Woohoo! I finished book two of 2021! That doesn't sound like many, but some of you know that I'm on a reading journey. If you want to learn more about how I'm trying to read more, you can check out this post.
I don't want to spoil the book... but...
I'm fascinated by Hudson Taylor's beginning years. His parents prayed that if they had a son that he would one day become a missionary to China. He would say as young as 9, 10, or 11 years old, "Mom, Dad, when I get older, I'm going to be a missionary to China." His parents had not pushed him toward this thought or even mentioned their prayers to him.
His teen years consisted of apathy toward God and somewhat of a disbelief of ideas he'd been taught his whole life. However, when God a hold of his heart - he couldn't resist the pull to this particular people group.
Hudson Taylor blazed the way to a people group that hadn't been focused upon before. I'm reading through the book, trying to keep track of dates but frankly just enjoying reading. I kept losing track of where in the timeline of his life I was. I had completed many chapters, and he had already been very successful in reaching China, starting evangelistic opportunities, and socializing himself among the Chinese people. Then I read the words, "At 25,..."All this, and he's only 25?! I feel like he could've quit at 30 and called himself successful.
One of my favorite parts of Hudson's ministry was his emphasis on the Chinese culture within his evangelistic work. He got in arguments with many other missionaries to China about their clothing and habits. Hudson felt it best to be a part of the culture as much as possible, and others thought they should emphasize their English nationalities. Taylor wanted not just to throw the Bible at them, but he wanted to become them.
In his later years, Hudson struggled from a mental and physical breakdown. I find this most valuable to know because it's real and raw. He spent hours upon hours evangelizing, escaping abuse, and administrative duties with the CIM in his later years. He'd lost many family members including his first wife and many of his sweet children. His second wife also died before him. Maybe we could make the argument that he should've slowed down before having a breakdown, but we can only trust that he was following the Lord's leading and that God used his breakdown to love and guide him.
I'd like to quote the last paragraph in the book to sum up how God used Hudson (p 206).
"At the time of Hudson's death over eight hundred missionaries partnered with more than two thousand native pastors, evangelists, and Bible women in proclaiming the gospel at a thousand CIM stations and out-stations. In his lifetime 1.5 million pounds (equaling 7.5 million dollars) had been given to the mission to support the evangelization of inland China. A a result, thirty thousand Chinese had become Christians through the ministry of the China Inland Mission."
China is currently completely closed to so called "Christian missionaries," but the work of Christ in China is very much alive! I'm sure much of this can be traced back to God's use of Hudson Taylor.
About the book...
My parents gave me the "Heroes of the Faith" series for Christmas. I've looked for it everywhere, but I actually don't think the set is being published anymore. They're randomly online on thrift stores and through third parties on Amazon.
This set of books is targeted to ages 8-12, but I personally feel 8 would be a little too young because there are some bigger vocabulary words. If your younger student would like to read this, I would suggest going a little slower with it and include vocabulary study and checking comprehension.
So why did I read it if it's for kids? This book has a wealth of information! The biography follows Taylor through his entire life and the huge impact that he had in China. I find the facts informative and the overall writing a glory to the name of Christ.
Since I can't find a specific place to buy this set or even this book, I did find this one from Christian Book Distributors, which is similar.
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I hope you find an encouraging Christian biography to read! Share with me what you're reading!
Lizzy 💜
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