Pasion por un pueblo abandonado: La vida de Samuel Zwemer

Christian Heroes: Then & Now

by Janet Benge, Geoff Benge

Historias verídicas y conmovedoras de hombres y mujeres que respondieron al llamado de Dios

¿Una acaudalada muchacha irlandesa rescata niños en India?
¿Una criada predica el evangelio en China?
¿Un piloto estadounidense sirve a misioneros en Ecuador?

Héroes cristianos de ayer y de hoy relata las emocionantes y enternecedoras historias de hombres y mujeres comunes cuya confianza en Dios realizó hazañas extraordinarias para su Reino y para su Gloria.

Sam oyó latir su corazón cuando los dos beduinos avanzaron hacia él esgrimiendo sus amenazadoras lanzas por encima de los hombros, dispuestos a clavárselas en cualquier momento. A juzgar por su hosco semblante, parecían decididos a matar a alguien.

La necesidad espiritual del mundo musulmán, mucho tiempo ignorada por los cristianos, volvió a llamar la atención, cuando Samuel Zwemer se comprometicó. Con una tarea de tremenda magnitud, este joven se mantuvo firme pese a la oposición, las dificultades y la muerte.

Zwemer fundó la Misión Arábiga en Bahréin para servir a los musulmanes proporcionándoles atención sanitaria, literatura cristiana y el mensaje de salvación. Dio a conocer infatigablemente su visión por todo el mundo y llamó a muchos a actuar. Su legado - abrir una puerta que había estado mucho tiempo cerrada - sigue desafiando a muchos hasta nuestros días (1867-1952).

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

201 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2013

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

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christian missionary into the Muslim world in the late 1800s. Dangerous now, dangerous then.

[Denise Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the Christian Heroes: Then and Now Series, this kids’ book is about a young Dutch/American boy born in 1867. Growing up in a large, devout Christian home, young Samuel had always felt God’s call to full-time Christian work as a Dutch Reformed pastor like his father and older brothers. But during his final year at Hope College he felt drawn towards life as a missionary. Sam and his wife and family spent decades as missionaries, setting up a church and hospital. As Sam traveled widely thought the Middle East he became an expert and wrote several books as well as a quarterly magazine. After his retirement from the mission field he served as a professor at Princeton. The book has no index but does include a map of the Moslem World.

[Ruthe Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the YWAM audio book series of Christian biographies. Mr. Zwemer moved from Michigan to Arabia in 1890 where he helped start the Arabian Mission and later founded the American Mission hospital in Bahrain. As the years went by, he continued his ministry from various parts of the world including Egypt, New Jersey, and New York. He was a dynamic leader and prolific author who influenced many others to go abroad as missionaries. He was driven by his passion and compassion for people. This cannot be fully told in this paragraph. In his later years, he remained active, traveling the world and preaching up to the very end of his life. Here is another great man that we need to introduce to the next generation - a true hero of his faith and legacy.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This young reader's biography of Samuel Zwemer is filled with the adventure of foreign missions, the sacrifice and cost of taking the gospel transculturally, and the determination of a few people called by God to reach the Muslim world with the redemption of Jesus Christ.

Zwemer founded the Arabian Mission in Bahrain to serve Muslims through medical care and the preaching of the gospel. Many obstacles and challenges faced Sam and his colleagues and yet he was steadfast in his faith that God was protecting him and providing him with light to illuminate his path.

[Amber M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read several other Heroes of the Faith books and for some reason this one seemed to be a much slower read than the others. I am not sure if it was the writing or the missionary's life that made it slow. It was still a good book and I learned about a missionary I previously knew nothing about but I wouldn't call it a "page-turner." Based on the other reviews though, I knew that going into it so I wasn't too surprised. I would recommend the book though just to learn about Samuel Zwemer.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by this man, but this book was a bit lacking. It's a good introduction to his life, but they packed so much into some of the chapters that it just read like a list of things he did. It really needed more "up-close" stories. I've noticed that these YWAM books all have about the same number of chapters. So if someone has accomplished a lot, the good faith stories tend to be left out.

[Dorothy Vandezande · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Inspiring and encouraging, but less captivating than most of the other Christian Heroes books. It felt confusing to keep up with the many names and places and organizations mentioned in the book. And so many people died suddenly throughout the book that it started to be hilarious to us. 😩😂

It was interesting to learn about the early missions to the Muslim world and the challenges they faced. The faithfulness of these trail-blazing missionaries is encouraging.

[Anna D · Rating 4 out of 5]

My main impression after reading this book was that God has had some very dedicated servants, and I feel wimpy on so many levels in comparison. Not that he seemed superhuman, but showing a great willingness to obey and readiness to sacrifice. We would sign up for counseling after some of the things he went through, yet he continued on. (Note: Samuel was more of a mobilizer than an evangelist himself.)

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling story of a pioneer missionary.

When he was young he determined to serve the Lord in missions abroad, and he accomplished just that, founding the Arab Mission in the Arabian Peninsula with only two other men. He travels what we now know as Saudia Arabia, Yemen, Oman and Bahrain...sharing the gospel and loving Muslims as he goes.

The Lord is worthy of every Muslim heart!

[Hank Pharis · Rating 2 out of 5]

(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).

Yet another inspiring story of a brave, courageous and faithful man.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* Audio

I am enjoying this series, but sometimes they get draggy for me when they go into timelines versus story form. 👀 It feels a little like, "Just the facts, sir, just the facts."

Seriously though. They are interesting and I am learning about a lot of different people. And, I am always amazed at how willing missionaries are to stay in really dangerous situations.

[Lindsey Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was extremely inspired by this biography and this man….a Michigan native, like me! He accomplished a lot, but endured a lot to get there. It was interesting to see how writing became a large part of his ministry in his later years. Loved this book!

[Lexi Zuo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really inspiring biography of one of the first missionaries to Saudi Arabia!

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good biography!

[Julie Bollinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[ᴀᴍʙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I really like Sam. He was always encouraged to help Muslims trust God. This book can help you trust God because Sam had to learn to be a missionary in another country." - a 7YO reader ☺️

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is on the life and missionary Samuel Zwemer. He served in Arabia or Saudi Arabia today.

The audiobook was read by Tim Gregory.

[Shorel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Peace shall follow battle; night shall end in day." It was great to branch out and read about another area of the world. Several themes seen again: Excellence shown through perseverance over time. The full gospel being shared, interesting enough in this case through medical work and in the sales of Christian tracts and literature. And the emphasis on prayer. "Christian, answer boldly: 'While I breathe I pray.'"

It was a fun read with the kids and I look forward to sitting down with another hero on the other side of the River.

[Leigh Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book!

Good for anyone 10 and up! You will love it if missions or islam/muslim culture interests you. Five stars definitely!!

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy to read story of a missionary. It has good insights from his life that inspire. Fun and good.

[Adam Balshan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars [Biography]
(W: 2.5, T: 3.5, P: 3)
Exact rating: 3.00
#17 in genre, out of 28