He Gave Us a Valley

by Helen Roseveare

After Helen Roseveare’s twelve years of missionary work in the northeast province of what was the Belgian Congo, building up a simple medical service, civil war erupted with horrific effects. During the war Helen was brutally beaten and raped and left with no choice but to return to Britain (this story is told in ‘Give Me This Mountain’).   She quickly returned to the Congo in 1966 to assist in the rebuilding of the nation. She helped establish a new medical school and hospital (for the other hospitals that she built were destroyed) and served there until 1973. In the eight years following the war, despite endless frustrations, again and again God showed his unfailing guidance and unstinting provision for her needs. This book is the story of the joys and adventures of re–establishing the medical work, the church building programme and the work of forgiveness, necessary after the destruction of the civil war.

Genres: Christian, Biography, Africa, Nonfiction, Faith, Biography Memoir

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Dr. Helen Roseveare was born in Hailebury, Herts, England in 1925. She became a Christian as a medical student in Cambridge University in 1945. She continued to have strong links with the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union and was designated as the "CICCU missionary" during the 1950s and 1960s. She built a combination hospital/ training center in Ibambi in the early 1950s, then relocated to Nebobongo, living in an old leprosy camp, where she built another hospital. After conflict with other staff at the hospital, she returned to England in 1958.

She returned to the Congo in 1960. In 1964 she was taken prisoner of rebel forces and she remained a prisoner for five months, enduring beatings and rapings. She left the Congo and headed back to England after her release but returned to the Congo in 1966 to assist in the rebuilding of the nation. She helped establish a new medical school and hospital (the other hospitals that she built were destroyed) and served there until she left in 1973. She helped many people from different countries, and helped them when needing food, and drink.

Since her return from Africa, she has had a worldwide ministry in speaking and writing. She was a plenary speaker at the Urbana Missions Convention three times. She is now retired and lives in Northern Ireland. Her life of service was portrayed in the 1989 film Mama Luka Comes Home. Her touching story about how the prayer of Ruth, 10-year-old African girl, for a hot water bottle to save a premature newborn baby after its mother had died has been widely forwarded by email. She survived rape and trial during the Congolese civil war in 1964 because of the intervention of the villagers she had helped previously.

(Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Yibbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The conclusion of this book is beautiful, and almost makes up for the rest of it. Her dogged determination or rather her steadfast faithfulness is very encouraging. Her method of writing is not. It is a dogged chronicle of the legal, institutional, and organizational wrangling involved in setting up a hospital in Zaire. I’m sure that at the time it was incredibly stressful and personally important, but now it seems completely unimportant. Perhaps that was the author’s whole point because that brings us to the ending, and that was beautiful. It’s a whole life put in perspective. It turns our eyes from man’s short memory and fleeting accomplishments and to the eternal.
If you are a dedicated reader of African history, mission’s history, or missionary biographies in general, this might be a worthwhile read. I do want to go find her other book though. Maybe the more momentous events surrounding her will make it move a little faster?

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the writing style was not my favorite, the testimony of this woman is remarkable, and her challenge to the reader unmistakable.

"'No,' [The Lord] quietly rebuked me. 'No. You no longer want Jesus only, but Jesus plus . . . plus respect, popularity, public opinion, success and pride . . . You wanted to feel needed and respected . . . You'd like letters when you got home to tell you how much they realize they owe to you, how much they miss you. All this and more. Jesus plus . . . No, you can't have it. Either it must be Jesus only or you'll find you've no Jesus. You'll substitute Helen Roseveare.'

A great long silence followed--several days of total inner silence. At last I managed to tell Him that with all my heart I wanted Jesus only."

The call to follow Christ is a call to deny self. Helen Roseveare's story made me stop to evaluate my motivations for serving overseas. Do I truly desire Jesus only, or am I only satisfied when life hands me Jesus plus (fill in the blank)? Life and ministry may bring enormous trials and heartbreak; may God form in me the ability to say with joy that Jesus is enough.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read two books from Helen Roseveare and both have been so good.
I appreciate her honesty about her struggles, difficulties, and sins throughout her time in the Congo as a medical missionary. If you want a true, realistic account of what a missionary life is like, Helen's books are perfect for exactly that.

[Ebookwormy1]

The second of a two book memoir of the missionary service of Dr. Helen Roseveare.


Give me this Mountain, Roseveare, 1966
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Christy Chermak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait to meet Helen in heaven to let her know what an inspiration she has been to me. There is so much to think about after finishing this book, and so much to apply. I read the first half of Dr Roseveare’s memoir last year and took a while to finish this one but am glad I did. We might never articulate it this way, but we can believe that being in service to the Lord and caring for people in His name means our life will have hard moments but overall be up and to the right. What do we do when life is more disappointing and difficult than anticipated? Helen’s life is an inspiration for those of us facing challenges as we serve others, bringing perspective and an eternal view on what really matters.
I am finishing this one remembering I am not doing what I’m doing to please others or be impressive but in service to King Jesus…and that is enough!

[Emma S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving and inspiring. I cried several times. Roseveare writes with humility and shares some of the lessons God taught her through different events as they got the medical training school up and running. Sometimes the intricacies of paperwork and bureaucracy escaped me, but overall this was great read that reminded me of God's power and His faithfulness.

[Sherri Bjorndahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

She was a medical missionary in the Congo for 20 years. "We can't all be the last link in the chain." She was willing to be any link however inconspicuous.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Roseveare served as the missionary doctor in a remote village in Congo from the 1953 until 1963 when a horrific civil war broke out in the country. After experiencing traumatizing brutality and abuse, Roseveare was rescued and returned home to Great Britain, unsure if she'd ever return. This is all retold in the first book of the two-part memoir, Give Me This Mountain . But, spoiler alert (not really), she returns two years later, and her mission changes from focusing on providing medical services for the remote villages of war-torn Congo to starting a new school to train native medical staff to fill the voids of desperately low medical availability in the country. Her resilience, stubbornness, risk-taking, and passion are stretched beyond their limits as she deals with unhappy, demanding students who see her as a white foreigner. She struggles through this whole season and some of it is exasperating. I feel like I would have just shut down the school and returned to where I knew people appreciated my work rather than continually be chewed out by angry students, but she stuck with it, though she admits to having these same thoughts many times. In fact, the last chapter of the book is titled Was it Worthwhile? This is an honest look into a missionary's experience that lacks any romantic, exciting drama that some may look for in reading about missionaries traveling to remote countries. It made me uneasy at times and Roseveare herself was a bit annoying because of her stubbornness and sometimes bossy attitude. I wish she would have shared more about her spiritual journey, especially healing from the traumatic experiences during being a hostage by the rebels during the war. Instead, there is a bit more reminiscing on the bickering of the students and the building of the school than I would have liked. But it was still a very worthwhile read, solely for her humility and honesty in her failures. She is a great example that God can use any personality type for His purposes. He used her amidst her pride and hard-headedness and was able to do great things through her brokenness. I am glad she didn't gloss over this fact. She never made it sound like she had it all together; she clearly didn't. But this made it relatable and realistic and very thought-provoking. This would be a great book for a book club to discuss.

"'No,' [The Lord] quietly rebuked me. 'No. You no longer want Jesus only, but Jesus plus . . . plus respect, popularity, public opinion, success and pride . . . You wanted to feel needed and respected . . . You'd like letters when you got home to tell you how much they realize they owe to you, how much they miss you. All this and more. Jesus plus . . . No, you can't have it. Either it must be Jesus only or you'll find you've no Jesus. You'll substitute Helen Roseveare.'

A great long silence followed--several days of total inner silence. At last I managed to tell Him that with all my heart I wanted Jesus only."

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues where Give Me This Mountain left off, and tells of Dr. Roseveare's return to Congo/Zaire after the post-independence rebellion. Helen spent some time back in her original location to assist with rebuilding efforts. Before long, she had a vision of moving to a new location to start a medical college and hospital. This was a big step of faith, as it took years to build and gain government recognition. Meanwhile, there existed a hostile relationship between some of the students and their teachers due to continued nationalism and distrust toward Europeans. Eventually, Helen decided to resign due to a conflict with students about the use of money allocated by the government for scholarships. She felt let down by her students and some of her colleagues, which wasn’t how she wanted to end her 20 years of missionary service in Africa. As she prepared to leave, Helen asked herself if it was worth it—the pain, the frustrations, and the let down. When she reflected on the work God did through her, including the people she treated and the Congolese she trained to be evangelical nurses and doctors, she realized that it was “utterly worthwhile, with no room left for regrets or recriminations.”

[Brenda Lei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the honest insight into a medical missionary's journey in Congo/Zaire through the struggles of the war and afterwards. This books does a great deal giving a window of perspective into the cultural and racial struggles even within fellow missionaries, team mates, coworkers, students, etc. The honest way Helen shares her struggles, both outwardly and inwardly, as well as confesses her flaws yet holds to her convictions is refreshing. This isn't a missionary hero story, just a regular missionary story, and I like that. Looking forward to reading more of her books!

"I was sure I had made a mistake in coming back. I had thought I'd truly forgotten the suffering. I had thought the fear had died. It hadn't. I thought I would be wanted, welcomed. I'd built up my own image of what I expected the new relationship to be between national and foreigner, as a result of the suffering---and it just didn't fit."

"Don't excuse yourself. Call sin sin, and temper temper. Then face up to the fact that your white skin makes you no different to the rest of us. You need His cleansing and forgiveness, His infilling and indwelling, the same as we do. If you can only show us Doctor Helen, you might as well go home: the people need to see Jesus."

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covered the second half of Dr. Helen Roseveare's missionary service in the Belgian Congo, which by then had become the independent African nation of Zaire. She accomplished so much in building a medical college for native Christian students who would take their training back to the villages who so desperately needed doctors. But she was constantly under pressure, asking herself. "Is this enough? Am I doing enough to further God's kingdom?"

For example, she wrote up a report that stated "Out of 784 surgeries in 1972, we only had six surgical deaths." This was news she was going to report when she had retired from service and was back in Europe. Her African colleague corrected her and told her the only thing she needed to report was that "In 1972, almost 200 people came to believe in Jesus through our medical services."

She retired in 1973, after 20 strenuous, difficult, faith-filled years serving the people of Zaire. Make sure you read her first book "Give Me this Mountain" first. She is a new heroine of mine!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit heart wrenching. The brutal abuse she suffered during the Simba rebellion and her willingness return to the chaos and trials of service in the sixties is nothing short of amazing. The joy of Congolese Christians amidst their deep poverty and suffering during the rebellion, the challenges of governmental red tape, the suspicion of foreigners, the starvation, the utter impossibly of meeting social and medical needs, the fickle entitlement pride of students in mission schools, the transportation difficulties--and Christ was proclaimed, people saved, churches planted, leaders trained, hospitals and schools established. It is all overwhelmingly amazing.

Having left Congo in 1960 as a child, the account awakened my own vague childhood memories of attitudes simmering under colonialism that led to the traumatic period of this book. I'm pretty sure if I faced a tiny fraction Dr Roseveare faced, I would have given up many times. But God certainly is glorified by her service and love.

[HisPresence MyHome · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for the incredible stories and wisdom of Helen Roseveare... But 3 stars for how it was written. The beginning and end of this book were incredible...but I got a little lost in the middle as she chronicled the work of the medical college she was trying to set up in the Congo. I'm thankful those details are recorded.... I just struggled to track with all the ins and outs she had written down. I found myself skimming over those details. I'm thankful for Helen and her honesty with her struggles and difficulties on the field. I've never read an autobiography so honest in this regard and it's refreshing!

[Eunice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Roseveare was brutally beaten and raped in the midst of the Congo civil war in the 1960s. She returned to Britain but went back to the Congo in 1966. She helped establish a new medical school and hospital. It was amazing how she guided the incoming students in the construction of the school, hospital and living quarters from local materials. In order to get the government's approval of the graduates' certificates she had to construct the buildings using permanent materials. She also experienced the pain of false accusations.

[Lisa Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is another re-read for me. I remember being touched the first time I read it, but now, having experienced deep griefs and trials of my own, I find Dr. Roseveare's story and testimony all the more moving. Highly recommend as a faith-building and spiritually challenging read.

[Chris Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for me. Like others have said, I found that the narrative was rather bogged down with lots of less interesting administrative details, but there's plenty of gold in here too (especially in the harrowing early chapters and at the end), and worth reading for that. Challenging and encouraging.

[JennanneJ]

I read about half of this, but I just can't get past how dull it is. Helen's life was not dull, but her writing is. Perhaps I will revisit someday, but I'm giving up on it, since it is a slog.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book by Helen, describes dark days for her in her life as a missionary. But in her trouble is truth and an unfailing Father.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good! Think I prefer Living Sacrifice, but this filled in a lot of the gaps

[Whitney Frasier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great story. There is a book that comes before this one that I have not yet read. This is the story of Helen Rosveare, missionary to Africa in the 1960s-70s. She endured so many trials. I don’t know if I would I have made it as long as she did. Amazing story of how God uses us even when we cannot see it.

Three stars because at times this book was very very slow and difficult to get through. It was not a page turner.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very hard book to read. I've put it down for a few days because the depth of pain this woman (a missionary doctor to the Congo during some of the most horrible years of war and unrest there) faced is overwhelming.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Helen Roseveare speak in 1982. Her book is a powerful account of finding that God's grace is sufficient for each day.

[Heather C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have long loved the story and life of Helen Roseveare. This is an amazing testimony about the building of a medical clinic, but the writing is dry and that made it harder to get through.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK in my opinion. It did not inspire me like other autobiographies did.