A tiny needle in the almighty hand of God' - this phrase captures the wonder of this challenging story. I really enjoyed the overview of decades of service, illustrating the fruit that comes from prayerful passion for mission. However, it is long after the seed is sown that any fruit appears and Dick Anderson is very honest in sharing the buffetings and personal struggles as well as the blessings he and his wife, Joan, experienced along the way.

Going to work among the Turkana in a remote part of Kenya, the barriers of culture, language, discomfort and misunderstanding seem huge. Add the spiritual battle and the need to subject his family to a multitude of risks (there is a heart-rending account of his daughter nearly dying) and the chance of establishing a new church appears hopeless. Yet, the thrill of the book is to revisit the same area decades later and to see the fruit of vibrant fellowships and growing maturity.

In addition to his account of pioneering work for Africa Inland Mission in Kenya, Mozambique, Comoro Islands, Sudan, Seychelles and Chad, there are honest and helpful chapters on leadership (a really tough period of being criticised), team working and the impact on his family. Heart-warming pen portraits of Africans, both patients and fellowworkers, move the story from mere history to mission with all its tides of encouragements and disappointments.

From the colonial era to the present, the context changes but the challenges remain. Poverty and treatable diseases confront our complacency, whilst the call to share the good Books news of Christ is still compelling. Be challenged: 'when the offering reached 105 shillings [about £1.20] their joy knew no bounds'. Be inspired: 'precious saints, often unshod and clad only in rags, lifting hands to God in joyful worship'. May this book fan into flame the fire in our bones too!

Reviewed by:
Ian Spillman
Consultant Paediatrician, Cheshire
Previously Medical Superintendent Kisiizi Hospital, Uganda with Tear Fund