MISSION TO THE HEADHUNTERS

Christian Focus 2002 Paper 384 pages

Review by Carla McKay

This is the true story of Frank and Marie Drown who went to Ecuador to work with the Shuara, known as headhunters because they were known for shrinking the heads of their enemies, using it as a talisman for power.

Once they became Jesus’ followers (those who have bowed the knee), the practice of head hunting stopped.

The most interesting part of this story is that Frank Drown was one of the men who found the five missionary men killed by a tribe known as the Auca, now called the Wadoni, in 1956.

There are other books that cover different angles of this story such as “Through Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot, Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hirt.

The Drowns were in Ecuador for 37 years working among Shuara Indians, telling them about Jesus.

Elizabeth Elliot, who wrote the preface, writes “this book is straightforward and beautifully written. It’s a page-turner.”

I agree and with its photos, this is a remarkable book.

Frank Drown now is ministering to First Nations peoples in the U.S. and Canada working alongside the Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (NEFC).