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Manantial Ministries was started in the small town of Shell, close to the city Puyo, in the province of Pastaza, Ecuador, South America.

Shell (also called Shell-Mera) Ecuador is a town of approximately 9,000 people. Located 95 miles from the capitol city Quito, it is located almost exactly in the middle of Ecuador, along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains. It is just west of Shell where the plantlife turns from that of the mountains to that of the jungle. The elevation is about 3300 ft. above sea level.  The Shell Oil Company came to the area in 1937 prospecting for oil, the town of Shell started with only an airstrip and a few shacks. Atfter numerous attacks by indigenous tribes, and having not produced any oil, Shell Oil pulled out of the area in 1948. Because of its airstrip and the easy access to the road to Quito, Mission Aviary Fellowship reocupied the area around 1949 as an operations base for missionary work in Ecuador. Shell has grown over the last 60 years into a main center for missionaries from all different missions. Because of the mission hospital started in 1958, and the continued work of MAF flying into the hard to get to or otherwise unreachable villages in the jungle, many missions have based their operations from this town, although the number of missions and missionaries in the area has noticeably diminished in the last 5 years. The town has continued to grow however, and now boasts a military base, businesses, a large number of churches and schools, as well as one stoplight! It also has a home for abandoned and abused children called Casa de Fe. 

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You may have heard of Shell-Mera before. If you are familiar with the movie End of the spear, you know the story of 5 young men, who in September of 1955, found a Huron (native tribe) settlement in the jungle and knew God was calling them to this area to visit these people. For the next 3 months they brought gifts and items of interest and dropped them into the jungle for the Huaroni people. The Huaroni's, in return, started giving gifts to the men in the plane. On January 3, 1956, after much planning, praying and preparation, the men landed on a beach about 4 miles from the Huaroni village and then flew over the area to invite the community to visit them at the beach location. On January 5 some of the Huaroni did indeed visit, and on January 8 the men were visited again. On this day, however, all of the men were tragically speared to death. One would think that this tradgey would stop people from trying to minister to the Huaroni people, but it served to intesify the desires of Christian service. The story of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and the other men has become a battle cry to missions and sacrifice among the Christian community; and within 3 years, Jim Elliot's widow and Nate Saint's sister were living among the tribe. 

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So why were they killed? The Huaroni people thought the men to be dangerous but realized only after they had killed them that all five men had guns but did not use them. These men were willing to die to serve the Huaroni, and because of that they were able to pave the way for relationships to be built, and for the gospel to be delivered to this once stone age tribe.

Now, several missionaries and natives that are friends of ours, as well as Marks' parents, minister to these people in the jungle.

You can read more of this story in the book Through the gates of splendor, and the film The end of the spear.

This content has been taken from Wikipedia and from  "Biographical Sketches of Memorable Christians of the Past" James Kiefer

For the Sake of the Call- the Musical Tale by Steven Curtis Chapman

We rest on thee - last song sung by the five, sung in their tribute

An aerial view of Shell.

Casa de Fe is the yellow dot.

These five gave their lives so that the lost could hear the gospel.

A replica of the plane they used is in the center of the Shell park.

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