This post is coming from a lover of fiction. Historical fiction, romantic fiction, whatever! So it's a bit surprising for this fiction lover to have become so completely enamored by a series of non-fiction entitled Christian Heroes: Now and Then. This set of well-written books is published by YWAM and is about Christians who have done unusual things or had God do unusual things through them. Gladys Aylward is probably my favourite of the series so far, and takes place about the turn of the century. Gladys was an uneducated housemaid in London, England, when she decided that God was calling her to China to spread the Good News about Jesus. People thought she was crazy! What follows is an amazing story of her steps in faith and an unreal trip by train across Siberia during a war between Russia and China! I have this vivid picture in my imagination of this small woman hiking along the railroad tracks with her cardboard suitcase with a kettle tied onto it, in the middle of a Siberian winter. The train would take her no farther as they were getting too close to the war zone. She went on to do amazing things, like helping an entire region to abolish the foot binding tradition, and rescuing hundreds of orphans during the next war.
This book has been made into a movie entitled "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" which, while not completely accurate, is still a beautiful film to watch. Read the book first though!
If you aren't interested in China, there are stories about people who have gone to Africa, Central America, South America, Mexico, and many other countries around the world. Books about men and women, professional people like doctors and uneducated people like Gladys. Take a look at this series soon. I am sure everyone will find a book to interest them.
-Bookworm55
