First Book Review!

Honey, We're Going to Africa by Harvey Thomas Hoekstra. Reviewed by Sam(antha).

I found this book in an op shop in Geelong for $1. It was definitely worth the money! It isn't easy found (though you can buy online) but if anyone wants to read they can borrow (read, return to me) mine. It now is published under the title From Knotted Strings to Talking Bibles

This book is about how Harvey and Lavinia Hoekstra became missionaries in Sudan and Ethopia. There are heaps of interesting (including gross) stories and information on the different people groups they ministered to. The story tells of the time where the cassette and aural ways of ministering to people in their native tongues, and their role in it.

This book goes into both the hardships and the blessings of being a missionary, and documents some of the effects on the native population of being in a pagan culture and then how their lives and culture changed dramatically as a result of significant numbers of people coming to Christ. For those of us who have friends who say how "happy" the Africans all were before Christians came (and yes, I've had more than a few conversations allong that line) this book will give you an insight into the truth on this matter.

There are also some small snapshots of family life - and it's interesting to note that at the time of writing 3 of his 6 children were also missionaries (the book was published in 1995, and I believe that one of his sons was as yet still at college.)

Harvey T. Hoekstra has a blog! Visit it at:
http://godspeaksinmylanguage.blogspot.com/

His book is available online as an audio book at http://www.audioscriptures.org/files/knotted-strings/knotted-strings.htm