Evidence of Genuine Faith

Evidence of Steve Saint’s genuine faith can be seen throughout many incidents in his life such as his decision to consider trials a joy, his faith that was shown through his actions, and his willingness to understand and follow the will of God.   

–Trials: His father’s death and his daughter’s death.

James 1:2-3: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

-“Doer vs. Hearer”: Steve Saint’s return to the Waodani tribe (along with his family), proved that he was a doer of God’s word. He went back to help the people of the tribe become more independent and to provide them with medical, dental, and other resourceful programs.

James 1:27, it says “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble…”

James 1: 22 says to Christians, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

–Will of God: Through all his trials, Steve Saint came to the conclusion that it was God’s plan for his father’s death as well as his daughter’s death. This acceptance was a pivotal point in his life in becoming a true believer with genuine faith.

James 4:15 teaches, “…you ought to say, “If it is the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

2010
05/12
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The Spearing of His Father

Here’s a clip of the death scene of Steve Saint’s father; one of the major trials he faced at such a young age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9rXISqwEKM

2010
05/12
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The Will of God

A clip on Steve Saint’s “conclusion” that the death of his father and missionary friends was all part of God’s plan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma_RcBDlPZA

2010
05/12
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Baptized by Killers

Hey, everyone!

From End of the Spear, we found something that we thought was insightful. Read this:

‘The next day was God’s day. This was going to be a special one. Shaun, Jesse, and Stephenie has asked to be baptized before we left Nemompade. The three men who baptized Dad into death and then baptized me as a symbol of Life more than thirty years ago were in Nemompade for the elders’ meeting. I asked them to help baptize my children like they had once done for me”.

Steve Saint not only interacted with the Waodani tribe, but he and his children were baptized by them. It wasn’t just any Waodani people; it was specifically the people who killed the missionaries and his father. They didn’t offer; it was Steve himself who personally asked those who killed his father to baptize his children. This is one of the proof that shows his genuine faith. He could have asked anyone to baptize his children, but instead, he chose to ask the killers. Only God can allow such relationship and true forgiveness to occur in a person’s life. Without the forgiveness of God, we can’t fully forgive someone who did wrong without harbouring a tiny piece of a grudge hanging in our hearts. Nor could we let go of the feelings of being hurt or angered by someone even though we “claim” that we have forgiven them. Steve Saint proved that he truly did forgive them of their deeds by asking those who took part in spearing the missionaries to baptize his children.

Do you have any harboured feelings of hate, anger, or bitterness in your heart even though you have “forgiven” that person?

2010
05/05
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The Transformation of the Waodani Tribe

Hey people!

So in this post, we thought that we should explain about the Waodani tribe a bit more in detail. So, basically, these people complete savages – not only would they kill foreigners, they would even murder their own people. This was very significant, considering the fact that the homicide rate is one of the highest in all of the world. You are probably thinking this question: Was there any hope of them changing their ways? Through human strength, the mission would be impossible; however, with the help of God, ANYTHING is possible ! God sent the missionaries to get the message of Christ across the tribe. Although their lives were ended shortly after, their efforts did not go in vain. Through God’s guiding hand, the Waodani were able to convert to Christianity and turn from their ways. Here’s a little passage from the book that shows Christ in their lives:

“Temenata stood to address the crowd, which by now included other folks from other villages. he began by talking about  the villages where there were no God followers to teach the people how to walk His trail. These villages – such as Dicado, Cacatado, and Bameno – were far downriver and would take days or even weeks to reach by trail. These and other villages had asked the God followers to come teach them, but no one had gone yet”.

How amazing is this? These people who were savages and would kill anyone at any given time now wants to spread the gospel to other village people and have them learn about Christ and what He did for us. This kind of miracle couldn’t be coincidential or a “lucky break”. This is the work of God only. No savage tribe would just turn away from their ways through some other person or religion; only God has the power to convert people to Christianity and allow them to see the truth. These people were passionate about God and wanted His good news to spread to other villages. You cannot simply be ignorant of this astonishing transformation and turn a blind eye to it. 

How has God changed your life throughout your spiritual journey with Him?

2010
05/05
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Sneak Peek of Steve Saint pt. 2

Hey guys!

So far, we talked about the Waodani tribe, his father’s death, and his daughter’s death. Recently, we read in this book called End of the Spear where it talks about the life of Steve Saint. This book is really fascinating because it talks about Steve’s life, the missionary that his father had set his heart upon, and the Waodani tribe. When Steve was a young boy, he looked up to his father and centered his whole life and ambitions on him. When his mother told him about his father’s death, his whole world came crashing down. What we found to be truly amazing is Steve adopting Mincaye into his family, the man who killed his father. Not only did he forgive Mincaye wholeheartedly, Mincaye became a huge part of Steve’s life! Here’s an excerpt from the book regarding how he feels :

“As soon as I asked who had finished killing dad, I regretted asking. I had only been worried that I might not be able to handle the answer, but now it occurred to me that whoever it was might not be able to deal with having me know. No one answered my question, but everyone looked at Mincaye. The most agonizing look I had ever seen crossed on his dear handsome face. Now I knew. I’m glad I know, but I wish that he didn’t know that I knew. I don’t think I could have loved my own father any more dearly than if have come to love Maemae Mincaye” (Saint, 58).

How amazing is this? Despite the fact he learned with explicit details about the time when the missionaries were speared, he said that he doesnt “think [he] could have loved [his] own father any more dearly than if [he has] come to love Maemae Mincaye”. This truly shows the work of God’s hand in their relationship.

Do you think that you could go beyond just forgiveness against the one who did you wrong?

Here’s a video of Steve’s testimony about his whole life so far! Enjoy~~

2010
05/03
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The Faith of Steve Saint

Hey everyone!

So we’ve been talking about Steve Saint, the Waodani tribe, and the tragic death of his father…but there’s another chapter in Steve Saint’s life we didn’t mention yet: his daughter’s death. When I first read about the tragic and sudden death of his daughter, I thought “That’s not fair”. Who wouldn’t be surprised if he reacted in anger towards God? But what astounds me is the way that Steve Saint reacted. At that moment in time when he was watching his dear little girl slip away, he had the choice to turn away from God completely; but he didn’t.

This is what Steve Saint says in the book “Suffering and the Sovereignty of God”:

“I realized that this was either the time to lose my faith or an opportunity to show the God who gave his only Son to die for my sin that I love and trust him. ”

Although we may not understand why certain things happen, we as Christians have got to take that step in faith and show God that we love and trust him. It’s easy to show we have faith when life is “picture-perfect”, but the true test of faith is when life gets hard.

Are you someone who trusts and loves God even in times of trouble?

 

 

(here’s a picture of Steve and his wife and daughter, Stephenie.)

2010
04/17
CATEGORY
Steve Saint's Difficulties
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Movie – The End of the Spear

The End of the Spear is a movie based on the true story of Steve Saint who lived with the Waodani Tribe. The Waodani tribe was known for killing any foreigners who entered their territories, even murdering those within their own tribe. This movie provides a good understanding of the missionaries who reached out to the tribe, as well as a glimpse into the story of how Steve Saint came to become the man of faith he is today.  For those who are interested in hearing more about Steve Saint’s incredible story, enjoy this video!

2010
04/14
CATEGORY
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“God Planned My Dad’s Death”

Hey guys!

Judy and Ashley here. We just read part of “Suffering and the Sovereignty of God” and came across an interesting passage. Remember in Steve Saint’s bio how the Waodani tribe killed his father? Any typical person would react in anger or hatred towards God and blame him for the suffering they experienced. Here’s a portion of the book that we thought truly helped us to understand the truth behind suffering and the plan that God has for us.

CHECK IT OUT!

“You know what my conclusion is? I don’t think God merely tolerated

my dad’s death. I don’t think he turned away when it was happening. I

think he planned it. Otherwise I don’t think it would have happened.

This was a hard realization for me to come to. I once said that while

speaking at a church, and a man came up afterwards and said, “Don’t

you ever say that again about my God.” Afterward I found these verses

in Acts 2:

“Men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus the Nazarene, a man

attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which

God performed through him in your midst, just as you yourselves

know, you know he was God. You nailed him to a cross, you godless

people. But he was delivered up to you by the predetermined plan of

God.” (vv. 22-23)

Then I thought: Don’t anybody tell me that this can’t be. If God

could plan the death of his own righteous Son, why couldn’t he plan the

death of my dad?”

Do you think his conclusion was made out of faith or do you find this hard to believe?

(please comment :D)

2010
04/13
CATEGORY
Steve Saint's Difficulties
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The Memoirs of Steve Saint

Steve Saint was born on January 30th, 1951, in Ecuador at a Mission hospital where his parents were missionaries. In 1956 when Steve was five years old, he discovered the tragic news that other missionaries and his father Nate Saint were killed by the Waodani tribe when they were trying to spread the gospel to them. By the grace of God, Steve’s Aunt Rachel was somehow accepted into the community of the Waodani until she passed away in 1994. Marj, Steve’s mother, moved to Quito with her three children, where he received his education. During the summers, he would visit his aunt and the Waodani clan. He grew up recognizing the men who had killed his father, but he also came to love them, regard them as family, be baptized by their hands, and be adopted as a son.

He furthered his education in the U.S. and graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois. He returned to Ecuador and met his wife Ginny, who was traveling with a Christian music group from Minnesota. They got married in Ecuador, and Steve started a construction business there. When their first child Shaun was born, they moved to Minnesota. During the next seven years, Steve continued a career in business, and soon, their other children were born—Jaime, Jesse and Stephenie. After his Aunt Rachel passed away, he and his family lived with the Waodani tribe upon their request.

Right now, Steve Saint is still living at the moment, preaching to others and telling his story about the Waodani tribe. It’s amazing to see him love the man who killed his father, and it encourages me to try to love my enemies. Do you think it’s astounding to hear his story or do you consider to be one of those usual stories you hear from other Christians? (Be honest because not everyone would agree.)

2010
04/10
CATEGORY
Steve Saint's Biography
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