Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China

Christian Heroes: Then & Now #16

by Janet Benge, Geoff Benge

In a twist that only God could orchestrate, this spirited young girl who grew up to become the most educated woman in the American South would ultimately find her calling as a missionary to China. As Lottie watched her fellow missionaries fall to disease, exhaustion, mental breakdowns, and death, she became just as dedicated to educating Christians about the often preventable tragedies of missionary life as she was to educating Chinese people about the Christian life.

The sacrificial service of the unforgettable Lottie Moon has inspired and enabled countless others to give their all for the dream of seeing the whole world reached with the gospel (1840-1912).

Genres: Biography, Christian, Nonfiction, History, China, Christianity, Childrens

205 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2001

About the author

Janet and Geoff Benge are a husband and wife writing team with twenty years of writing experience. They are best known for the books in the two series Christian Heroes: Then & Now series and Heroes of History. Janet is a former elementary school teacher. Geoff holds a degree in history. Together they have a passion to make history come alive for a new generation. Originally from New Zealand, the Benges make their home in the Orlando, Florida, area.

Reviews

[Libby Valerio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just so good.

[Leah Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lottie Moon spent her childhood as a pampered, antibellum girl with a decided disregard for religion and grew into a woman willing to endure great discomfort and risk her life to spread the good news of the gospel.

I have grown up enjoying the Benge's straight forward narratives of missionary lives. Their simple writing style remained the same, and Lottie's life story is an inspiring one.

[Tara Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lottie Moon's story is captivating as the stories of her faithful obedience both convict and inspire the reader. While the writing was not my favorite, as many details felt overly fabricated, the content was stunning. Her selfless sacrifices are models to every Christian who is striving to live a life for Christ. I hope her story will always live on! Consider giving sacrificially to her Christmas offering this year!

[Tanner Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating life; especially in regard to her contribution to missionary practices(such as furlough).

She died on Christmas Eve 1912 - hence the offering many are familiar with every year.

But the book was kinda good at best.

[Tami Hungerford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that Lottie. I never heard of her until we moved to Virginia. She’s a native to the area but her heart was always for the lost in China. Inspiring. Might go see her monument and burial site while we live here.

[Katherine Riendeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to rate. Maybe 3.5? I love these books as introductions to missionaries for my girls. The depiction of brave, self-sacrificing, Jesus loving women is perfect for them. This one was problematic for me at the beginning - Lottie grew up in a slave-owning family on a plantation in the south and there was a good bit of lost cause narrative. I very much admire Lottie’s character and wish her love of those who are so vastly different than her has been contrasted more thoughtfully with her upbringing.

[J F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar thoughts to the Judson book as far as writing.

What's interesting to me is just how educated all these early missionaries are. I actually read this in December, so my memory is a little hazy. But it was something like she was one of the first women to get a Masters of Arts degrees by a southern university. Then after learning Latin, Greek, French, and Italian, off she goes to learn a new language in China.

[Bekah Eyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books make for quick and easy reads, yet give wonderful and engaging insight to the life of different missionaries. I have a renewed appreciation and understanding for just how much Lottie Moon did for the people of China, but also to spur on an understanding of missionary life in the states that would last long after her lifetime.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with a student for a book report. I did not expect to like it. I had heard the name Lottie Moon when we went to a baptist church 30 years ago but had no idea who she was. She was badass. I really respect her. The Foreign mission board has a lot to improve on and she brought about a lot of those changes. The book was inspirational.
4 stars not for the writing but more for how this story will for sure stay with me.

[Nia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good!

[Amber Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a life well-lived! Lottie's story of undying devotion to the Lord in China was an encouragement to live boldly for Him. ❤️

[Melissa Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of biographies are wonderful for kids. Very clear and the right length for a listen. Her story was new to us and very inspiring.

[Drew Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing look into a life devoted to the Lord and to the Chinese people. She helped change the face of missions work.

[Lidik · Rating 2 out of 5]

She wasn't the most likeable character.

[Tiffany Elieff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very neat missionary 10/10

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Lottie Moon before. She was fascinating; I really enjoyed learning about her time as a missionary in China.

I wouldn't say she did anything so groundbreaking as to be a household name (like Hudson Taylor who pushed for Inland China, or Amy Carmichael who pulled girls out of pagan temples in India, or Jacob Deshazer who was a POW and then returned to Japan, or Gladys Aylward who saved a hundred children by traveling hundreds of miles through mountains to get away from the Japanese bombs of WWII). I'm rarely impressed by being the first to do something. Lottie being the first single woman sent as a foreign missionary simply is not impressive for a variety of reasons, There is a reason women should avoid going by themselves, it is far more dangerous, that is simply a matter of fact. Lottie could have done just as much good in the United States (where she fought the Foreign Mission Board anyway), or by being a mother. It is no shame for a woman to be a godly wife and mother. but her story was interesting.

It was hard seeing her work and toil so hard knowing that the Communists would destroy all her work in fewer than 50 years. Also hard since she was a contemporary of Hudson Taylor who had a much more interesting story. I can't say she didn't any individual thing that changed how missions worked. She did what everyone was expected, and is famous because she was a single woman.

A remarkable woman, with a remarkable story. Well worth the read; very glad I could learn more about Lottie's life.

[Nelda Zamir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up with Lottie Moon and the offering at Christmas for missions bearing her name. We had little banks to put coins in during all of December. I knew she was a missionary in China years ago and a few other random things. I was eager to read this to learn more. This is a short book (fewer than 200 pages) telling about her life. It's a good book in many ways, and I learned some things about her. I hadn't known that her family had a plantation with slaves before the Civil War or how highly educated she was. One thing in the book that confused me was reading how she was a non-believer for most of her early life. How a family with a strong Baptist foundation had a non-believing daughter is not well explained. They seem fine with that, but then when another sister joins the Catholic church, there was an uproar in the family. Why being a Catholic was worse than not being a Christian was confusing to me. Perhaps because of the briefness of the book, her relationship and engagement with Crawford Howell Toy was not mentioned. To me, discussing that would have rounded out her personality and motivation better. Important historical connections, such as the Boxer Rebellion, are mentioned but not with much explanation. The book gives a good, brief overview of her life. I would like to read a longer book looking at a deeper exploration of her experiences in China and her own personal thoughts and feelings.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all these books by Benges but this is likely my favorite. Why? I have read many, many biographies of Christian missionaries. Most don't mention any struggles, bad attitudes etc. Not so in this book! For example: Nine people went to China around 1873 (forgot the date). Ten years later, 3 had died, 3 had mental breakdowns, 2 left the Southern Baptists and started another organization (lots of bad blood) and then there was Lottie. It's no wonder. The SB Board had the idea that if a person went as a missionary, he/she would never come home. It's no wonder some of the missionaries had mental, physical, emotional breakdowns. The saddest was her sister. One couple had been in China for 25 years and never allowed back. No wonder the couple had nervous breakdowns. The man just disappeared one day and eventually his wife realized he was in the US. He came back and then his wife fell apart. He was the one with the critical, stubborn attitude who left the IMB. Not sure it was called that then. There was no such thing as Membercare.
At one point, in some publication the editor wrote, "It is a new day for missionaries. Living conditions are not as severe." I am sure she burst out in a derisive laugh. It was the 19th century, Good grief. No vaccines, medical science was in the dark ages, almost. Lottie would write to the board, to the publications and set them straight.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved when my mom read these Christian Hero books aloud to us during homeschool and they are how I first heard of Lottie Moon and Gladys Alyward (a different book in this series). I was so excited to find that my library had an audiobook of this because Lottie Moon has stuck in my head ever since I first heard this book.

Returning to Lottie Moon’s story as an adult was wonderful. Many things about her life as a missionary struck me in a new way than they had when I was a child - what dedication and perseverance! The great goodness of God to pull Lottie in close after her repeated choice to ignore him despite a childhood rooted in that lifestyle. I appreciated her heart as a reader and fellow Christian all the more this time around.

As a child and as an adult, I appreciate how this story takes a narrative perspective for a biography - it makes it all the more fun for someone who struggles to enjoy purely informational content. 🤪

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not my favorite Then and Now book. I felt like the authors repeated facts unnecessarily, almost to the point where I felt like they were pushing an agenda. This book focused more on why it was terrible that girls were expected to get married then it did the facts of Lottie's life.
While I love the readability of this book and the fact that the authors tried to include problems of the time that may have affected Lottie, it felt like too much to me.
I did like learning about Lottie Moon and her strong stand that she would never make the Chinese people fear her, even to protect herself.

[Melissa B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the beginning, I really liked Lottie Moon. She was a Southern raised on a plantation with slaves. Obviously, her family was well to do until the Civil War and her father's death. What I liked about Lottie is that she always questioned her family's lifestyle and their wealth. When she was old enough, she shook off her roots and began working to help others. Eventually, that work led her to be a single woman missionary to China, unheard of before her sister paved the way. However, while her sister burned out quickly, Lottie stayed in China the majority of her life.

This is an inspiring book, and Lottie did an excellent job demonstrating the values of a Christian lifestyle.

[Keira-- OLD ACCOUNT · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 of 5 stars
I didn't really know much about Lottie Moon prior to reading this book, but I found it very interesting to hear about her. While this book was written very simply, it also gave me a very cohesive picture of her, and I love reading about missionaries and mission work.
I read this as part of my library read-a-thon, and for my unit study on China, so it definitely served it's purpose. I recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about who Lottie Moon is, because the Christian Heroes Then and Now is a very nice series to give you a good understanding about Christian figures.

[Will Norrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

While overall a bit detail-heavy and slow at times, the last chapter concerning Lottie Moon’s death and impact on Southern Baptists was so touching. To think that a woman who grew up in a wealthy, slave-holding Virginian family, became one of the first Southern women to earn a Master’s degree, and could speak six languages, would give the vast majority of her life to sharing the gospel among the poor peasants of China? Protestant missions had/have failings, and I appreciate that those are mentioned often in this book, but the intensity of Moon’s passion shines through. Excellent.

[Amy]

This might be my least favorite from this series (so far) but our girls still gave it 5 stars. There was a lot of focus on the conflict between Baptist missionaries and their leadership which I just didn’t care about. But the stories interspersed were very interesting.

Lottie’s life was filled with struggle and she faced many difficult things. But she was wiry and mentally strong. So many missionaries around her died, went crazy, or went home. Lottie continued on to the end. She continually chose to do very hard things no one else would and that is very admirable.

[Mei Makes · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a wonderful book. I just want to read/listen to it over and over. It is a timeless book, so it doesn't really matter that she lived over a hundred years ago. Some of the lessons in her life, still apply to people today. Lottie does some things that even girls nowadays wouldn't think of doing, so she gets the rewards that the average person doesn't. See my blog for the full review: https://meimakes.blogspot.com/2020/08....

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great biography from YWAM!

I didn't know anything about Lottie Moon before I started reading her biography. I was very pleased to learn about her determination to become a missionary and how she persevered through many challenges in China while serving in that nation.

I would recommend this book for older elementary or high school aged children (adults too) who wish to learn more about missionaries.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I have heard of Lottie Moon and knew she was a missionary to China, but I was not familiar with her story. From a family of slave owners in the south during the Civil War to a servant of Jesus setting the Chinese people free spiritually to worship the One True God.

A life of sacrifice and commitment - Lottie Moon demonstrates the heart of a missionary ready to live a life worthy of her calling in Christ.

This is such a good read - highly recommended.

[Concetta Kellough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lottie Moon was a missionary to China. Janet and Geoff Benge tell many details of Lottie Moon's life beginning with her childhood in Virginia and ending with her death as a missionary to China. The book is easy to read and thorough. We have it in our school library at the middle grade level, but high school students and adults would also enjoy it.

[Summer Moeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know a lot about Lottie Moon, outside of hearing her name around the Christmas offering. I read this autobiography with my girls and was glad to introduce them to this woman with true spunk, compassion and courage. Her life had a great impact on missions in general and the treatment of missionaries. An added bonus was finding out she had lived and worked nearby!

[Ruthe Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't go wrong with a missionary story by YWAM! Of course, Lottie Moon is an especially good biography to read, as she lived a most interesting life - first as a southerner who lost so much in the Civil War, but even better, she gave even more in her many years as a pioneer missionary in China. She was a true hero and a person everyone should know about and emulate.