The Good News Must Go Out: Stories of God at Work in the Central African Republic

Hidden Heroes

by Rebecca Davis

From one old woman's prayer a young girl was brought to faith, a missionary was sent to Africa, and a church was born from among the people of the Central African Republic. Missionaries from the West came with the message of Jesus Christ, but it was the men and women saved from cannibalism, the young boys who herded goats and who carted water who brought the Good News even farther to more and more villages and homesteads in Africa. Sixteen true stories from the life of Margaret Nicholl Laird display the power of God in the salvation of people who had never heard the Good News.

Genres: Christian, Biography, Childrens, Africa, Nonfiction, Chapter Books, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There are several authors by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories inside this book are amazing. Many of them left me teary eyed and inspired. I do think as a read-aloud, ages 10+ would appreciate the book as a whole better (maybe because the writing sometimes wasn’t as succinct as it could be, but with that being said, this is not an overly wordy book either. You just have to take into account young children’s short attention spans.)

Loved that there was a focus on the native African missionaries and not just on Margaret Laird (even though her life story was super interesting!) I was just so touched by the native missionaries’ lives and how freely they shared the gospel with others, and how Margaret, aka “Mama” was so relatable.

[Angela Brito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this out loud to my 5 year old. I really enjoyed the true stories of Margaret Laird and other believers in central Africa. I especially liked the focus on Africans who became believers taking the gospel further to other villages. I thought the gospel was clearly given multiple times.

There was some “mature” content I worried might be too intense for my 5 year old. She didn’t complain but some examples are
-talking about cannibalistic tribes people “people eaters”
-Margaret is a nurse so situations like “pus oozed from a large hole in his chest”, “some of his toes were even missing”, talk of buffalo goring, etc
-descriptions of leprosy, “had lost 5 toes and could barely walk”, “one misshapen body after another”, “so eaten up with leprosy that she barely looked like a person”
- mentioning about a preacher getting beaten with clubs and left for dead

So just consider if your child is ready for this content.

[Karina (Karina's Christian Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Number of pages: 145

Genre: Missionary Biography (Central African Republic)

Series: Hidden Heroes #2 (Don’t need to be read in order)

Age recommendation: 8-12 ish. (Younger and older kids might enjoy it too, but that’s more the intended audience)

Summary: Margaret Laird’s mother had been praying for many years that one of her children would serve God as a missionary. Finally that prayer was being answered: her youngest daughter Margaret was off to Africa. With other men and women from the west, Margaret began to teach the people about Jesus, who in turn continued to spread the message to their own people. For the good news must go out! (Based on Margaret Laird's autobiography They Called Me Mama).

My thoughts: I love how Rebecca Davis adapts adult books for children. I haven’t read They called Me Mama yet, but this children's book inspires me to read it. I think my favourite story in the book is the one where the water boy goes every evening to share the gospel with another tribe after a long day of working for the missionaries. He just couldn’t keep the Good News to himself even if it meant he didn’t get very much sleep and had to walk alone through the jungle in the night.

Again, being a missionary to tribal nations means some topics come up like cannibalism, funeral rituals (burying the live wives with their dead husbands) and stuff like that. I think the author dealt appropriately with these issues for children, but I just thought I’d put that out there in case anyone is concerned.

My personal rating: 5/5 stars.

Link to blog: https://karinaschristianreads.wordpre...

[Jamey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time rating this book. I have to understand that it is meant for children, and so won’t have a fantastic writing style. It is also a sort of history book, which again implies that the material is more informational than captivating. And yet, the stories are really heartwarming and Holy Spirit saturated. The evidence of God’s work in Africa in former years brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. This book brings glory to God throughout, and for that alone should be read to children.

[Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8 year old read this first, though I had purchased it to read aloud to my kids. She said to me “Mom, you have GOT to read this! It’s SO GOOD.” And sure enough, I was tearing up within the first and second chapters. (I’m not much of a cryer.) These stories are so powerful and refreshing to read as a modern westerner, hearing true stories of how God has been at work in Africa. Amazing book for Christian families of all ages. I want to read (and own) the entire series!

[Hannah of the Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the Central African Republic, 1920-1960.
Primarily the story of a missionary named Margaret.

I liked the beginning part with her being challenged to go to the field. Her faith and dogged persistence. The way she washed the feet of the boy with jiggers. Her honest struggle to trust God.

There are also a few stories about the Central Africans who come to faith and then serve as missionaries to their own people or neighboring peoples. I had been hoping that more of the book was made up of these kinds of stories, but the focus is on Margaret herself. Still, the stories shared are cool and certainly enhance the narrative.

Note that while the author aims to portray a positive view of the African people, some parts still come across as condescending.
For example, representing African speech as broken English, comparing the Africans to children, or asserting that they call all the missionaries Mama because "they can't pronounce our names."

Apart from these flaws, this book is overall a great collection of stories that shows God at work in the Central region of Africa. Appropriate for ages 8-12.

[HisPresence MyHome · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book containing many stories of the power of the word of God in C.A.R. This is my second time reading this book with my girls for homeschool and it has quickly become a favorite of all of ours. It's beautiful to see the effects of many lives dedicated to the Lord and how He used this to dramatically effect many communities in CAR. I would encourage any families to read this together as it's a book you and your kids will love!

(for sensitive young readers it does contain elements of cannibalism and witchcraft and murder that were present in many of the tribes before they turned to the Lord).

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories remind me of the collections of missionary stories we used to read at bedtime when I was a child that made me think that being a missionary would be the most exciting adventure possible. One of the great things about this modern book is how much the emphasis falls on African heroes who spread the gospel, not just white missionaries, even though the setting is early- to mid-twentieth century. Makes a great read aloud, but have issues handy if you are easily moved by what God has done.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, we love these underrated gems. While the first volume, With Two Hands, deals with true stories from a larger group of missionaries and more obviously supernatural miracles, this volume follows the fruit from one missionary more closely, and it's no less miraculous. We all loved it. It built my faith and increased my children's desire to live for God. We are sad to end our adventures with Mama Laird, but we're already eagerly anticipating the third book in the series.

[Quentin Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very great book. And, it was also a book about a missonary. And, that missionary’s name was Margaret. Her name became “Mama” because most of the people called missionaries “Mama”. And it’s funny that her name became Mama. This book taught me that I should be a missionary of Christ. (Quentin, age 5)

[Kathryn Iversen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missionary story of the gospel reaching a cannibal tribe of Africa and beyond. Very encouraging to see the power of God and prayer in display, and the faith of early missionaries. It moved both of my kids. I highly recommend for children, and I was continually moved to tears as I read. Beautiful story of an amazing woman.

[Jordan Swails]

While I personally prefer the layout and overall historical writing style of the Benges, I really appreciated each of these chapters having scripture and discussion questions tied to it. This read made for easy conversation with the kids about what it means to actually live for Jesus, setting aside your comforts, preferences, and expectations in order to love and serve those around you well.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible because it is true. Jesus changes people. The stories leave me in awe of our Great King. I love how several times children and youth were saved and then brought the good news to nearby villages and adults were saved through them.

[Katherine Lemieux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely think this book was written for an intended audience but since we are that audience, I say it was a great read aloud - interesting for both kids and adult and short enough chapters that it doesn’t feel like a chore.

[Justine Trokey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an encouraging book. Reading the life of a missionary really changed my perspective on prayer, faith, and trust in God. Not to mention the discipleship of the people these missionaries ministered to in the depths of Africa.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it to the kids for homeschool but I enjoyed it so much I wanted to count it here. A series of stories about a lady who became a missionary to The Central African Republic. Each chapter was short enough to keep the kids and fascinating enough that I want to make my husband read it!

[Jessica Leffler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspirational testimony of what God did in the Central African Republic through Margaret Laird, as well as through people she lead to Christ. Be warned that you *WILL* cry, in the best way possible.

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wonderful story of a dedicated missionary woman and her family as God works through them in Africa.

[J.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

James (8) LOVED this book and rated it 10/10 "especially the chapter about Jiggerfoot". Pleasant to read aloud.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this a lot with my 6-yr-old son -- lots of good discussion about missionaries and sharing Jesus and spiritual warfare

[James Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my son as part of our bedtime routine. This short read is filled with captivating stories that reveal the power of the Gospel.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Started great discussions with my kids and I loved reading it. Very inspiring.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one day. A book that would make a great read aloud as well.

[Abigail Westbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many amazing stories of God working! Very encouraging!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great missionary read.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughters and I loved this story. Definitely would recommend.

[Emily Geyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!

[Stephani Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful stories of God at work in Africa from a lesser known missionary.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud with Oliver