Journey of Hope

Jean Gibson

Description

-Accounts of faith, courage and determination against what so often seem to be impossible odds - yet my main memory of the book is not of tragedies, but of laughter, endurance and hope.-' Rob Parsons OBE, Chairman, Care for the Family So many acts of faith and courage go unreported. As Jean and Brian Gibson travel through Malawi and Kenya, they meet Christians who have overcome extraordinary challenges ' including female circumcision, polygamy, child abuse and HIV ' to share Christ and to model Christian discipleship. The future for subSaharan Africa lies, to a remarkable degree, in the hands of the national churches. Here are vivid illustrations of this redemptive work. -Filled with the faith, hope and love of Christ.-' Revd Donald Ker, Secretary of Conference, Methodist Church in Ireland -Jean has a remarkable gift of painting pictures in words. You will feel as though you are there.- 'Right Revd Harold Millar, Bishop of Down and Dromore -I loved reading this book.-' Tim Magowan, Northern Ireland Director, Tearfund -You will begin to understand why the grassroots church is not just growing but exploding in this, the Global South.- 'Very Revd Dr Trevor W.J. Morrow, Presbyterian Church in Ireland Jean Gibson worked in theological education in Kenya for eight years with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, and is now National Representative for Care for the Family in Northern Ireland. www.jeangibson.co.uk

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• África
• Africa

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 10 octobre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780857213389
• Langue: English

Extrait

Copyright © 2012 The Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
This edition copyright © Lion Hudson 2012.
The right of Jean Gibson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Monarch Books an imprint of Lion Hudson plc Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Email: [e-mail] www.lionhudson.com
ISBN 978 0 85721 295 5 (print) ISBN 978 0 85721 337 2 (Kindle) ISBN 978 085721 338 9 (epub)
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan and Hodder & Stoughton Limited. All rights reserved. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790.
Maps pp. 13–15 © Mervyn McCullagh, used with permission.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Cover Image: Background; Lion Hudson: Frieze; Godfrey Duncalloh.
“This is quite simply one of the very best books I have read about Africa. Jean has a remarkable gift for painting pictures in words. You will feel as though you are there, smelling the smells, meeting the people she has met, and sensing something of the heart of God for their needs and situations. We enter into their world on their terms, and go away knowing we have been on holy ground.”
The Right Rev Harold Millar, Bishop of Down and Dromore
“I loved reading this book. Jean’s stories interweave heartache and hope in a way which challenges me about the devastating impact of extreme poverty, inspires me about the response of the global church and enthuses me to become a stronger, more Kingdom-orientated Christian.”
Tim Magowan, Northern Ireland Director, Tearfund
“In Journey of Hope we are introduced with sensitivity and realism to the harshness and joy of those who, against ‘the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’, remain resolute. When you have read this book you will begin to understand why the grassroots church, often without mission statements or five-year strategies, is not just growing but exploding in this, the Global South. Here you encounter ordinary people who not only believe but who live their lives ‘in step with the spirit’.”
The Very Rev Dr Trevor W. J. Morrow, Presbyterian Church in Ireland
“Jean Gibson combines her gift of story with her heart of compassion as she bids us listen. What we hear will disturb us. Each person’s true story is filled with challenge, struggle and pain far more intense, even brutal, than most of us in the West will ever have to face. But these are not tales of despair. On the contrary this is a book filled with the faith, hope and love of Christ. We learn afresh from our African sisters and brothers in Christ what it really means to love, follow and trust him.”
Rev Donald Ker, Secretary of Conference, Methodist Church in Ireland
“Journey of Hope is a raw account that puts a human face to some of the untold real life stories of sacrifice, courage, hope, resilience, faith, empathy and living the gospel. It is also a portrayal of the coexistence of contrasting cultures brought together by a strong belief in God’s faithfulness and social justice.”
Margaret Zondo, Program Administrator, International Ministries, Life & Mission Agency, Presbyterian Church in Canada
Also by Jean Gibson
Seasons of Womanhood is a contemporary collection of inspiring stories from women who have faced the reality of life and proved the sufficiency of God’s power in many different situations. It covers various stages of a woman’s life, from early days through to the final years. Jean Gibson shows us that none of us is alone in our experience and that no situation is beyond hope.
Joyful in Hope tells the stories of eight inspirational women who are facing life with courage and faith, sometimes doubting, but desperately holding on to God and trusting even when they do not understand what is happening. These women reassure us that God reaches out to us in our struggles and that he can bring us through.
To those we met on the journey, who continue to inspire us
Table of Contents
Cover Title Page Copyright Praise Dedication Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Maps 1: Joy 2: Marcus 3 Mphatso 4 Maria 5 Kondwani 6 Tandu and Chiyembekezo 7 Sarah 8 Kasoni 9 Nabiki 10 Guyo 11 Naomi Epilogue Author’s note Notes Photo Section
Foreword
I have only just finished reading Journey of Hope and, fittingly enough, I am in Africa. I know nobody who has travelled to this mesmorizing continent and seen some of the things that Jean Gibson talks about who has not been changed for ever. This remarkable book will allow you to take that journey.
It would be good for each of us to take some time to walk the dusty roads that Journey of Hope takes us along. But be careful: you will have to dodge the goats, chickens, and bicycles stacked with huge bags of grain or tobacco. And keep your eyes open not just for danger but for beauty: “hornbills perched in trees, yellow bustard swooping overhead…tiny dik-dik with their large dark eyes, danc[ing] like dainty ballerinas.”
Welcome to Africa – and to the lives of Africa.
You are invited to the wedding of Maria and Mr Mponda. You have already listened in as Maria was introduced to her prospective husband’s relatives a few days ago. They had each taken it in turn to give her the traditional advice offered to new brides. The topics were varied: how to look after her new husband, how to organize the household budget, personal cleanliness and how to live according to the customs of her in-laws. But now the great day has arrived. Join her as she sits on a special mat and watches as the groom’s family come forward and lay the dowry money down.
Maria is married.
But this is Africa, and coming down the dusty road towards Maria is the spectre of AIDS and the battle for the life of her child.
I think you will enjoy meeting Marcus. Jean Gibson will take you into his house: “about three and a half metres long and three metres wide, a middle wall divides the sleeping area from the living room.” You will sit on the upturned beehives that serve as stools – your knees almost touching. For a few moments there will be the traditional Malawian silence and then Marcus will speak: “Welcome to my home…”
And so will begin the incredible story of one young man’s fight for education. You will listen as he declares the hope of so many in Africa: “Only education will set us free from the cycle of poverty that has held us.”
But if you are looking for an easy read – a satisfying travelogue to while away a lazy Sunday afternoon – perhaps it would be best to take the book back to the shop while you can still find the receipt. Because in many ways this is a disturbing book – some scenes will not only move you, but haunt your memory.
Consider for a moment a little of Nabiki’s story. It is her wedding day. Just four weeks ago she underwent “the cut” – the removal of all her external genitalia, a procedure known as Female Genital Mutilation. Normally girls undergoing this would be given a year to recover before being married, but Nabiki’s family are poor and, to survive, they need the dowry they will receive for her. Soon the women will come to shave her head in preparation for the Maasai wedding. Once the celebrations are over she will live in her new husband’s village, far away from her home and family. The man she is to marry is sixty years old and already has five wives.
Nabiki is twelve.
She starts to run – as fast as she can – through the bush. Soon the villagers will chase after her, but she manages to make it to the mission. Mary comes towards her, arms outstretched to hug the sobbing child. Nabiki can hardly get the words out: “I don’t want to get married today…”
Yes, I was disturbed reading Journey of Hope . But perhaps in truth the real danger in life is not being disturbed, not gasping at the unending struggle of lives that are being lived within a nine-hour flight of our homes. The stories that Jean brings to us are, without exception, accounts of faith, courage and determination against what so often seems to be impossible odds.
Back from her travels and safe in her warm home, Jean ends her book like this: “Small inconveniences fade into insignificance in the face of the tragedies we have witnessed.” As I turned the last page I felt the same. And yet my main memory of the book is not of tragedies, but of laughter, endurance and… hope.
In spite of all you are about to see and hear, I think you will enjoy this journey.
Rob Parsons OBE
Founder of Care for the Family
Acknowledgments
As in my previous books, I am indebted to all those who have allowed their story to be told. It was a privilege for us to meet each of you and to see how you face each day with resilience and hope. Thank you also to the mission personnel who introduced us to the central characters in this story and expended considerable time and effort to facilitate the writing of the book.
Friends who read parts of the manuscript and offered suggestions were an invaluable help, especially Carolyn Gowdy who has once again been a support and mentor. My thanks also go to Tony Collins and the team at Lion Hudson for all their help and encouragement, and to John Kelly for his help with the photographs.
I could not have carried out the journey in the first place without the co-operation and driv