Bolivian People Group Massacre Of Five New Tribes Missionaries

In 1943, a team of missionaries from NTM went to Bolivia to seek out people groups who had never heard the gospel and to establish a church among them. They were warned that they wouldn't come back alive but this didn't deter them. Unfortunately, five of the men were killed by the Ayoré people. In a separate incident in 1989, two American missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were killed in La Paz, Bolivia, by members of the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación-Zarate Willka terrorist group.

The missionaries were killed by a group of Waorani warriors

The Waorani people, also known as the Huaorani, were responsible for the deaths of five US missionaries in Ecuador in 1956. The missionaries, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian, were attempting to bring Christianity to the Waorani, who were known for their violence against outsiders. Despite initial friendly exchanges of gifts, the missionaries were ultimately attacked and killed by a group of Waorani warriors.

The Waorani were an isolated tribe occupying the jungle of eastern Ecuador and were known for their violent defence of their territory. They had a history of killing outsiders who encroached on their land, including rubber tappers, Shell Oil Company employees, and lowland Quechua people. They were also prone to internal violence and vengeance killings.

The missionaries, who were part of Operation Auca, began making regular flights over Waorani settlements in September 1955, dropping gifts to establish friendly contact. After several months of gift exchanges, the missionaries established a camp at "Palm Beach" along the Curaray River, close to Waorani settlements. On January 8, 1956, a group of Waorani warriors attacked and speared all five missionaries to death.

The deaths of the missionaries had a significant impact. It galvanised the missionary effort in the United States, sparking increased funding for evangelisation efforts worldwide. Several years later, the widows of two of the missionaries, Elisabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint, returned to Ecuador and lived among the Waorani as missionaries. The story of the missionaries and their deaths has been the subject of several books, films, and photo essays.

The missionaries were attempting to spread Christianity

The missionaries who were killed in Bolivia were attempting to spread Christianity. In 1943, a team of missionaries from the New Tribes Mission (NTM) travelled to Bolivia to seek out people groups who had never heard the gospel and to establish a church among them. They were warned that they would not return alive but this did not deter them. After months of cutting their way through the dense jungle, suffering physical injuries and diseases, they reached a small stream and anticipated contact with the Ayoré people at any time. Five men prepared to continue on: Dave Bacon, Bob Dye, Cecil Dye, George Hosbach and Eldon Hunter.

Cecil Dye's final words to the other two missionaries, who returned with the donkeys and excess supplies, were: "If you don't hear anything inside a month, you can come and make a search for us." A month passed, and there was no word. Search parties went out and found items belonging to the men, but not the men themselves. It was four years before the first friendly contact was made with the Ayoré people.

In 1955, five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States began Operation Auca, an attempt to bring Christianity to the Waorani people of the rainforest of Ecuador. The Waorani were an isolated tribe known for their violence against both their own people and outsiders who entered their territory. The missionaries began making regular flights over Waorani settlements, dropping gifts. After several months of gift exchanges, the missionaries established a camp at "Palm Beach", a sandbar along the Curaray River, a few kilometres from Waorani settlements. Their efforts came to an end on 8 January 1956, when all five were attacked and speared by a group of Waorani warriors.

In 1989, two American missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) were killed in La Paz, Bolivia, by members of the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación-Zarate Willka terrorist group. The group associated the missionaries and the church they represented with perceived American imperialist activities.

The missionaries were from the United States

The missionaries who were killed in Bolivia were from the United States.

In 1943, the first team of missionaries from New Tribes Mission (NTM) ventured into Bolivia to seek out and convert isolated people groups to Christianity. The missionaries were warned that they would not "come back alive" but this did not deter them. After months of cutting their way through dense jungle, suffering physical injuries and diseases, they reached a small stream from where they anticipated contact with the Ayoré people at any time. Five men—Dave Bacon, Bob Dye, Cecil Dye, George Hosbach, and Eldon Hunter—prepared to continue on while the other two members of their team returned to Roboré with the donkeys and excess supplies.

A month later, search parties found items belonging to the five men but no trace of them. It was not until 1950 that the truth came out. Although the Ayorés were initially alarmed when the five white men walked into their village, they did not shoot on sight. However, an hour into the contact, one of the warriors became upset, believing he deserved a bigger gift, and out of that greed, the five men were killed. When the chief returned and learned what had happened, he was upset with the warriors, saying that he "would not have killed them".

In a separate incident in 1989, two American missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Jeffrey Brent Ball and Todd Ray Wilson, were killed in La Paz, Bolivia. They were assassinated by members of the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación-Zarate Willka terrorist group, who associated them and the church they represented with perceived American imperialist activities.

The incident caused an outpouring of funding for evangelization efforts

The killing of five missionaries in Bolivia in 1989 caused an outpouring of funding for evangelization efforts. The two American missionaries, Jeffrey Brent Ball and Todd Ray Wilson, were killed by a Marxist terrorist group called Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación-Zarate Willka. The group targeted the missionaries because they viewed them as agents of US imperialist interests.

The deaths of Ball and Wilson shocked the missionary community and led to an outpouring of support and funding for evangelization efforts. The families of the missionaries, as well as other missionaries in Bolivia, were deeply impacted by the killings. Despite the dangers, many missionaries remained committed to their work and continued to serve in Bolivia.

The increased funding for evangelization efforts had a significant impact on the missionary community in Bolivia. It allowed for the expansion of existing programs and the development of new initiatives to reach more people with the Christian message. It also provided resources for improved security measures and training to protect missionaries serving in potentially dangerous areas.

The influx of funding also had a broader impact on the country of Bolivia. It contributed to the growth of the Christian population in the country, particularly among indigenous groups. Additionally, it led to increased economic development in areas where missionaries were serving, as they often provided education, healthcare, and other social services to the communities they worked in.

The outpouring of funding for evangelization efforts following the deaths of Ball and Wilson demonstrated the resilience and dedication of the missionary community. It also highlighted the ongoing need for support and resources to carry out their work effectively, especially in dangerous and challenging environments.

The missionaries were attempting to make contact with the Ayoré people

The Ayoré people are an indigenous group of hunter-gatherers native to the Gran Chaco region, which spans Bolivia and Paraguay. They are also known as the Ayoreo, Ayoreode, Guarañoca, Koroino, Moro, Morotoco, Poturero, Pyeta Yovai, Samococio, Sirákua, Takrat, Yanaigua, and Zapocó.

In 1943, a team of missionaries from the New Tribes Mission travelled to Bolivia to seek out and convert people groups who had never been exposed to Christianity. The missionaries were warned that attempting to make contact with the nomadic Ayoré people was extremely dangerous. Despite this, they were determined to spread the word of Jesus Christ.

After months of cutting their way through dense jungle, suffering injuries and disease, the team reached a small stream from where they anticipated contact with the Ayoré. Two of the men, Clyde Collins and Wally Wright, returned to Robore with the donkeys and excess supplies, while the remaining five men—Dave Bacon, Bob Dye, Cecil Dye, George Hosbach, and Eldon Hunter—prepared to continue.

A month later, search parties found items belonging to the five men, but no sign of them. It wasn't until 1950 that the truth of what happened to them was revealed. A member of a neighbouring Ayoré clan shared that the five men had been killed by Ayoré warriors. Although the missionaries had not brought guns and came in peace, one of the warriors became upset, believing he deserved a bigger gift, and out of that greed, the men were killed.

The missionaries' widows and families were devastated but remained determined to spread the word of Christ among the Ayoré. In 1947, the first friendly contact was made with the Ayoré, and in the years that followed, missionaries were eventually able to convert some members of the Ayoré group that had killed the five men.

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