Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
Week 4: Chapters 4–5 — Making Contact
Read Chapters 4 and 5 of Through Gates of Splendor. Key Scripture: Acts 1:8; Proverbs 3:5-6.
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The men begin the painstaking, creative, and at times almost comical work of making contact with the Huaorani — dropping gifts from Nate's plane, learning phrases, praying over every decision. These chapters show what faithful preparation looks like.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Nate Saint devised a remarkable method of lowering gifts from a circling plane using a long line — what became known as the 'bucket drop.' What does this creative problem-solving reveal about how God uses human ingenuity in his mission?
2.The men spent months in what might feel like frustratingly slow preparation — flying over the Huaorani village, dropping gifts, learning words from Rachel Saint's Huaorani contact Dayuma. Why is this slow, careful work so spiritually significant? What temptations do we face when God's purposes seem to move slowly?
3.The men used a loudspeaker to broadcast Huaorani phrases learned from Dayuma, attempting to communicate peace and friendship across a vast cultural and linguistic gulf. What does this effort tell you about the nature of gospel communication — that it must enter the other person's world, in their own language?
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