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CHICAGO—The Bible League plays a unique role in the story of the Waodani people featured in the new movie, "End of the Spear."
The movie portrays the true story of five young missionaries in Ecuador's
Amazonian rainforest who were brutally killed in 1956. The men had been living
near the Waodani, exchanging gifts for several months before the slayings.
The world was stunned by their violent deaths.
But 50 years later, "End of the Spear"—based on the book by Steve Saint, the
son of one of the martyred men—is really the story of how God used this tragedy
to transform the Waodani people, also known as "Aucas."
This small, isolated tribe of about 2,000 members had little contact with the outside world—and no Christian contact—until the 1950s.  But after the slayings, God worked in the hearts of Waodani leaders. Today, because of the love of Christ shown by these five young martyrs and their families, nearly 25 percent of the Waodani claim Christ as their Savior. And they have God's Word in their heart language, thanks to the Bible League. In cooperation with Wycliffe Bible Translators and the International Bible Society, the Bible League is the only publisher of the Waodani New Testament, which is now used by hundreds of believers.
During the last 40 years, the Bible League has worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators to provide God's Word to more than 700 indigenous people groups worldwide. But there are still an estimated 2,300 such groups—or more than 350 million people in the world—without Scriptures in their heart languages.
 The
story behind "End of the Spear" confirms the ongoing need to share the Gospel
among remote indigenous peoples. The movie opens January 20th in 1,200 theaters
nationwide.
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To view the theatrical trailer click
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'End of the Spear' tribe receives God's Word through the Bible League