Lottie Moon is the most famous Southern Baptist missionary of all time. Shortly after her death, an annual Christmas offering bearing her name was established to help fund mission work around the world. Despite her fame, very little substantive material is available about her life. Christian Focus Publications just released a title that helps fill that void: Lottie Moon: Changing China for Christ by Nancy Drummond.
I had heard some about Lottie Moon, but even a short children’s book filled me in on so much more. She was a trickster in her youth who mocked religion only to succumb to God’s drawing. After her sister went to China to serve as a missionary, Lottie joined her less than a year later. She served where others, including her sister, fell too ill to stay. The missionary life was challenging in China in the late 1800s. Westerners with little preparation to live in a vastly different culture often suffered bouts of debilitating depression. She saw colleagues married on the field who would either die or leave the field a short time later. She lived through the American Civil War. She came much closer to danger during the Boxer Rebellion in China.
This small, 160-page book is perfect for middle school-aged kids. The chapters are short enough to give young readers a feeling of accomplishment as they work through the book. There’s humor, joy, sadness, and awe. Girls will especially be inspired by Lottie’s courage. She wrote back to the States and called for more workers and more funds. She made her voice heard at a time when women didn’t even have the right to vote.
I highly recommend this book. Find a way to share it with the young people at your church. Use it as a giveaway at AWANA or Girls in Action or Royal Ambassadors. Highlight it in the lead up to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. People should know who this woman was because she laid it all out for the sake of Christ.
I received a review copy of this book from Christian Focus Publications.