Jungle Pilot

If God would grant us the vision, the word “sacrifice” would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that seem now so dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short, we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ.

You’ve doubtless heard of Jim Elliot and the fatal mission to the Auca Indians. But what about the man responsible for getting them there? Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt is the stirring biography of Nate Saint, pilot of the Operation Auca team. It tells the life story of a man who used his many talents not for fame, but in the service of God.

The Eagle’s Nest

Nate Saint grew up in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia. The Saint household was strict and always focused on Christ. On Sundays, they were in every service, and in the afternoon they read the Bible and took turns praying. And of course, they were at the Wednesday night service too.

Sundays were a day of rest for the Saints. The children weren’t allowed to play baseball or wrestle in the yard, but they could toss a ball around or go on long hikes.

Outside the special Sunday rules the children were permitted to do almost anything they pleased. No one panicked when an either-year-old boy shinnied up to the peak of the barn roof, or was found studying the gears at the top of the windmill. On warm summer evenings the dinner bell often called the boys and Rachel from the top branches of the tallest tree.

Seven-year-old Nate would experience something that changed his life forever. His older brother, Sam, took him for a ride in an airplane. Then, when he was ten, Sam let him fly the plane. This marked a turning point in Nate’s life, for from then on airplanes was his obsession. One later acquittance of his said, “Table conversation was full of airplanes. I wearied of nuts and bolts for dinner.”

Nate also showed significant ingenuity in understanding how things worked. Once he took apart the family car and, to the relief of everyone, including Nate, managed to rebuild it to work almost as well as it did before.

These childhood years sculpted Nate into the Godly, determined individual he became. It laid the foundation for so many hard times still to come.

Getting Wings

As his life went on, Nate became more and more determined to become a pilot. When he was nineteen he renounced his draft-free status and joined the Army. However, the scars of a childhood osteomyelitis attack limited his service.

Even in the Army, Nate kept his focus on spiritual things. Many a soldier heard of salvation from Nate, and most of those got saved. As he traveled around from base to base, he made many friends, some already Christians and some soon to become so with Nate’s influence.

Soon, though, his faith in God would be tested like never before. As he got in bed one night, he noticed the scars from his osteomyelitis reddening. He climbed in bed with a broken heart, for this meant only one thing—his dreams of being an Army pilot were over.

As a powerful testament to his faith in God, Nate, after some understandable grieving, wrote this at the bottom of his diary page: “May His will be done.”

It was some weeks before he officially left the Army, and after that, he became an engine mechanic for the military. It was during this time he would finally see his true calling. A few cascading events introduced Nate Saint to the newly developed field of missionary aviation.

To Ecuador

Plenty of adventures were still to be had by Nate before he left for Ecuador, but for sake of space I’ll skip them in this review. During this time he built up experience as a pilot, went to college, and met his soon-to-be-wife, Marj.

In Ecuador, the little Piper airplane became the lifeblood of the missionary effort. Tribes deep in the jungle that would take days to reach by foot could be flown to in a matter of hours. The Gospel flourished in the country like it never could before.

A good half of the book tells story after story of how Nate’s plane rescued a dying Indian chief, of brought medicine to an infected village, or transported a missionary to a remote location. Adventure and service filled every hour of his schedule. For years he thrived in the thing God had made him for all along—flying planes and sharing the Gospel.

Eventually, these things would culminate in the mission to the Aucas, an account that needs no repeating here. Through bitter disappointment and peril of his life, Nate was faithful to the end.

In Conclusion

This story is an amazing example of someone who was greatly gifted, and yet used his talents for God. The piloting expertise Nate bore could have easily been used in the commercial world to bring him a stable income—and it wouldn’t have been wrong, his brother did this same thing—but instead, he followed God’s leading and poured his entire life into the Gospel.

His mechanical mind made constant improvements to his plane in pursuit of safety and efficiency, some seeing widespread use today.

Nate’s way with words is impressive too. It may be merely a result of the time’s higher education, I found his diary entries and letters full of his unique and interesting voice.

Overall, Jungle Pilot inspired me to live fully for God regardless of what He gives me. But it also was an encouragement that God uses people’s natural desires in His plan for them.

And as always, thanks for reading, and I’ll write you in the next one!