Roger Youderian (January 21, 1924 – January 8, 1956) was an American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the

Huaorani The Huaorani, Waorani, or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are an Indigenous people from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador ( Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza Provinces) who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate ...

people through efforts known as Operation Auca.

Early life

Youderian was born in Sumatra,

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

, of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

descent. He contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...

at the age of nine, crippling him slightly. He overcame the effects of the disease during high school, making it possible for him to play

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. After graduating from Fergus High School in

Lewistown, Montana Lewistown is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,952 at the 2020 census. Lewistown is located in the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls and northwest of Billings. F ...

in 1941, he attended Montana State College (now Montana State University) until he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943.

World War II

As a paratrooper stationed in England, he assisted an Army chaplain and eventually became a Christian. In 1944, he participated in the

Rhine jump ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sourc ...

and the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

, and then returned to Montana in 1946.

Post war

Youderian was a member of Emmanuel

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Ch ...

in Lewistown,

and played the piano for the church. Youderian entered Northwestern College near Minneapolis, Minnesota, by this time having been called to the mission field. There he studied Christian education and met Barbara Orton. Youderian graduated from Northwestern College in 1950. He and Orton married in 1951, and they applied to be missionaries with the nondenominational mission board Gospel Missionary Union. Upon being accepted, they underwent training for six months in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

in preparation for their work in Ecuador.

Ministry in Ecuador

Youderian, his wife, and their infant daughter Beth left for Ecuador in 1953, staying first in

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, Pichincha ...

to study Spanish and eventually moving to Macuma, a mission station in the country's southern jungle. There, he and his wife worked with fellow Gospel Missionary Union missionaries Frank and Marie Drown, a veteran missionary couple ministering to the

Jivaro people The Shuar are an Indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru. They are members of the Jivaroan peoples, who are Amazonian tribes living at the headwaters of the Marañón River. Name Shuar, in the Shuar language, means "people". The people who speak ...

. The Youderians focused on learning the language and developing a literacy program, and with that in mind, Roger spent time visiting Jivaro homes and learning more about their culture. After working with them for about a year, Youderian and his family began ministering to a tribe related to the Jivarro, the Achuar people. He worked with missionary pilot Nate Saint to provide important medical supplies, but after a period of attempting to build relationships with them, he failed to see any positive effect and, growing depressed, considered returning to the United States. However, during this time, four other missionaries in Ecuador were planning Operation Auca, an attempt to reach another group of people, the Auca. Nate Saint approached Youderian about joining their team to meet the Auca, and he assented. On January 3, 1956, Youderian set up camp at "Palm Beach" along the

Curaray River The Curaray River (also called the Ewenguno River or Rio Curaray) is a river in eastern Ecuador and Peru. It is a tributary of the Napo River, which is a part of the Amazon basin. The land along the river is home to several indigenous people group ...

with Jim Elliot and

Ed McCully Theophilus McCully (June 1, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was a Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four other missionaries, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people, through efforts known as Operation Auca. E ...

. During the day, they were joined by Nate Saint and

Pete Fleming Peter Sillence Fleming (November 23, 1928 – January 8, 1956) was a Christian who was one of five missionaries killed while participating in Operation Auca Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the Uni ...

. Having already contacted and exchanged gifts through the air with the Auca, the men hoped to have friendly encounters with them. On January 6, several Auca approached them and appeared to be friendly, but two days later, all five were attacked and killed by a group of Auca warriors. According to reports, Youderian was speared while he was trying to radio to

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

for help. His body was later pulled from the river and buried at Palm Beach in a common grave with three of the other men. All family members were safely returned to the United States where they still reside today.

Notes

References

* * * . * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Youderian, Roger American people of Armenian descent American Protestant missionaries American evangelicals Protestant missionaries in Ecuador American people murdered abroad People murdered in Ecuador Victims of anti-Christian violence Operation Auca 1924 births 1956 deaths 20th-century Protestant martyrs American Plymouth Brethren United States Army soldiers People from Rosebud County, Montana People from Lewistown, Montana Military personnel from Montana 1956 murders in Ecuador American expatriates in Ecuador United States Army personnel of World War II