Many esteem Elisabeth Elliot as the most influential Christian woman of the 20th century. She was writing and speaking at a time when many Evangelical Christian women were not yet doing so. She’s had a profound impact on generations of Christian women through the stories of her experiences and deep trust in Jesus.

The recipient of Elisabeth’s deepest love and husband, Jim Elliot, was killed by a dangerous tribe in Ecuador while he and Elisabeth were there as missionaries. Many of us when faced with that situation would leave the country as quickly as possible. Elisabeth, on the other hand, went to continue ministry to the very tribe that killed her husband. After meeting two of the women from that tribe, she went to live with them and minister to their people for two years. After that time, she returned to another tribe before eventually returning to America.

After that, she wrote books and spoke about them and her experiences around the country. She lived a life of great inspiration in the work of the Gospel to many, and went to be with Jesus in 2015.

Being a missionary is hard enough, but to not only continue your work without your husband and a 10-month-old baby to care for, but to minister to the very people that killed him, takes more courage than I could ever fathom. She truly had an unshakeable faith in Christ and desire for the spread of the Gospel beyond any earthly fear. She is an amazing example of a life lived for Christ in every moment.

Here are a few quotes by this amazing woman:

“The will of God is never quite what you expect it to be. It may see to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.”

“Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.”

“There’s nothing worth living for unless it’s worth dying for.”

”When you don’t know what to do next, just do the thing in front of you.”

“Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.”

(Biographical information accessed at http://www.elisabethelliot.org.)