Faith in Tough Places

These three small publications from OMF, formerly the China Inland Mission founded by James Hudson Taylor in 1865, are written to show the extraordinary way in which God has sustained, protected and encouraged missionary people in East Asia over the years since the organisations formation. Each book contains three short stories.

The Long March tells of the traumatic journey undertaken by two missionaries during the Chinese Civil War when they were captured by the Communist Red Army and marched through rugged terrain in extremes of temperature. They saw at first hand the brutal murder of innocent people and were themselves placed on trial and interrogated about their reason for being in China. Fearlessly trusting the Holy Spirit to provide the words to say, they confess their missionary exploits only to be released and then subjected to ruthless persecution. The story tells how they persevered in faith, using any opportunity provided to share their faith with the Red Army soldiers.

Unsung Heroes tells of David, the son of an Australian missionary who was sent to a Christian boarding school on the northeast coast of China at the outbreak of the Second World War. Moved from place to place, his story tells of the pastoral oversight offered by the teachers who sought to instil faith into their young pupils and assure them of God's protection. Many joys and hardships were encountered along the way but finally, at the end of the war, freedom came. Amazingly, despite the hardships faced, the children emerged well balanced and unaffected by the war. David, after being converted through reading a Gideon's Bible, went on to become the director of OMF in Toronto.

These books are a marvellous inspiration for all Christians and give a graphic insight into missionary work in this region of the world. Being short, easy to read and action-packed, they could be passed onto an enquirer. The OMF web site is well worth a visit too (www.omf.org.uk).