Nate Saint Fit to Fly ... for God

This is an electronic version of our Glimpses for Kids children's worship bulletin inserts. These are designed to present Christian biographies for Children's church, educational or worship ministries.

Nate Saint

The sky was calm and clear over Quito (Kee-toe), Ecuador (Eck-wah-door), on December 30, 1948. Missionary supply pilot Nate Saint whistled as he loaded his plane and helped the young boy and his mother aboard. Within minutes after his perfect take-off, however, Nate knew they were in trouble. A strong gust of wind roared over the mountains and slammed into his plane, forcing it downward. Nate did his best to control the plane, but it plunged, crashing into the field below.

Nate slowly awakened to the bright light and white walls of an Ecuadoran hospital. His passengers were not seriously hurt, but Nate had a broken back and badly sprained ankle. He would spend the next month in the hospital and five months after that in a body cast.

Can you imagine wanting to fly again after that? The accident did not stop Nate. He could not wait to get back in his plane. He knew being a jungle pilot was dangerous: (fifty-one people died in jungle plane crashes within six months after his accident.) Even still, Nate was sure God had called him to do this work.

Sleeping on a Flat Roof
Nate Saint grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a very curious child, much like his grandfather, who was a very successful inventor. As a result, Nate's mother felt it was important to let her children try out new ideas.

One day, Nate's older brothers asked their mother if they could sleep on the roof of their house. She agreed and had a carpenter build cots and a fence on the flat part of the roof. The Saints spent many nights sleeping under the open sky of their new rooftop bedroom.

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Ten Year Old Pilot? Well, Almost...
Nate Saint was only seven years old in 1930, when his older brother, Sam, a pilot, took him on his first airplane ride. At ten, Sam even allowed Nate to help fly the plane on a short flight. And guess what? Nate decided that day that he wanted to be a pilot when he grew up, just like his big brother.

A Horrible Infection
When Nate was 14 years old, he became very ill. The doctor noticed a small, red cut on his leg from sledding the week before. The doctor said an infection had spread from the cut to the bone in Nate's leg. Because there was no cure for infections back then, the doctor prescribed plenty of rest and hoped Nate's body would be strong enough to fight off the infection. Otherwise, he could die.

Nate's leg ached so badly, he could not get out of bed for weeks. He spent a lot of time praying, reading his Bible and thinking of inventions. The infection eventually went away, but it would return later and change Nate's life.

Wings for Nate
After graduating from high school, Nate joined the Army. The world was at war, and he hoped to become a fighter pilot. But just one day before he was to begin pilot's training, he began to feel sick. He noticed that the old scar on his leg had turned red. The infection had come back after five years. Can you believe that? Nate couldn't.

The army told Nate he was no longer fit to be a fighter pilot. He was very sad, but he didn't stay sad long. Instead, he used his time learning to fix airplanes. He would look for another way to learn to fly.

Find out about Nate Saint's deadly last flight in part 2 of this "Glimpses for Kids" children's worship bulletin insert.