 Honest encouragement from a wise pilgrim
I have so appreciated the life and writings of Elizabeth Elliott through the years - but never managed to get to this book. It is an honest story of her first year as a young single woman missionary in south America, and the string of events/struggles/griefs she endured that year. In the midst of her difficulties - God was faithful and guided her into a deep understanding of God's sovereignty. This is a great book for those who savor memoirs from modern day disciples of Christ as well as if you are in a season of struggle, pain and confusion. Elliott's words give the reader a fuller understanding of God's steady, reliable character in the midst of sorrow, doubt and adversity.
 One of the "10 Best Christian Books" I Have Ever Read
This is a unique and special book, especially for those who are in the midst of self-doubt, despair, discouragement, and/or disillusionment - while seemingly in "the will of God". Elizabeth Elliott writes a personal and intimate view of her 1st year as a missionary - before marriage, before Jim Elliott, before "fame", before having "saved souls", before any type of affirmation that would confirm her calling as a missionary. She shares the conflicts that came up within her soul, within her relationships with other missionaries, and within mission agencies. She speaks honestly about the pain, the challenges, the cost. Her first year as a missionary, and this book, ends with no souls saved, all her painstaking work lost, and with no "fruit". It all was seemingly "a lost cause".
I found this book in a small Christian bookstore in a rural town in New Zealand, when it was first published by Great Britain in the late 1970's. It was a deeply powerful book for me. At that time, I was completing my first year as a missionary and going through many of the same experiences as Elizabeth Elliott. Until I found her book, I hadn't found anyone who could understand the turmoil I was feeling - "serving God, yet seeing no evidence of God at work."
I found out later from Elizabeth Elliott herself, that this book was not published in the United States for many years, but only in Great Britain, as American publishers felt the book would not be popular nor a best seller due to its message about suffering. Elizabeth reminded me that Christian publishers are profit-making businesses, not non-profits or service agencies. This means that though she can write what is on her heart, it is the publishers (making financial decisions) who decide what will be printed and shared with the public. This is one of the frustrations she has struggled with as a writer. Fortunately, American publishers eventually decided to publish her "unpopular message" (ie. "These Strange Ashes"), as her reputation as a powerful speaker has grown amongst the Christian community.
Classic Elliott
This book is classic Elizabeth Elliott. It is a memoir of her time on the mission field before her marriage to Jim Elliott and a colorful description of the joys and challenges of working with God in the jungle of Central America. The book reveals the excitement, frustration, joy, and sorrow of mission work through her descriptions of her fellow missionaries and the native people they lived and worked with.
Mission work seems to me to be exotic and a little frightening, but seen through books such as this one, I begin to realize that it is much more like my life than it is different (other than the living-in-the-jungle-with-no-running-water-miles-from-the-nearest-grocery-store part). Missionaries still struggle with motivation, they still experience relationship difficulties, they still wonder if they have truly understood God's leading.
I enjoyed this book very much, as I have EE's other books. It is fun, easy reading, and would make a great gift for someone who is interested in missions, knows someone in the mission field, or just enjoys reading memoirs.
one of my favorite books
This moving book is the true story of Elisabeth Elliot's first year of missionary work in Ecaudor. Her task was to formulate an alphabet for the unwritten Colorado language. With vivid and often humorous description, she tells of the trials of jungle living and the struggles of trying to help the Colorados who did their best to avoid the influence of outsiders.
During this time, Elisabeth faced several painful lessons, testing her faith in God when it appeared that this faith was in vain. Her missionary work seemed fruitless, yet through this suffering, she learned that it is "in our acceptance of what is given that God gives himself."
This story is hauntingly sad, but Elisabeth's firm belief in the sovereignty of God shines through. She shows that God asks us only to trust and obey. When all the evidence seems to prove your faith in vain, this book will encourage you to continue in faith, prayer, and obedience.
real.
The story of Elisabeth's first year on the mission field has often been glossed over in response to the more well-known facts of her husbands martyrdom.
This book tells the story of that first year in such a vivid and open way that one can't help but connect with her through joys and sorrows, disappointments and triumphs.
In this book, more than any of the others, Elisabeth Elliot seems so real. What an encouragement that someone who wasn't all that different than me should turn out to be such a strong woman of God...
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