Thankful Thursday

Thanking the Lord this week for:

~hugs and giggles from a 3-year old overnight guest

~completed projects around the house

~the man who's completed those projects

~the girl who's helped the man complete those projects

~cooler temperatures

~rain

~one last date with my college girls

~my girl saying "Nanny taught me..."

~upcoming opportunities to write outside of this little blog

~a visit with a widower in our church family

~impromptu ice cream dates

What shall I render to the Lord
    for all his benefits to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord,
I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

~Psalm 116:12-14

Review: The Yankee Officer and the Southern Belle

The Yankee Officer and the Southern Belle: A Journey of Love Across Africa is an autobiography written by Nell Robertson Chinchen.  Nell and her husband Jack have served as missionaries in Africa for more than four decades.

The Chinchens were married shortly after World War II. They'd been married for several years before Nell realized her need for the Lord, and longer before Jack would become a believer.  But the Gospel grabbed him tight and didn't let go.  The couple, along with their four children, soon left everything behind for Jack (who, by this time, was in his mid-thirties) to follow the Lord's call to seminary.  After serving in churches herein the US, the family accepted an opportunity to serve as missionaries in Liberia, Africa. 45-year old Jack, Nell and four of their seven children packed their belongings and headed to the jungle.

Waiting on the other side of the Atlantic was a multitude of people. Some had walked for two days to get out of the jungle and then had taken money-buses, and had even slept in the airport, in order to greet us as we arrived in Liberia!...We didn't realize that they were waiting for US until we got off the plane and were completely enveloped in the loving arms of these tribal people who had waited for so long for someone to come and live among them and teach them the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ....We have often said, "What if?' 'What if we had not kept going?' 'What if we had turned back?'(pp. 43-44)

Reading The Yankee Officer and the Southern Belle is like having Nell Chinchen in your kitchen, relating her amazing stories over a cup of something warm and cozy. Her narrative isn't necessarily in chronological order and is, quite honestly, difficult to follow at times. But I felt as if I was catching up with a dear friend.

The book also gave me a new appreciation for missionaries, especially the two young families from my church who are serving overseas. Sometimes we here in the US romanticize the mission field. Nell's story certainly changed my view.  The family has survived fires that destroyed their homes, rebel invasions, and the deaths of many who were close to them. Yet through it all, they have seen the goodness of the Lord.

Investment in LIVES is never a waste. And as we build Bible Colleges across this unstable, volatile African Continent, we are not considering the cost if the buildings do not last forever. We are building men and women for eternity. They will last forever. (p. 174)

I'd like to thank Christian Focus Publications for allowing me to review The Yankee Officer and the Southern Belle as part of a blog tour for the book.

Fall Reading List

 Cooler, shorter days lead to cooler, longer nights. As we gear up for the school routine, the promise of quiet evenings curled up with my favorite quilt and a good book brings a smile to my face. I am trying to be more intentional and more productive in my reading, and hoping a reading list will serve as an impetus to meeting this goal.

Non-Fiction:
~Small Wonder because Elizabeth has challenged me to read it.
~Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption because her story touches me to the core.
~The Nine Day Queen of England: Lady Jane Grey because her story intrigues me
~Bringing It To The Table: On Farming and Food because my granddaddy was a farmer & Wendell Berry's writing captivates me.

Fiction:
~Little Women because it's been too long.
~Home because Lisa recommended it.
~Fahrenheit 451: A Novel because it's required for my girl this semester.
~The Giver because it's also required for my girl.

On Audio:
~The Poisonwood Bible because I've heard it's wonderful.
~John Adams because I admire him.
~A Tree Grows in Brooklyn because I've never read it & heard that I should.
~A Room With a View because I know I'll be craving something British.

For Study:
~A Woman's Wisdom: How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything because I'm reading with Jessalyn.
~Gospel Wakefulness because I need it.
~A Proverbs Driven Life: Timeless Wisdom for Your Words, Work, Wealth, and Relationships because I need this, too.
~In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life because my life needs a shift in focus.
~Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives because I need a difference.