Daughters of Hope: Stories of Witness & Courage in the Face of Persecution [Paperback]

Kay Marshall Strom (Author), Michele Rickett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2003

Throughout the world today, Christians continue to face intense persecution, and Christian women are often the most vulnerable. In Pakistan, Christian girls are systematically kidnapped, tortured and raped. In China, underground church leaders are sent to labor camps for hosting illegal home meetings. In Sudan, Christian women are captured and sold into slavery or mutilated and left to die. And in many Muslim countries, a woman can be killed by her husband or father for converting to Christianity. In this deeply moving book, Kay Marshall Strom and Michele Rickett tell the stories of persecuted Christian women from around the world. From Africa to the Middle East to Asia, they give voice to our sisters persevering under the yoke of oppression and injustice. Each section provides specific prayer points and practical action steps to equip us to respond to the issues at hand. Above all, these stories remind us that suffering is part of the call of followers of Jesus. The challenges do not mean that God has abandoned us. Rather, God is active and present with his suffering people. Do not be discouraged. Take heart from these daughters of hope.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Every believer ought read Daughters of Hope. Here are stories of women living today who, like Paul, die daily for the furtherance of the gospel against life-threatening opposition. Oh, how I have been encouraged and challenged by their faith! This is a book that tells you how to invest in their lives in missions. It's a book that will call you to fervent and knowledgeable prayer." (Kay Arthur, CEO and Cofounder of Precept Ministries International )

"An encouraging, inspiring and challenging collection of testimonies of women who embrace our Living Hope--Jesus Christ--in nations where bearing the name of Christ can bring rejection, loss, beatings, imprisonment and even death." (Dr. Tom White, Director of The Voice of the Martyrs-USA )

"If you want to understand the reality of God working in and through the lives for thousands of women across the developing world today then read Daughters of Hope. The power of story is undeniable, and the true stories you find here will bring you understanding as well as deeply move you." (Jane Overstreet, President/CEO, Development Associates International )

"In their book Daughters of Hope Michele and Kay have challenged my thinking. This book is filled with stories of ordinary women who have surrendered their lives to Christ and allowed him to use them to accomplish his purpose. They are his servants, showing us how to live out the truth of Colossians 3:3, 'For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.' Each story is different; the common thread is how God uses lives fully devoted to him." (Diane Johnson, Director of Women's Ministries, Midland Evangelical Free Church, Midland, Michigan )

"Daughters of Hope is an eye-opening collection of stories about courageous women who are putting their lives on the line every day to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Kay Marshall Strom and Michele Rickett have done a wonderful job of representing these women and presenting, in a very riveting way, the dangers they face on a regular basis. Not only does it challenge the reader, but it also provides practical ways to become involved. I recommend it as a must-read for everyone who wants to know what God is doing in the most difficult to evangelize places in the world and how they can have a part in spreading the good news." (Bev Carey, President, Evangelical Women, Pacific Conference of the Evangelical Church of North America )

"An outcast Indian woman who suffered harsh persecution for her faith asked incredulously, 'If it doesn't cost you anything, how do you in America know what it means to be a Christian?' After reading the poignant stories Kay and Michele tell of the persecuted women of faith around the world, I asked myself that question. I wept as I read of the Nigerian woman whose husband was killed the night Muslims burned their church, or the Sudanese mother raped and killed by the authorities, or the young Moroccan believer who escaped after her father threatened to kill her. They persevered because they love Jesus. It's in these dark and difficult places of the world that women of God are demonstrating the reality of what it means to be a Christian. The heart-breaking stories awakened my heart, as they will yours, to seek justice, to pray for mercy and to thank God for the grace I so undeservedly enjoy." (Lorry Lutz, author of Women as Risk Takers for God and Women Finishing Well )

"This much-needed book provides compelling stories of the power of the kingdom of God in the lives of women suffering under the tyranny of injustice and oppression. Anyone reading this through the eyes of Christ will be motivated to take seriously the practical prayer and action steps suggested to help ordinary women become extraordinary witnesses in situations seemingly without hope." (James F. Engel, retired missions educator, writer and consultant )

About the Author

Kay Marshall Strom is the author of more than thirty books, including A Caregiver's Survival Guide and (with her husband, Dan Kline) The Savvy Couple's Guide to Marriage After 35. They have spoken to over 100,000 people in more than twenty countries. They live in Santa Barbara, California.

Michele Rickett is founder, president and CEO of Sisters In Service, a ministry working with local women in the most impoverished and restricted parts of the world. She is an international speaker and, with her husband, Daniel, authored the Bible study course Ordinary Women Developing a Faithwalk. They live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (September 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830823662
• ISBN-13: 978-0830823666
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a writer and speaker who loves learning about the world. And what better way to learn than to travel? My dear husband puts up with me... even accompanies me on occasion.

Of course, the more I learn, the more I want to write. And then I want to jump up on my soapbox and share all my insights and ideas.

For years I've been known as a writer of non-fiction. That's still true, but I am also having the time of my life writing fiction. Sometimes there is no better way to share a passion than through a rollicking good story! I just finished writing one historical trilogy, "Grace in Africa," (Book 1: The Call of Zulina, Book 2: The Voyage of Promise, Book 3: The Triumph of Grace). Now I'm working on the next series, "Blessings in India." What fun! It's like eating my chocolate dessert when I haven't finished my broccoli!

Come, explore the world with me. Together we'll strive to make it a better place.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for all Christians! An eye opener..., February 7, 2004

By 

C. Hamley "cyndie" (San Luis Obispo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daughters of Hope: Stories of Witness & Courage in the Face of Persecution (Paperback)

This insightful book can open our eyes to the plight of Christians in the darkest places on the earth. The authors traveled around the world and met with women so that their stories could be told and others could be aware. They begin each section with a brief summary of conditions in a particular country and then tell the stories of specific women living in those conditions. The accounts of "witness and courage in the face of persecution" give hope that can motivate us to respond with prayer and action. The authors don't leave the reader feeling helpless, but provide specific points of prayer and advocacy for the suffering believers. Every believer in Jesus Christ should read this book, buy more and pass them on.
This book would be excellent for a family study, group study, or individual study. Far from being depressing, it encouraged my heart to see how God is working even in the darkest places.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one who cares, August 21, 2004

By 

San Francisco - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughters of Hope: Stories of Witness & Courage in the Face of Persecution (Paperback)

I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME! Not only because I read this amazing book about the women who risk and endure so much, but because it lets me know what I can do to be a faithful sister of this world to them. It so frustrates me to be told about apalling sistuations and injustice around the world, only to be left with yet another anxiety nagging me and making me feel guilty. But this book doesn't do that. It tell it like it is, then lets me know where I can help. And that doesn't mean sending money! This is a book to be read. It is more Christian than I normally would choose, but the facts are there.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring...., March 16, 2006

By 

Nicole_Desmond (Woodhaven, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daughters of Hope: Stories of Witness & Courage in the Face of Persecution (Paperback)

This book was so inspiring and empowering...to know that women around the world...in places where Christianity barely exists...these women are converting, evangelizing, and leading. The book makes you realize that being a Christian in the United States is a cake walk! I definately recommend this book and I am passing it on to my missions team!