Yet We Still Hope

by Denise Beck (Editor), Sarah Hilkemann (Editor)

The stories within these pages are the heartfelt offering of women all around the world who are shining a light into the realities of cross-cultural work and life. From the unexpected sacrifices to the ways that this life has marked them, and the vulnerable struggles rarely voiced out loud, this collection of stories will resonate no matter where you call home. Laugh, cry and journey along with these women as they share words of joy and faith in the midst of ordinary days and the most difficult circumstances. Their raw courage and trust in God will move all of us to say, "Yet we still hope."

374 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2022

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has many beautiful, authentic stories from women serving overseas. It is a good glimpse into some aspects of cross-cultural work and some of the challenges that are faced. There were things I definitely identified with as a cross cultural worker. Also, I think those wanting to understand more about this type of ministry would find these stories very insightful. I will say that the first section was very hard for me to get through and I almost DNF. It has a lot of stories about children getting sick or traumatic things related to children/pregnancy. It was very triggering for me, even though I haven’t specifically faced those things. There are other stories about sexual assault and suicidal ideation. So for anyone who might feel triggered by those types of thing, proceed with caution. I felt that perhaps there could have been a few more lighthearted stories mixed in to give more balance. However, I am very thankful for Velvet Ashes being a place where women serving overseas can share the reality of their lives and this book is another reflection of that.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This combination of vulnerable stories shared from women in ministry was an absolutely wonderful read. I NEVER cry when reading, but some of these stories brought me to tears. I'm thankful for the courage these women had to write about their struggles.

Though this work was written from the perspectives of women in ministry, I daresay most women would easily be able to relate to at least one of the stories.

Themes include:

Being in a spiritual rut
Health problems
Cheating/abusive spouse
Singleness
Infertility
Loss of a child
Marital problems
Culture shock
Pornography
Struggles with comparison
Rape
Being led by emotions
Suicidal thoughts
And more...

Will definitely be saving this to read again!


*Disclaimers*

Many different denominations seemed to be represented in this work. There were a few analogies and inferences that I strongly disagreed with, but I still appreciated the heart from which the stories were shared.

None of the stories have trigger warnings and can be very difficult reads. To be able to process each story effectively, I recommend reading only small portions of the book at a time.

[Jodie Pine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of fighting-for-hope stories around the globe by courageous women who remind us that we're not alone on our pain-filled, hard-to-understand journeys.

[Alison Achieng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here’s the thing: there are great stories within this book. Great stories of strength and overcoming from women that are overseas. My issue has nothing to do with the individual stories.

My issue comes down to the fact that there are literally 0 trigger warnings for any chapter. Not the ones on sexual assault, on miscarriage, on infant loss, on suicidal thoughts. Not a single one. I spent the first half of the book triggered by these stories so unexpectedly because there was not a single warning anywhere.

Because I spent the first half triggered and skeptically opening my book again, waiting for the next shoe to drop. I couldn’t even see the goodness of stories because I was so cautiously reading, waiting to see what would negatively impact me.

I finished this book only because I am a missionary overseas and our book club was reading it. If I had been independently reading by myself, I would have stopped after 5 chapters.

I understand that this could and likely has served a lot of overseas workers well. But from someone that has been in the thick of traumatic experiences, it was a lot.

[Paige Cuthbertson| Turning_Every_Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful stories of God’s faithfulness

You may not agree with everything these women have to say; I didn’t. But that doesn’t detract from the beauty of these stories. Some of them are very hard to read; many of them seem like they couldn’t possibly offer hope. And yet, they do. Every story is a lesson on God’s faithfulness even in our darkest hours, and they will strengthen your faith, challenge your walk with Christ, and encourage your spirit. Living overseas presents many unique challenges, and I appreciated these testimonies of hope from women who know what expat life is like! But you whether you’re a fellow expat, or someone who lives in the same place I which you were born and raised— you will be blessed by the courage and faithfulness of these women, and by the power and faithfulness of our God!

[Tricia Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book features stories from 45 women who share about finding courage in the midst of the hard circumstances that come with living overseas. As someone who has spent almost half my life living overseas, I can relate to so many of the stories and I found such encouragement and strength from these honest portrayals of hope in both the ordinary and intense moments of cross-cultural life. I finished the book in two days and highly recommend it to those who have lived abroad or those who want to better understand what life is like for those who live outside of their passport country. Be forewarned that it covers topics like sexual harassment, mental health, team conflict, singleness, burnout, rape, miscarriage and illness, so it’s not for the faint of heart!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

In reading biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs, I have come to expect that biographers will often present missionaries as close to flawless while people writing about their own lives include their struggles and failures. Yet We Still Hope is a collection of 47 real life, personal narratives. These are not stories that put anyone on a pedestal. They are real.

I had a hard time at the beginning of the book. The first part has a lot of tragic stories that I needed to take in small doses. But the more I read, the more I loved it.

This book is for women on the field, preparing to go, or processing after returning home. It is also for those who will never go but instead send and support missionaries. In these pages you will find women who have had the same struggles in their lives that you have had - tragedies, abuse, sickness, betrayal, sin... Not only that, you will also see how they carried on, in hope.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was comforting to read about others going through life overseas ups-and-downs. It gave me hope that things I'm in the middle of now that seem too hard might one day be a story of hope.

After each story I couldn't decide if I wanted to quickly jump to the next story or savour the the pain and joy of the story I had just read.

Very intense though, some of the things we don't put in our missionary newsletters. The first section was too intense for me at first so I read the last 2 sections first then came back and read the start.

[Sarah Hilkemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in this book are not all easy to read- some are painful and raw- but goodness, the courage of each of the women featured is so amazing. So grateful for a real look at a lot of issues that affect global workers that we don’t often talk about, and for the hope in God that shines through each story.

[Sarah Nisly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the raw honesty and these women's examples of walking in grace and tenaciously holding onto hope. Its format, a collection of short stories, kept the book an easy read. I left with the strange kind of encouragement that comes from stories like these - it's a candid acknowledgement of the common struggles without despairing of hope.

[Ruth Potinu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a gift that just seems to get richer and richer with each chapter. The stories pull you in and stay with you thanks to their beautiful honesty. I would highly recommend anyone in cross-cultural work or even those who support or work with cross-cultural workers to invest in this amazing resource.

[Claire Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s get complaints out of the way first
-There should definitely be trigger warnings re:sexual abuse, rape, for chapter 24 and 28. So let me give you those heads’ up now. :)
-a lot (42 out of 47) of the stories were about married couples and wanting/losing children, raising children, adopting children. Especially the first section—the second story was a single and then it was 10 stories of married couples with a lot of very unrelatable situations for me.

Positives:
-Even if many stories were so other from my experience, they were powerful. They almost all had deep messages that could touch any missionary, singles married with kids or not.
-for the few singles that did write here, I appreciated what they said a lot. All five stories were very real and helpful.
-And just overall, the writing of each woman was so powerful, so deep, so raw. I am amazed at how open some would be to share with us that we’re not the only ones who have
Doubted
Fallen into sexual sin
Lost a child
Lost a spouse (to death or an affair)
Hated their host country
Returned to their passport country
And so much more! All of their tales enwrapped and involved me to the end. I feel like I have a better idea of missions than ever after reading this book, and that I’m in very good company. ❤️
ALSO, MOST RELATABLE QUOTE: “He heard ‘U.S.’ and immediately decided to talk about politics” (page 95)

[Lundquist Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether or not you are a global worker, this book is an interesting read. (I received an advance copy.) True stories, written from women all over the world, give a glance into gut-wrenching hardships of challenging situations in their host countries, yet provide glimpses into how hardships were overcome through hope in Christ Jesus.

I found the book hard to get into at first; and it is more a book that will take time to pause and reflect, giving time to pray over each of the stories and similar situations that cross-cultural women face.

I think that I would have put these "mothering" stories not as the first stories to read. For some, where mothering is a sensitive topic, starting with this section could be very difficult. Be aware that it covers topics like miscarriage, sexual harassment, mental & physical health, conflicts, singleness, burnout, and such - some of these topics could be trigger points for someone having dealt with them.

[Megan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of stories from women who live and do ministry in unfamiliar contexts. However these stories are not the typical stories you might think of when you think missions work. They are stories of broken people showing up to God in the middle of broken circumstances. These women are snapshots of the struggles and things that many of us in missions face in our work. I found myself relating to many of the stories as I have seen people go through similar things. It is powerful to see how God shows up, time after time. All this being said, it is a book full of hard, triggering stories so pick it up with that in mind. I am glad these ladies choose to share their stories and processing so that we could collectively worship the Lord with them.

[Lisa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The power of story is so evident in this book! As I read of women who were called to serve all over the world and their stories of loss, fear and redemption, my heart was filled with courage and thanksgiving, hope and comfort. I could hardly put the book down as I went from story to story, eager to hear of the next adventure and how God met them. I'm so grateful to the women who vulnerably shared their experiences to bring glory to the One who carries each of us.

[holly rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book with great stories from women who have done life overseas. I found only about a third of it to be relevant to me, though. Most of it focuses on infertility and marriage struggles which I simply can’t relate to in this season, but it was still encouraging to read how these women persevered through these trials, no matter the outcome.

[Eva Burkholder · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will find someone who has experienced what you have in the real, raw, and vulnerable stories of these global women. These testimonies of illness, loss, infertility, death, disability, depression, mental illness, betrayal—all against the backdrop of cross-cultural life—will inspire you to hope.

[Laura O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of stories that encouraged me deeply. If you want a nitty-gritty look at life on the mission field, read this book. If you work overseas (or have worked overseas) in ministry and need a reminder that you are not alone in your joys and your struggles, read this book.

[Nancy Rempel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has something for every woman. Brutally honest, vulnerable, this book traces the unique challenges faced by women serving Christ on the foreign mission field. Their stories give the reader permission to admit their own struggles and find God sufficient in them.

[Shirley Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest stories of life serving God around the world...they don't all wrap up neatly, but they all cling to the hope of the God who called and who will yet be faithful.

[Marti Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Velvet Ashes is an online community of women serving cross-culturally. In this book, 45 of them, serving in many different countries, share both their everyday challenges and their darkest moments and how God has met them in both—resetting their expectations, sending them help, and giving them hope.

Delving into issues like depression and anxiety, failure and rejection, serious illness and betrayal, it’s not an easy read. Nor is it a how-to book. These deeply personal stories may, however, serve as they are intended: to let others experiencing such challenges (even in their home countries) know they are not alone and help them persevere. As one of the editors says, “The famous stories may have inspired you to go. But these are the stories that may inspire you to stay.”

[Christy Carmean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of real stories from women who live expatriate lives outside the US. Their stories of challenge, heartache and hope in the middle of the chaos.