At the Edge of the Village: Musings of a Missionary Wife

by Lisa Leidenfrost

Being a missionary in Ivory Coast, West Africa, is not only about dangers, hard work, and culture shock, interspersed with moments of high joy and deep sorrow. It is life found in the small and daily things, the quotidian experience which renders familiar a vastly different way of life, a life at the edge of the village. This book collects Lisa Leidenfrost's sketches of missionary life, compiled from letters sent home from Ivory Coast to her church in the United Sates, and they tell of the ordinary and extraordinary, the solemn and the playful, the mundane and the exotic—all coming together to create a down-to-earth portrait of the Gospel at work in a family and a society.

Genres: Biography, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction, Christian

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2004

Reviews

[Mystie Winckler · Rating 5 out of 5]

5x5: Biography. Because my book club was reading Lisa's second book, I wanted to read the first book first.
Stories of what it takes to give a people without a written language a Bible written in their vernacular - while raising a family in rural Africa. Amazing.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the audio of Lisa's first book dropped on Monday, it felt like an extra birthday present for me! It was a pleasure to revisit these vignettes of the Leidenfrosts' years of living in Ivory Coast. Some are poignant, but most are just plain fun...especially the ones about kids and critters.

There was a painful element, but it was my own fault. When I first read the book in print several years ago, I did so with pen in hand, marking numerous grammatical and other errors. Alas, I never got those applied to the file, and then I stupidly sent the book off to my mom to read. So I got to hear all of those errors being read. Ouch. 😖

[Abby Garay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this - it’s short snippets and stories of life as a missionary in the Ivory Coast. Lisa is a wonderful story teller. Her kids and grandkids will love having all these events and experiences recorded.

[Caleb M. Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, excellent book. Some really heartfelt stories in here, and some laugh-out-loud ones as well. Highly recommended.

[Cate Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just can’t get over the fact that they have mongooses as pets (wait, mongeese??)

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's always a little bit of time between the time I press the power button and the time my computer is up and running. So I decided to create a new category of reading I call "bootup books." I started with two: The Devil's Dictionary, which is a collection of brief entries, and this one, which is a collection of brief stand-alone vignettes. Little temptation with either to fall prey to story grip and spend my whole workday reading. Still, I was always more eager to pick up At the Edge of the Village, so it outpaced the other. Finally, with just a few pages to go, I brought it home this weekend to finish it, and so I have.

While I'm sure that knowing the author has prejudiced me somewhat in the book's favor, I think I would have loved it even if I'd never met a Leidenfrost. It brought genuine laughter, tears, and moments when I just had to close the book and give thanks for God's goodness. If you know Lisa, and haven't read At the Edge of the Village, do. If you don't know Lisa, but delight in the little things of life and in the glorious things of God, you will enjoy it, too.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook on Canon Plus, but at the end I found out there were illustrations, so now I want to see a paper copy! I loved this book so much. Lisa Leidenfrost is a wonderful writer, able to sketch out a scene with interesting detail and sometimes hilarious descriptions. Her writing about animals reminded me quite a bit of Gerald Durrell’s. As missionaries living in the Ivory Coast, their lives were full of colorful stories to share about their home life, the people, her children, homeschooling, etc. And woven throughout were often profound insights about how the Lord was working and moving in their lives.

[Emma Whear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed the "musings of a missionary wife" format. Most of the chapters or musings are 2-4 pages long, and are more vignettes than chapters.

Lovely mix of trials, triumphs, tricks, anecdotes, and cultural tidbits.

I'll read the second one promptly.

[Lendl Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compilation of short stories of missionary friends in Africa. Fun, interesting, and encouraging.

[William Schrecengost · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of stories of a missionary family working on a translation of the Bible

[Kameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it was one of the first missionary biographies I have ever read that was written by the wife. I loved the little sketches of day-to-day life as a homeschooling mom on the mission field. Her writing is clear and witty and communicates God's truth in a beautiful way. This would be a good family read aloud.

[Christina]

A friend said she read this aloud to her kids.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and while knowing some of the people in it may have made me slightly biased. I am sure you would enjoy it just as much.

[Anna Kling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope I meet Lisa one day, although I know I will when, as she describes, there are no more goodbyes. Maybe we can climb a tree to laugh about wild homeschooling, snakes, and ministry.