| Title | : | Lords of the Earth |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0830705295 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780830705290 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 |
| Publication | : | First published October 1, 1977 |
Lords of the Earth Reviews
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"The people there struck him as furtive, haunted. Their eyes lacked expression, like little holes leading to nothingness.....what was it that was lost beyond these ranges and possibly waiting for him? Perhaps hundreds of thousands of them. In hundreds of unexplored valleys. Warring and struggling to survive. Disease wracked and demon haunted."
Another really great book that I found hard to put down.
Lords of the Earth is by the author of Peace Child and is written in a similar style but it relates to a different tribal group. I find it incredible that the author has managed to gather so much detail for this story having not been regularly present amongst this people group himself.
The naked "Yali" cannibals lived in the darkness of Irian Jaya's snow mountains. They called themselves "lords of the earth." But the reality was somewhat different as they lived in terror and bondage to their spirit world, regularly sacrificing tribe members, including children, to appease their gods. Stan Dale an Australian missionary entered their domain with his wife and family and things would never be the same.
Dale had been dramatically converted at a young age, it was whilst he was serving in the military that he caught a glimpse of the tribal people he would later return to live and work amongst. He began asking himself some searching questions:
"When Jesus died on the cross was it not for them as well? When He arose from the dead, was it not to give new life to them also? And when He said 'Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,' did He mean to exclude them?....No they are included, Stanley reasoned. But the Church of Christ had failed.....'Lord you may have better men for such a job,' he whispered in prayer. 'But if they're not willing, try me."
Dale's fearlessness and boldness won many battles initially
"Bruno prayed as Stan advanced to meet the warriors....Stan abruptly asked if they were ready to make peace with Balinga. His tone of voice by design, implied that they had no choice....But thousands of Yali, together with Bruno, doubted that this small stranger who still had no knowledge of Yali language or ways, could persuade such confirmed enemies as the two opposite alliances of the Heluk to make peace. At least not during his first 24 hours in the valley! ....The old war chiefs responded as if making peace was the very thing they had intended all along. The leaders of Balinga also assented as if they had no choice....somehow the shock of Stan and Bruno's bizarre third-person presence enabled them to see their war problem in a new light...and it would be pleasant for a change to work one's gardens without fear of ambush. In any case, it seemed very likely that these two odd beings were spirits whose command one dare not refuse."
After his initial triumph, Dale's commission did not go according to his plan. But the plan of Another is easily discernible through the pages of this book. In our finite minds we can wonder at the loss of life/terrible tragedies necessary to win an uncivilised people group for Christ. But, Dale had it right when he asked "Did He mean to exclude the Yali people" from the possibility of eternal life in heaven?... Of course not.
I highly recommend this book BUT the violence/cannibalism is extremely graphic (more so than Peace Child) and may upset some readers. The language is clean and there is no sexual content. -
I thought I wouldn't enjoy this one as much as
Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century, but I was surprised when I actually liked it better. The beginning was much like Peace Child, making it at first a little difficult to get into, but after a the first part I was hooked. A few times I felt there were details that had been missed, although as a whole it didn't effect the story.
Everyone has different definitions of heroes. Of course, generically a hero is one who risks his life to save someone else or for the good of others. But what about missionary heroes? People like Jim Elliott and others have died because they wanted to win souls to Christ. That amazes and convicts me. Do I care enough about the souls of others to die for my beliefs?
I really appreciate Stan and the other missionaries strength as they faced the Yali tribes in New Guinea. I liked how Stan didn't try to use the tribes traditions and beliefs to coincide with the Bible. He said what they did was wrong and stood by that.
Oh, and the part with Paul Newman was just so sweet. I have to admit while reading this I had to remind myself it really did happen. It isn't a fictional story. It shows how God uses everything, even little things, for His good!
I don't think anyone can read this without feeling anything. Maybe others won't get as much out of it as I did, but it is a great missionary book to find and read. I would recommend to 16/17+ because of some of the tribal content. -
So yesterday I was going through my random stacks of books and bookshelves trying to find a book to blog about and I decided this one would spark some interest. I was given this book to me about a month ago by my history teacher. One of the reasons I find this book interesting is that not only does it talk about the lives of natives, called the Yali, of an island in Indonesia; but it talks about the missionary work of my history teacher's father (my history teacher was also born in Indonesia). Yep that's right, my history teacher's father is in this book along with some pictures of the tribes people and the missionaries with their families. Pretty cool, huh?
Onto the book, there is a preface, an intorduction, 4 parts, 20 chapters, a postscript, and a biblography. Part one is from the point of view of the Yali, while in part two we see alot about Stanley Dale. The last two parts are from the missionaries point of veiws. In the middle of the book we see the pictures.
What I liked: I loved learning about the Yali's culture and reading about how brave the missionaries were including my teacher's dad. The story was very interesting and I liked how part of it was from the Yali's point of view and the other part of it was from the missionaries.
What I thought could have been different: There were some points where I skipped over because I wanted the story to get to the action. I understand telling of the people's life stories but it got long at times.
Overall: This was very good and I recommend it! -
Such a good, good true stoyr. I listened to a sermon series on Stanely Dale, and I knew I just had to read the book. Powerful! 💯 Such and incredible story of how God changed the Yali people. Stanley's courage and boldness is incredible. To be (spoiler) shot with nearly 100 arrows when normally one would cause a person to collapse, and to keep pulling them out and snapping them in half. Stanely died a remarkable death. 😭His endurance is astounding. It could only be from God.
The first part of this book escribes the Yali life, faith and culture in detail - their cannibalistic ways, their demonic religion. Several deaths happen at the end of the book, and they are pretty graphic. Suggested for 16+ or with careful parental guidance. -
It’s been years since my first reading of this book, and now, with a second reading, I think I can finally put into words just what troubled me about it. I completely forgot that Stan and Phil were martyred. All I remembered were the long graphic descriptions of the pagan lifestyle before they came, and the conflicts Stan had with others. Even the second time through, it felt that the dark demon tortured past was far more focused than the eventual freedom of the Gospel. That left the whole story feeling very dark. Not that it isn’t a glorious story of souls saved and lives transformed. There is great joy as the Gospel frees whole families from the terrifying bondage of servitude to the devil. But, as it moves from the long death-filled backstory to Stan’s conflict-riddled ministry, briefly rests on the conflicts and persecution suffered by the new believers, followed with a long description of the martyrdom, and then rushes through the conclusion barely touching on all the work in-between, it becomes increasingly less personal. Oh, there are spots here and there when the author stops and focuses again on an individual, but not for very long, and not really on their response to the Gospel, but rather, again, on their dark past.
That all may have been aggravated by the novelized style of the opening. The author fills in thoughts and dialogue making it flow smoothly in all its terror and sadness. It then rather abruptly switches to a less personal more scattered chronicle of events with much less detail and emotion. But those details don’t really share the Gospel along the way. It’s just an abrupt statement that people were coming to church, then they are being baptized or burning fetishes, etc. It made their glorious transformations seem to be missing a vital step.
So it’s worth reading if you can keep the end in sight, but it is a very heavy one to read. -
Cultural anthropology. Respect. Adventure. Tragedy. Commitment. These are some of the words that come to mind after experiencing this book. The author somehow manages to give a delightful and respectful insight into the uniqueness of the Yali culture while also telling the riveting story of their evangelization.
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Lords of the Earth is a gripping account of Christian missionaries, Stanley Dale and Bruno de Leeuw, and their first contact with the Yali tribes-people of the high mountains of Irian Jaya (Dutch New Guinea). The Yali were a hard-edged warrior dominated society that eked out a primitive existence in the steep walled valleys that protected them from civilization. These occasional cannibals had their world and cosmology utter shaken by the appearance of the two RBMU (Regions Beyond Missionary Union) missionaries and native guides that trekked into their valleys in 1961. Over the next decade, these people saw their warring sectarianism replaced by a loving peace taught by the Christian gospel.
Stan Dale is the main protagonist of this hard-to-believe true story. Starting from very humble beginnings in Australia, he fought his way into becoming a smart, strong, but often equally brash soldier. His conversion to Christianity was followed shortly by a call to the mission fields of Papua New Guinea. However, his sternness and treatment of others led him to being let go from not one but two different missionary societies. But when in his third stint on the island he went to the Yali people, he finally found the field God had prepared him for.
This account is filled with some absolutely cringe-filled moments as Stan charges into situations that he had no understanding of the underlying context. The greatest lesson this book imparts is that God can use anyone and their foibles for His work. Richardson’s portrayal of him – drawn from many firsthand accounts and his own acquaintance – paint a fair picture of the man. Sometimes this is to his detriment, but also the reader sees how he was uniquely suited for this challenging assignment. His supporting cast of missionaries and native tribesmen are impressive in their resolve to break the power of spirit worship. I don’t want to spoil the story, but it truly is amazing from where it starts to where it ends.
The thing I loved most was the view into this primitive people’s lives. Their beliefs, their thoughts, the way the villages are arranged appeal deeply to my anthropological curiosities. These black pygmy cliff dwellers reveal their humanity even in the most uncivilized ways. The reader feels drawn to them in the same way the missionaries were.
The book on a whole isn’t as strong as Richardson’s autobiographical account in his book Peace Child, but those who love to read compelling stories of Christ’s work will enjoy this. The events in this story are barely fifty years old. They should be an inspiration to many.
7 stars out of 10
Red Eagle's Legacy -
Mission trips have a tendency to be romanticized; going abroad somewhere new, leaving all your daily humdrum tasks behind, and embarking on an adventure are false appeals to some who think about the mission field. Many people, of course, are aware that mission means lying down your own comfort and life to glorify and bring honor to God, all by sharing the gospel with people who have yet heard it in hopes that they too would come to know Christ. Don Richardson wrote this biography to tell the story of his friend and colleague, Stan, and others who helped him embark on the unchartered territory in attempt to reach the Yali warriors, a cannibalistic people who were trapped, stifled, and enslaved by the spirits they served.
By learning about Stan and Phil’s life, along with Bruno’s sacrifice, we share in remembering what devote soldiers they were, along with their wives, in a war a lot of people are unaware of or choose not to think about, the spiritual war. In death, there was life, the life of Christ in those who Stan, Bruce, and later Phil set out to reach. May those who lost their life then, and continue to do so, rest in peace with their Savior. -
Love or cannibalism
I found this a hard book to read simply because cannibalism itself is so ghastly. On the other hand, how beautiful to see people choose freely to abandon cannibalism and embrace a God and lifestyle of love, including a love of enemies. How refreshing to see people choose peace and harmony with God and others over rage and hatred. Isn’t this a lesson for North America? Including a lesson to the religious of all stripes? Can’t we have a God of love and peace again who values everyone? Can we have a Jesus back who really has a heart for every single person? The courage of the messengers in this story is a magnificent testimony of giving yourself for others even if it means giving your all. I’m humbled by their sacrifice. And love. -
Sebenarnya yang saya baca bukan versi Inggris, tapi Indonesia. Saya cantumkan yang berbahasa Inggris, karena tidak berhasil menemukan versi Indonesia di Goodreads.
Penguasa-Penguasa Bumi, Don Richardson ( versi Indonesia).
Sejujurnya saya kewalahan membaca pada halaman-halaman awal. Salah satunya karena istilah-istilah Yali yang dipakai Don. Tiba-tiba ada kembu-vam, dokwi-vam, kembu, yogwa, osuwa, homia, domil-mil. Padahal, di sisi lain, saya belum juga berhasil menghafal nama-nama tokoh yang seakan-akan berebut tempat dalam satu halaman. Selain itu, saya merasa cerita kian mencekam, bahkan sebelum mencapai halaman 90-an dari 444. Semakin kewalahan.
Tapi seperti ada yang mendorong saya untuk terus membaca, meski pelan-pelan. Cerita yang bagi saya “cukup gelap” itu mulai meluntur pada bagian dua: Di Balik Pegunungan. Lalu muncul sanjak Rudyard Kipling yang membuat perasaan campur-aduk ketika membaca baris-barisnya untuk pertama kali. Beberapa kali bahkan seperti sedang menjadi Stanley Albert Dale (Stan Dale), tokoh utama yang hari-harinya mirip dengan baris-baris dalam sanjak Kipling. Sanjak “Seandainya”. If.
“..Seandainya engkau dapat berpikir, tetapi tidak mengukuhi pikiran sebagai sasaran
Seandainya engkau dapat tenang menghadapi kemenangan ataupun kehancuran
Dan memperlakukan kedua penipu itu sama saja;
Seandainya engkau dapat tahan mendengar kebenaran yang telah kauucapkan
Diputarbalikkan oleh orang-orang jahat untuk dijadikan perangkap bagi orang-orang bodoh;
Atau melihat apa yang kaukasihi dengan segenap jiwamu dipatahkan orang,
Lalu engkau membungkuk untuk memungut dan memperbaikinya dengan alat-alat yang sudah usang;
…”
Stan adalah mantan Anggota angkatan Darat Australia yang kemudian, hingga akhir hidupnya, setia melayani kebutuhan rohani suku Yali di Distrik Ninia, Lembah Heluk, dataran tinggi Papua. Waktunya pada 1961 hingga menjelang 1970.
Ia terbang jauh dari Sydney untuk membuka mata suku Yali, bahwa ada kekuatan yang jauh lebih besar dan baik dibandingkan segala jimat dalam yogwa-yogwa (rumah tempat pria Yali biasa beraktivitas dan menyimpan senjata) mereka. Ia ingin suku Yali merasakan Tuhan, bukan roh-roh Kembu.
Namun, tentu saja, usaha Stan tidak berjalan lancar. Tapi ia tak pernah menyerah. Ia naik turun lembah, masuk keluar desa, berhari-hari, dengan hanya berbekal ubi. Kalau boleh saya bilang, tidak banyak orang pada masa sekarang yang bisa melakukan apa yang diperbuatnya.
Ada beberapa kalimat Don –yang bagi saya- telah mempermudah bayangan pembaca terhadap sosok dan kehidupan para misonaris (khususnya Stan) di Lembah Heluk. Kalimat itu berupa beberapa bagian sanjak Seandainya, juga yang saya temukan pada halaman 353:
“Orang yang hidup seperti Stan dan Phil (Phil Masters, rekan Stan) tidak mempunyai “daging lebih” pada tubuhnya.”
Stan dan Phil meninggal dunia di dekat suatu air terjun di Desa Seng. Napas mereka habis sepenuhnya, setelah dihujani puluhan anak panah yang dilepaskan para tokoh perang Desa Seng. Tragis. Sangat menyedihkan. Buku baik. Cerita nyata yang… gila… luar biasa.
Salam hormat untuk orang-orang dari negeri jauh yang rela menanggalkan banyak hal demi kebaikan di tanah kami. -
What glorious stories our Author tells!
I read (and loved) a couple other Don Richardson books decades ago, but missed this one. I'm glad I finally found it. Stan Dale probably wouldn't make it past the review boards of most mission sending agencies these days, and there'd be good reason for their skepticism, but he was God's man for the Yali people.
Before he encountered Christ, Dale's life was profoundly shaped by Kipling's poem "If." The poem was quoted in the book, and I've just reread it, and I think it might have served our hero better had it included a stanza about being a little more gracious toward those who are weaker or have different convictions. IOW, Dale was a bit of a jerk at times. But still...he was exactly how God designed him for the calling He gave him. The rough edges were a byproduct of the uncompromising toughness and faithfulness he exemplified. He was exactly the right character for the story.
But then, the story flips on its head.
I'd especially recommend this book for boys...with fatherly guidance. It would yield many fruitful discussions about true (and false) masculinity.
The audiobook reader was good. -
Lords of The Earth is a true story that tells the captivating story about the daring missionaries, Stan Dale and Bruno deLeeuw, as they trekked into the mysterious Snowy Mountains to reach the Yali people and share the gospel to them.Along the way, they faced opposition from the kembu priests, trials in building an airstrip, and faced countless near death experiences. However, through it all, their faith in God never wavered nor did their vision for this lost valley was ever forgotten. I really enjoyed reading Lords of the Earth. I was inspired and challenged by Stan Dale's perseverance through trials. This book also opened my eyes to how rough the early missionaries had it. My dad visited the Yali people group and this was what inspired my Dad to be involved in missions. So the book hit close to home for me. Lords of the Earth includes a lot of action and has its suspenseful moments. In addition, Lords of the Earth takes place in Irian Jaya which is just across the border from Papua New Guinea and it was interesting to see how the Yali people's culture was like compared to the culture here in Papua New Guinea. A highlight in the book for me was seeing the change in the Yali people when they moved out of their dark world and believed and accepted Christ into their hearts. I would highly recommend this book to anyone because it is a good reminder to us all the the Bible is worth dieing for.
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Wow, what an eye-opener. The first-hand accounts in this book show you how dark and oppressive life is without the truth of the Gospel and how wonderful that transforming truth is! The Yali tribes are trapped in a merciless, violent culture with no way of escape. Stan Dale is a rough, tough missionary who is willing to trek into the heart of the jungle to share the truth of the gospel with these isolated cannibals. Just as his courage will inspire you, the effect of his sacrifice will remind you just how powerful the message of the Gospel really is.
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Somewhat of a sequel to Peace Child, Mr. Richardson again captures the reader with his vivid retelling of the missionary work among the Yali tribal people of Irian Jaya. The story this time centers on the work of missionary Stan Dale. It is at different times heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping, and awe-inspiring. Books like this do a great deal to help broaden my perspective and understanding of God’s work throughout the whole world.
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A great blessing. This book is a little more intense than Peace Child. The blood of martyrs was the price of admission to the Seng valley. It is sobering to think on these events taking place a little more than forty years ago. We did this as a family read-aloud and I highly recommend it.
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God can move mountains to reach the lost of this world if His people will only go forth.
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A truly amazing story
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This book was awesome. I have never read a book like this one before. It was very inspiring to read how God works through the people in this book.
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This is the book that explains the martyrdom of Crissie's dad, Phil Masters. We know that some parts are not totally accurate, but it's still a story worth reading.
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Gripping story. First few chapters of the book were hard to understand with the layout. However once the narrator starts talking about Stan and Bruno, the first few chapters make sense later on. Highly recommend this book.
One quote that stood out from this book: " When Christian proclamation does not adapt to culture but requires total change, it makes the decision very hard. Sometimes entailing martyrdom. The result is that belief becomes deep rooted and deviation is less when winds of social change come along later." This quote was said in conversation when the missionaries were deciding on what to do with the existing religion in the tribes. One thought was to try to adapt into the witchcraft culture. But the missionaries were quick to realize this was a watered down version of Christianity that they would be presenting. This quote says that the more an initial cost of Christianity is, the stronger ones faith will be later. Not if there is social change, but when there is social change. Social change is guaranteed. -
Gripping! I don’t want to spoil the story, so I will just say that I found this book to be incredibly moving. What a testimony to the power of the Gospel!
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Wow. I’ve read so many stories of missionaries and the people groups they ministered to, but I don’t know of any that have impacted me quite like this. I had a hard time putting this book down. Well written, Richardson’s novel chronicles the Yali people’s journey to the gospel through the boldness of Stan Dale. This story can evoke a rollercoaster of emotions. Although I recommend this book, I don’t know if someone more sensitive would make it to the end or even through the first few chapters. I will say it is a graphic book, which could be upsetting to some readers.
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That moment when I realise I'm not that brave and I haven't made much of a difference.
So humbled.
Don Richardson is an incredibly gifted story teller. In this book he honours the stories of Yali - "the lord's of the earth" as well as Stanley Dale and many brave & daring missionaries.
"Rallying tattered shreds of his spirit, Stan fought off unconsciousness and forced himself to walk. Holding his hands, his Yali friends guided him." -
An excerpt:
"Look,Stan!" Bruno pointed at the slopes below Yabi's ridgetop position. Armed Yali men were streaming down.
"Here's more coming from this side," Stan added, pointing to an equally well-armed host of Kobak men descending from the southeast.
"And here come the Balinga men led by Suwi," offered a Dani in his own tongue.
"Our peace move better work, Bruno," Stan said calmly, "or there's going to be one terrible battle fought right where we're standing."
"Lords of the Earth" is Don Richardson's nonfiction account of Stanley Dale, an audacious Australian missionary, and his colleagues bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a tribe in the 1960s. The people are the Yali, a stone-age, violent, sometimes cannibalistic tribe in the Snow Mountains of what was known as Dutch New Guinea when the book begins and became known as Irian Jaya after the Indonesian government took over.
It's now better known as Papua Indonesia, a gorgeous part of the world I had the privilege of visiting for a couple of weeks in 2011. My friends there brought the Gospel to the Moi, another previously unreached group, in the early 2000s, a work that's still in progress. Comparing what little I know of the Moi with the great deal Richardson tells about the Yali was one of the fascinating aspects of this book for me.
Although Stanley Dale is the central figure in the book, we don't meet him until the seventh chapter. Richardson uses the first six chapters to introduce us to the Yali people, so we really feel like we know them by the time Dale arrives on the scene. We learn that they are deeply religious, but it is a religion based entirely on fear. Richardson doesn't tell us this, he shows it to us. He expertly tells his story in narrative form, making it spellbinding.
I like that Richardson doesn't gloss over the conflicts among missionaries. Although Dale was fearless, resourceful and passionate in reaching the lost, he wasn't the easiest person to work with. He had been dismissed by two previous missionary agency before a third accepted him for the work in Irian Jaya. Perhaps he was most effective at establishing a beachhead. From the text, it seemed like more actual progress was made when he was away.
"Lords of the Earth," illustrated with grainy, black-and-white pictures and maps that are hard to understand, is a great adventure story. It's a hard book to put down.
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Lords of the Earth by Don Richardson, published in 1977, is a spellbinding account of missionary Stan Dale and Bruno deLeeuw (and others) who entered the remote world of the Yali cannibals of Irian Jaya Indonesia to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Yali called themselves “men of power….lords of the earth.” As the introduction states: “Yali males bowed to no one and needed nothing.”
Stan, fearless in the face of incredible danger – boldly entered the remote Heluk Valley and lived among the Yali tribe with his gentle fellow missionary, Bruno. Later Stan’s wife and four children join them. They had no idea how complex and hazardous their journey would be.
This beautifully written book describes the Yali tribe and their beliefs in kembu spirits which required rituals to cleanse and initiate young boys into the fraternity of the male tribal leaders. Kembu also required the sacrifice/killing of any female straying on to sacred ground as well as sacrifice/killing for other offenses against kembu laws.
Stan Dale’s childhood abuse by his atheistic drunken father and bullying by his school mates fueled his determination to learn how to be strong. He became physically and mentally strong, even tough – and then came to know Christ. On the mission field he chose the most difficult assignment and acted boldly in the face all obstacles.
There are unexpected twists and turns, victories and defeats in this true story of the courage and commitment of missionaries to fulfill their calling. This is an exciting, amazing account and will encourage and enlighten all Christians who read it. Check out your church library – it may be there. -
I owned this book for a year and kept pushing it aside simply because I wanted to be in the right mindset to read it and also because most of the missionary books I have read have had larger text and were smaller, so the idea of a book about missionaries that was nearing 400 pages kept me away.
Now that I did read it, which I read it in four days because I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next, I am sad I didn't read it earlier!
I love how Don Richardson paints us perfect pictures of tribes and areas of land and events that took place from various perspectives of missionaries and those who were once cannibal warriors.
He starts out the story of things that happened because of the spirits that controlled the tribal peoples of the various areas of Irian Jaya who were unreached with the gospel or were just starting to be reached. The stories are pretty graphic and are done where it will horrify you enough to feel saddened by how these people were oppressed by spiritual darkness.
Mr. Richardson begins to tell us about a man named Stan Dale and his venture towards Christianity from an atheist upbringing in Australia and how he came to feel drawn towards the mission field of those who never heard the gospel before. The journey is pretty in depth and gets you excited to find out what is going to happen.
The entire outcome is how God transformed tribes that once fought each other and instead brought peace to that land through various events. It was very heartbreaking and sad with a happy outcome.
If you like Missionary stories as I do, this is definitely one to read. -
Right on the heels of Peace Child, I picked up this book. While Lords of the Earth is a great story, it's not as fascinating or compelling as its predecessor. I suspect this has to do with Don Richardson writing the story second- and third-hand, rather than from first-hand experience as in Peace Child.
The missionary this time around, Stan Dale, is a far different character than Don Richardson. Stan is, in a word, bold. It gets him in trouble sometimes, but it's obvious that God sent him to work in some of the harshest conditions with a tribe even more violent and resistant than Don Richardson's Sawi (and this is saying something). While I related less with Stan, and even found I disliked him in certain portions, he is portrayed as a human that God uses in major ways--and this is encouraging. Stan's lack of fear is inspiring.
I missed the descriptions of the jungle, intricacies of the culture, and tight storytelling that were all present in Peace Child. In addition, I got lost in all the names of both the tribes and the missionaries and felt bogged down.
It's unfortunate, since the underlying story is really quite interesting. Further, it was amazing to see God working in yet another stone-age tribe, especially one that had so few footholds as the Yali. I enjoyed seeing Stan press on, undaunted by setbacks. The book is probably worth reading for those reasons alone, but don't expect as tightly written a story as Peace Child -
This book gave me an increased burden to pray for people groups still unreached with the gospel, and to seek out opportunities to fund missions in those places.
It took a couple of chapters before I really got into the book, but I really liked that Richardson shared the historical account from the Yali perspective first, then added in the missionary perspective. I think understanding the beliefs and customs of the Yali really helped me to see why future events happened the way they did.
My only complaints would be that there are several typos, particularly with commas (appearing where they shouldn't, or not appearing where they should, making the reading a little more difficult). Also, the chapter lengths are very inconsistent; some chapters are 8 pages, others are 30 pages - this makes it difficult to gauge how long it will take me to get through each chapter and schedule my reading time accordingly. (I hate having to stop in the middle of a chapter!)
It was worth the read, though!
