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Tales of Persia: Missionary Stories from Islamic Iran

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In order to support his family, Gasem worked hard in his little shop in the bazaar in Meshed, Iran. Every day at lunch time, he would close his shop buy some bread and cheese and go home to share it with his family. One day, the grocer wrapped the cheese in the page of a book. After the meal Gasem read the story on the page to his family. It was so interesting that Gasem continued to request the cheese be wrapped in that particular book's pages. The book was a Persian New Testament. And the pages of that New Testament introduced the whole family to Christ.

Tales of Persia is full of wonderful, true stories. First published in 1979 for family reading, this simple, profound book just had to be published once again for us to read. In 1919, Presbyterian missionary William Miller answered his Lord's call to go to Persia, now known by its ancient name of Iran. He fell in love with the people and the country, living there until the late 1960s. This humble, caring man writes delightfully, with empathy and minimal fuss, about his adventures, the people he cherished, both missionary and native, and his Lord. Van Patter's black and white sketches draw out the meaning behind each story. Willing to learn from Muslims about Islam, Miller approached the people at their level, introducing Christ in ways they could understand. He does the same for us in this book, tying it all together with Scripture. The customs, mores, religion, everyday life, and the heart of these people become alive and real to the reader. You may have already met Miller through his book for the adult reader, A Christian Response to Islam. This author has a deep understanding of his subject and a talent for presenting the deeper truths at an understandable level.

Although written primarily for older elementary school age, Tales of Persia appeals to all ages from preschool to adult. Homeschoolers will delight in the fact that long before it was called homeschooling, Miller's mother taught her son at home. Tales of Persia will be cherished by many: the individual reader, family reading circle, Sunday School, VBS, church camp, the homebound, and those thinking of becoming a missionary. It will make a useful aid for introducing people to the need to answer a call from the Lord.

Meet missionaries in covered wagons; a shepherd boy and his lost sheep; Sa'eed the brave doctor, both beloved and hated; the little girl Fatima who loved Christ and dared all for Him; and many more. Tales of Persia is a book to enjoy and learn from. - Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com

Mr. Miller spent forty-three years as a missionary of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Islamic people of Iran. He shares these tales of people he met or heard of in his time there. Some lived many years ago, and some he was privileged to lead to Christ himself. He tells his stories simply, as a grandfather or Sunday School teacher to young children.

Here is a typical paragraph at the end of a chapter. "All this happened because a Christian man [not referring to the author], whose heart was full of the Spirit of God, made a missionary journey to Damghan. There he had so much love for a proud Muslim mulla that he wept over his lost condition. It is love like this that God uses to bring people to Himself."

These stories give a picture of rural life in Iran and missionaries who went there. We meet all kinds of people in these pages, ones who came to know the Lord Jesus in different ways and how that affected their lives. This would be a great book for reading aloud to the family.

I first read these stories as an adult and enjoyed them thoroughly. The author has a fresh, simple way of writing that is delightful. I am now reading them to my son who is 5 years old. They are a little old for him - very few illustrations and some things have to be explained further - but still keep his attention. In a few years, I'm sure he will enjoy them even more. I would recommend this book to Christian parents who want their children to develop a love for people in other countries and cultures and a heart to tell them about the love of Jesus.

This book was interesting and had detailed descriptions about missionary work in Iran almost 100 years ago. Anyone interested in the religions of the middle east, mission work, or a good read, should consider.