Customer Reviews

Mountain Rain: A Biography of James O. Fraser : Pioneer Missionary to China (An OMF book)

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This is an excellent book about a true man of God. The book tells of James Fraser missionary to the Lisu people. It emphasises the power of prayer both by those on the field and supporters at "home". By doing so it also offers a challenge to us all in our responsibilities to pray for those who have gone overseas for the Lord. The book deals honestly with Frasers struggles and doubts. Overall the picture is painted of a man willing to sacrifice everything for God and the spread of the gospel to the people he was so burdened for. This book should inspire us to rise above our mediocrity and be willing to give all for Him who gave all for us.

"Mountain Rain" is the amazing story of what the Lord can do in the life of one man who is willing to surrender everything and follow Him. In 1906, James O. Fraser was twenty years old, a student with a bright future in engineering and a brilliant pianist about to give his first London recital, when a booklet from a fellow-student challenged the plans he had made for his life. "If our Master returned today to find millions of people unevangelized, and looked, as of course he would look, to us for an explanation, I cannot imagine what explanation we should have to give. Of one thing I am certain--that most of the excuses we are accustomed to make with such good conscience_now_, we shall be wholly ashamed of_then_." Through this booklet and the Lord's leading, Fraser embarked on a course of faith that led him to the remote valley of the Salween River in the western province of Yunnan, China. Here he would spend years at work among the tribal Lisu people, bringing them the message of salvation in the name of Jesus Christ alone. The remarkable story of his work there and in other regions of China is no less striking than the record of God's working in his own heart, and the deep and loving lessons that the Lord taught him along the way. The Lord taught him the power of the prayer offered in faith as he saw and felt the answers to the prayers of Christians for himself and his work, and the vital necessity of resisting the devil and being filled with the Spirit. Much of the book is in Fraser's own words, taken from journals and letters to those praying back home. His absolute determination to follow the Lord_whatever the cost_, the force and clarity of his writing on living a life of faith, forceful and impassioned because it was what he himself was experiencing, his longing to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit, and the depth of his knowledge and his love for the things of God are amazing. It was not that J.O. Fraser was a great man in himself, but that he had surrendered himself to be used by God, and his abilites and accomplishments are not a memorial to the greatness of a man, but to the inexpressible greatness of the God he served.

That same God is ready and willing to use each of us who realize that we have sinned against Him, and who place our only hope of forgiveness and salvation in His Son Jesus Christ, crucified for our sins and raised from the dead that we too might live with Him forever, to do great things if we will only surrrender and follow His leading.

Review by Emily Potter

This book teaches so much about all aspects of missions work. Through letters, antedotes, and short snipets, the missionary's daughter brings his travels to life. The book teaches much about leadership and true surrender to Jesus.

I enjoyed this book very much. This man went through a lot and it is both interesting and enjoyable. I hope you read it

This book is valuable for a number of reasons. It is a Christian biography and it is a missionary biography. Those interested in China or recent Asian history will benefit. This book is also desirable for its reality of adventure - a single white man living alone among remote mountain tribes, enduring their hardships for years on end. I think that the greatest value, however, lies in the truths which God taught James O. Fraser through his experiences - and especially through answered prayer - while living in China. God took Fraser step by step through principles of prayer and of the Christian life. Much of the story is given in Fraser's own words from his journal and letters. If you are seeking a spiritual challenge, direction for progress in your own ministry or personal life, or just a historical account of a man's immersion into a foreign lifestyle for the good of others, this book is a valuable resource.

This book is great for missionary-minded individuals. Not a literary masterpiece (by any means), but has taught me the fundamentality of having a prayer team and specifically for any kind of effective ministry. Primary sub-theme: spiritual ministry must be backed by prayer in order to be effective. Plus it's a great adventure.