago Nanci and I spent an unforgettable day with Steve and Mincaye. I interviewed them in three church services, then spent the afternoon at the home in Portland where Jim Elliot grew up, with members of three of the five families of the murdered missionaries.

If you have time to view the video in the post last summer, shortly after Steve’s serious accident, you will be moved even to see Steve walking in the new video, weak though he may be. Enjoy this remarkable depiction of God’s wondrous grace in the lives of His people from different parts of the world that He has forged into one family:

As I wrote in my previous blog, the story of the five missionaries touched me deeply as a brand new Christian. (And years later, meeting Bert Elliot, Jim Elliot’s brother, also had a profound impact on me.) I’d like to close this blog with a 3-minute clip from an interview I did with Steve Saint and Mincaye at my home church in 2005. Steve shared a touching story related to his dad’s and the other missionaries’ deaths:

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Revelation 5:9).

Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of over sixty books and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries.

Topics

Missions

Bert and Colleen Elliot: Two “Average” Followers of Jesus Who Left an Example of Faithfulness

article - Randy Alcorn Randy's blog

Gilbert Gleason writes, “Bert and Colleen serve as the right kind of examples for ‘average’ followers of Jesus, proving that, for most of us, substantial, supernatural impact is achieved through simple daily faithfulness, listening to Jesus and loving people in His name.”

Mincaye Is Now with Jesus

article - Randy Alcorn Randy's blog

When I became a Christian at age fifteen one of the first stories I read was about the five missionary martyrs. As it did hundreds of thousands of others, this story inspired me and taught me that there is often a price to pay in order to spread the good news of salvation in Christ. Little did I know that many years later I would connect with the family members of three of those men, as well as one of their killers, now beautifully transformed.

An Update on Mincaye, a Dear Brother and the Former Warrior who Speared to Death Nate Saint and Ed McCully

article - Randy Alcorn Randy's blog

When I was a brand new Christian in 1969 I heard the story of the five missionary martyrs in Ecuador. Some years ago Steve Saint (Nate Saint’s son) and I became friends. He came to my home church and I interviewed him and Mincaye, the former warrior who speared to death both Nate Saint and Ed McCully. Mincaye came to Christ, and for many years now he has been a transformed man.