This post is by Deborah Talbert, loving and faithful wife to Pastor Bud Talbert and mother to five children, one of whom is my husband, David. Her teaching has shaped my life, as it has many, many women who knew her. On January 15, 2023, she passed into eternity after a battle with pancreatic cancer. We learned much from her as she suffered and trusted God to the end. This article was written years ago, and she didn’t merely teach these truths; she lived them out. Articles on this site have been republished with her blessing and are here to allow her life’s work to continue to touch lives.
Earlier, I wrote about several categories of books we should read to encourage our faith. (See that list, with some suggestions, here.) The final category I suggested was that of Missionary Biographies. Here, I would like to recommend several specific missionary biographies for your consideration. These are among my favorites, because the missionaries described are portrayed not as perfect infallible beings, but as folks just like us with struggles as well as victories in their Christian lives.
Of course, not all books are equally helpful to us. We may not agree with certain decisions or practices recorded for us. One missionary doctor and his wife spent over fifty years on the field. He made it a habit to read one Christian book a week. This missionary told me that if he can get one gem from each book then it is worth reading. In all of these stories it is God who is the focus and God who receives the glory for any work done. In my opinion, all of these books contain not just one gem, but a whole mine full of benefits and examples for us.
1. To The Golden Shore
To The Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson chronicles the life of Adoniram Judson, one of the first North American missionaries to leave his home country in obedience to God’s call. The Judsons ministered over six years to the Burmese people before one professed Christ. All of their children died due to illness and harsh living conditions. Adoniram painstakingly learned the language, put it in written form, worked on a dictionary and laboriously translated the scriptures into the Burmese language so that these people could know the truth. He was falsely imprisoned as a spy and tortured. Adoniram, starving, ill, and completely worn, was released from prison just a few short weeks before his wife died. After a period of great despair, new avenues of ministry were opened up to him and many confessed the Lord.
“Drawing on letters and church records, Courtney Anderson paints a poignant portrait of Judson’s early life in dealing with the conflict between his desire for material success and the inner call to serve God. For Adoniram Judson the golden shore brought bitter hardships, imprisonment, and family tragedy. Yet, he never wavered in his commitment to win people to faith in Christ and to translate the Bible into the Burmese language.” (Amazon description)
2. Evidence Not Seen
Evidence Not Seen is an autobiographical work by Darlene Diebler Rose, who accompanied her husband into the jungles of New Guinea to establish a new mission station. Shortly afterwards, WW2 broke out and they were imprisoned separately. Darlene never saw her husband again. Her Christian testimony was clear and unwavering in the face of many privations and troubles. Severe malnutrition, serious illness, and discouragement engulfed her as she was tortured, deprived, and humiliated in that prison. She did not sense God’s presence and was despondent until she remembered Hebrews 11:1.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Still in her twenties—her hair whitened and so ill she was unable to stand on her feet—Darlene called out once again in faith to God. Then, God laid it on the heart of the commander of the woman’s prisoner camp to come and visit Darlene. He asked what word she had for the other women, and Darlene was able to pass the word to them that she was still trusting the Lord. Her story powerfully reflects the amazing strength and grace that God gives.
“Newlywed American missionary Darlene Deibler Rose survived four years in a notorious Japanese prison camp set deep in the jungles of New Guinea. Thinking she was never to see her husband again, Darlene Rose was forced to sign a false confession and face the executioner’s sword, only to be miraculously spared.” (Amazon description)
3. How I Know God Answers Prayer
How I Know God Answers Prayer by Rosalind Goforth is a poignant, personal account of God’s direct dealing with the Goforth family during their years of missionary service in China. Mrs. Goforth honestly lays out her own struggles with sinful attitudes that quenched or grieved the Holy Spirit and hindered prayer. She reverently wonders at miraculous deliverance from the hands of murderous rebels (Boxers), bent on eliminating all foreigners.
A particular time of testing came for Rosalind when her husband proposed moving their work further into the interior of China. Four of their children had already died, and, fearful for the lives of her remaining children in this unsanitary, disease ridden area, Rosalind refused her consent. Her husband admonished her and reminded her that the safest place for their children was in the will of God, and that God could keep them anywhere. The next day a son became seriously ill, rallied, and then another child grew ill and died. “In the moments that followed God revealed himself to me in such love and majesty and glory that I gave myself up to him with unspeakable joy. Then I knew that I had been making an awful mistake, and that I could indeed safely trust my children to him wherever he might lead. One thing only seemed plain, that I must follow where God should lead. I saw at last that God must come first.”
“This collection of stirring testimonies is an everlasting tribute to the reality of a powerful God who responds to the prayers of His children. Serving with her husband, Jonathan, on the front lines of China’s Boxer Rebellion at the dawn of the twentieth century, Rosalind Goforth was an eyewitness to the dramatic and miraculous ways in which the mighty hand of God responds to prayer during times of intense struggle.” (Amazon description)
4. By Searching
By Searching, an autobiographical work by Isobel Kuhn, opens to us the struggle of Canadian Isobel Miller as the world called to her from one direction and the Lord from another. A bright, intelligent girl, Isobel attempted to lead a worldly life and still have a Christian testimony. She learned through many hardships that God expects the believer to be holy and dedicated solely to Him without divided loyalties. God brought a lovely older Christian lady into Isobel’s life. This woman encouraged her in the things of the Lord, prayed constantly for her, gave her a godly example and kindly admonished her when necessary. Isobel was able to attend a Bible college and had to trust the Lord to provide to pay her bills while there. She felt this exercise in faith laid the groundwork for trusting the Lord while engaged in missionary service in China. God called Isobel to China and later called her to marry fellow missionary candidate John Kuhn. Isobel’s books are engaging compilations of her work among the Lisu tribe on the Chinese boarder. Isobel learned as a young woman that “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13).
“Isobel Miller gave up God for worldly pursuits. But as graduation approached and her engagement was broken, she questioned that decision. ‘If You will prove to me that You are, and if You will give me peace, I will give You my whole life.’ God heard Isobel’s prayers and responded. He reached out to her, ending years of searching and building her up for decades of fruitful missionary service with her husband, John Kuhn, in China.” (Amazon description)
5. John Paton—An Autobiography
John Paton—An Autobiography is an intriguing two volume account which allows us a detailed look into the life of this Scottish missionary to the cannibals of the South Seas Islands. Fervently believing God wanted him to give the gospel to those ho had never heard, John Paton embarked on his missionary endeavors with great fervor. His attempts to win the natives to the Lord were met with suspicion. Repeatedly his life was threatened, his goods stolen, his health broken. His first wife and son died from the tropical fevers so common in the area. Various traders in their ships tried to stop Paton from evangelizing the islanders fearing it would affect their opportunities to trade on the islands. Yet John persevered and after a number of years many came to know the Lord.
“John G. Paton narrates his eventful life as a missionary to the New Hebrides – modern-day Vanuatu – in a frank and vivid manner… In all, this autobiography offers a tense and sometimes shocking narrative, wherein the author spends years in constant danger while remaining heartily certain of God’s blessing and righteous will.” (Amazon description)
6. Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor in its original form is a two-volume rendition of the life of the founder of the China Inland Mission, James Hudson Taylor. In a time when Europeans dressed and acted as Europeans around the world, Taylor’s decision to dress, eat, and live as the Chinese was shocking. Also shocking to some was his concept that God and God alone should be consulted for the means to live. While still in medical school, Hudson determined to live as ascetically as possible and to ask God only for things he needed. He felt that he must learn to live by faith there in England first or he would never be able to trust God in far away China. Taylor’s faith was stretched as he waited upon God to provide for him, and he found God faithful to meet every need.
From this early lesson grew the understanding that God could and would do amazing things for those who believe wholeheartedly in Him.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6
The original two-volume work is out of print and very difficult to find. The copies linked above may not be available at all times.
This related work is more easily available. By the same authors as the 2-volume work, it tells the story of his life in abridged form.
After reading about Hudson Taylor, I read his only autobiographical work. Originally published as A Retrospect, it has been republished under the title To China With Love. This small book offers a glimpse into the heart of an imperfect man who glorified God by obediently following Him even though others around him thought he was odd or even self -serving. God used Hudson Taylor to establish and serve in the China Inland Mission. Taylor’s deep concern was to reach the remote areas of China where most Chinese had never seen a westerner or heard of a God who loves them and died to save them from their sins. My heart was challenged and blessed as read this book.
“The inspiring story of one man’s love for God and his unflinching commitment to present the Gospel of Christ to the Chinese. Previously published under the title To China With Love, this book recounts the thrilling story of Hudson Taylor and the eventual formation of the China Inland Mission.” (Amazon description)
7. A Passion for the Impossible
A recent publication, A Passion for the Impossible by Miriam Rockness recounts the life of Lilias Trotter, a single lady missionary to Muslim Algeria in the late 1800s. Sickly, highly artistic, and from a prestigious background, Lilias set aside all earthly ambitions, refusing to place undue attention on her physical weakness, to serve the Lord as a pioneer missionary to the Bedouins and city dwellers alike in a country completely darkened and oppressed by Islam. Lilias’s faithful work for almost forty years brought few visible results, though God used her to establish a mission board as well as publish many tracts and booklets using scripture and illustrated with her outstanding artwork. The greatest blessing to me was reading excerpts from Lilias’s journals and diaries where she freely expresses her absolute and utter dependence on God for every decision in life. A life verse by which Lilias operated is Luke 18:27:
And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
“Art critic John Ruskin enthusiastically proclaimed her potential as one of the best artists of the nineteenth century, but Lilias Trotter’s devotion to Christ compelled her to surrender her life of art, privilege, and leisure. Leaving the home of her wealthy parents for a humble dwelling in Algeria, Lilias defied sterotypes and taboos that should have deterred any European woman from ministering in a Muslim country.” (Amazon description)
With God’s help we can read to the glory of God, gleaning gems of blessing, challenge, and encouragement as we read godly literature. May the Lord help us to choose our reading materials wisely.
Find the first part of this series of book recommendations for your library here.
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