What I Have Been Reading

I thought, to counteract the last post, I'd give you good book suggestions!

The Savage my Kinsman by Elisabeth Elliot

In 1956 Elisabeth Elliot's husband, Jim Elliot, and four other missionaries were speared to death by the Auca Indians in Ecuador. In this book, Elisabeth tells of her response to the killings and of her eventual venture into Auca territory three years later (along with her daughter and Rachel Saint, the sister of one of the other men). It's an interesting read and a good look at what it is to be a missionary to a people whose language and customs you do not understand and who know nothing about the outside world.

Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper

Here Noel Piper looks at five women: Sarah Edwards, Lilias Trotter, Gladys Alward, Esther Ahn Kim, and Helen Roseveare. She gives short biographies of each and shows how they lived for God in the toughest times. What I liked best is that she wrote about missionaries who were real people; not perfect Christians, but people who struggled and wondered and made mistakes... but without excusing or justifying their sins. It was very encouraging.

There you go; two books to go read!