Our friend and student in ESSA seminary in South Africa.
BOOKS WORTH BORROWING OR OWNING:
Walking with the Poor, Bryant Myers: Plenty of people who read this say it changed their life. Might want to try it.
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Ron Sider. A classic get-the-church-moving book.
Cross-Cultural Connections, Duane Elmer: Excellent advice on all you should know for cross-cultural ministry, including building trust, communicating, culture shock, reentry and more.
Economic Development, Todaro and Smith. An amazing textbook on developing countries. You don’t have to be an economist, you don’t have to be taking a course, you just have to be serious about tackling issues to read this 850-page text.
Funding Your Ministry, Scott Morton: How to ask people for the money your ministry requires without doubting or hating yourself.
Understanding Folk Religion, Paul Hiebert: If my chapter on Ernest the traditional healer has peaked your interest in sangomas and traditional folk religious practices, here’s plenty more food for thought from the experts in the field.
The Missionary Movement in Christian History, Andrew Walls: It’s like a 60-ounce steak for missionaries—so hearty and so good and so much meat to chew on.
Africa Doesn’t Matter, Giles Bolton: Written by an English bloke working for a huge aid agency in Rwanda. Easy to understand insight into the what the developed world can and can’t (or doesn’t) do for Africa.
Radical Reformission, Mark Driscoll: A reality check for North Americans to see our own culture, hungry and needy as anywhere, and hearty insights into how churchy-types can connect to unchurched-types.
The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne: Another must-read book for everyday activists anywhere. Sofi (in the book) read the whole thing in a day.
Faith Like Potatoes, Angus Buchan: One of the most popular Christian speakers and writers in South Africa is an unlikely fellow: a potato farmer of Scottish heritage named Angus. There’s a movie about him that’s good, not cheesy, and his book will either make you want to buy a huge orange truck and travel around Africa preaching, or plant more potatoes, or other such adventures for Jesus.
The New Friars, Scott Bessenecker. Evidence that being incarnational is trendy, and why we should be glad it is.
When Helping Hurts, Corbett and Fikkert. Great, practical thoughts for anyone interested in microfinance, thinking of going on missions trips, organizing a mercy ministries team, or wondering how to help.
Submerge, John Hayes. Beautiful thoughts on living out an authentic, getting involved with the people who need help, beneath the surface of shallow living
OTHER BOOKS I JUST LIKE HAVING AROUND, ESPECIALLY OVERSEAS:
Good Poems, and Good Poems for Hard Times, compiled by Garrison Keillor. Books that go with us everywhere in the world and are the most delicious perspective-renewing medicine you’ll find, even if you think you hate poetry.
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook: Anybody want to go on a dirt road motorcycle trip? Me, me me! Here’s tips on how.
The Country Living Encyclopedia, Carla Emory: The most amazing and friendly book on how to do everything yourself that you’ll ever find. Make coffee from acorns, plant an herb garden, raise goats…
The More with Less Cookbook: This has also traveled around the world with me. Old fashioned but oh-so-relevant Mennonite wisdom on how and why to eat simply and joyfully, and the recipes to make it happen, even when you’re in a place without cheese (Lanzhou China) or whole wheat flour (South Africa).
While I’m on the topic of recipes, if you have gone the way of just looking up recipes online, check the Foodie Farm Girl for an always happy and wholesome recipe searching experience. I was hooked since I found the caramelized beets recipe.
Where there is no Doctor: One of I’m sure plenty of well-made community health books with simple pictures, addressing health issues people in rural poverty face. Available in lots of languages. We diagnosed my husband’s malaria and giardia in Nicaragua with it.
The Brothers Karamozov, Dostoyevsky: Someone once recommended to me that in going overseas always have one good and very long book that you can read more than once. This one qualifies.
Tell Me a Story, Tony Campolo. He has plenty more books, but here’s one to start with.
Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster. Read it again and again.
The Bible.
