Customer Reviews

When God Says Go: The Amazing Journey of a Slave's Daughter

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This book examines the life of a very courageous black American women at a time in our country's history when she had an uphill battle to do what God told her to do. Mrs. Lutz has done the research, including traveling to Africa, to make the whole time period come alive from those who knew this amazing lady personally. The book should encourage any woman who feels called to step out in faith no matter what the circumstances.

What stands out in When God Says Go is how many people do just that. While Eliza Davis George remains the book's center countless others: co-missionaries, mission boards, mission teachers, national workers and even a husband come and go, leaving Eliza to carry on. This is so since Eliza Davis George marked out a 65 plus year missionary ministry in Liberia, and at age 99, one year before her death, was still itinerating to raise funds and create missionary awareness. The others had to come and go, who else has that kind of track record? I was impacted by how much was going on in and through Davis' life, and realized that only half the book was finished.

The author starts by stating that the Eliza Davis George story must be told. Davis-George (1899-1979), the daughter of former U.S. slaves, sensed a call to Liberia to share the gospel with Africans, and through an indomitable, indefatigable, almost incredible endurance prayed and labored her way in the interior of Liberia, starting a mission, establishing schools, training nationals, evangelizing a multitude, and being Christ to many tribes with no gospel contact, all the while facing such severe hardship and limited resources that only her strong faith in God and a true grit kept her there.

Lutz begins the book by recounting a number of memories and stories as Eliza walks, in vain as it turns out, 200 miles to try and retrieve a money order for badly needed funds. These opening chapters set the stage for what was a long life dedicated to prayer, fasting, great disappointment, hard work and, through it all, belief. By the end her life her labors had yielded a boarding school for tribal children, various other schools, and over 150 churches supported by different denominational entities. Probably what stands out most is Eliza Davis George's prayer life. Her stamina was only equaled, even surpassed, by her remarkable life of prayer. How did she do it all? Prayer and fasting were a way of life for Eliza Davis George, and the accolades given to her in the latter part of her service for her dedication to Africa reflected a life-long commitment that rested on prayer.

What would improve this fascinating account, what would make it more helpful as a missiological study and not only an inspiring missionary biography, would be a more specific focus on what did not go right for Eliza Davis George. George went with little backing and no training, and this to her credit, yet one wonders how these educational and practical limitations may have caused a rupture in some working relationships that, had the people remained, would have furthered the work sooner. As well, Eliza's giving spirit caused the mission to operate on credit, and in the red, for much longer than it should have. Had she learned to be more firm in saying no, not only would the mother mission have been on better footing, but her ministries in the bush would have been better realized and financed.

Most tragic, and discussed in some detail, was the ill-advised and ill-fated marriage between Eliza and C. Thompson George. Acquiescing to his romantic dreams of a life together of missionary service, though full of doubts and stopping short of love, the 40-year-old Eliza agreed to marriage in part as a way to continue her dream of staying on the field. What happens when a calling seems so strong it binds two people together who would not otherwise have married? In the case of C. Thompson and Eliza, a spiritual call was not enough to build what was not there, a growing love and unity. C. Thompson's spiral into alcoholism, adultery and ministry failure and scandal are tragic. He was responsible for these life turns, yet how much of his failure was caused by Eliza's inability to provide him what he needed as a husband is a valid question. These aspects, discussed more thoroughly, would make the book a better resource for missionary training.

A good deal of Eliza's work no longer exists due to the civil war that plagued Liberia for a number of years. Yet the vision she lived and taught still lives on in others, and they continue to make a difference through Christ, because Eliza was there to make a difference in them. This commitment, this dedication, this heroine of the faith makes for a good read, and a worthwhile one at that.

This book is a biography of an amazing black American woman who worked as a missionary in the jungles of Liberia from 1913 to 1972. The story briefly covers her parent's lives as slaves, her childhood, and her education. It also briefly describes the founding of Liberia and the history of Christianity there.

Most of the story details the many challenges Eliza Davis-George faced, the work she did in Liberia, and how her efforts helped the people of Liberia.

The biography initially jumps back and forth in time, which sometimes got me a little confused about where everyone (like her husband) was. It was a little slow in spots, but most of the story was vividly written, bringing life in the bush alive in my imagination.

The book doesn't hide her faults, yet it's still quite clear that Eliza George was truly an amazing woman. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes amazing missionary stories and who is interested in Liberia (i.e. if this story sounds interesting to you, I think you'll enjoy it).

Different Time, Different Place Book Reviews
http://differenttimedifferentplace.blogspot.com/

Eliza Davis George was the daughter of slaves, born in Texas where segregation was controlled by Jim Crow laws. Eliza grew up in a large family that loved the Lord. Eliza had felt from a young age that God had a plan for her life. She graduated from high school and attended college during a time when many white people did not have a higher level of education. When Eliza wanted to share the Gospel with Africa, their were several white men from the Baptist Convention that did not believe in her. But, a Reverend James Kelly did believe in her, and eventually Eliza was able to sail from America to Liberia, Africa. In those early years Eliza learned much about the country of Liberia, its people, history, and culture. Eliza worked tirelessly to provide clothing and food for the children, whom she felt was her ministry. She lived among them in the type of housing they lived in, eating the food they ate. She endured pestilence, famine, diseases, warring tribes, neglect and slavery of female children, and monsoon rains and mud. When financial support from America ended, she trusted in God to provide, and she never gave up!
I love to read biographies about Missionaries. I've only read a few, but hope to continue to read more.
What stands out to me the most is their ultimate commitment in the Lord and their complete trust and faith in Him to provide. I live a cushy life in America. Even though I must watch how I spend money, and have little money for extras. I am still able to take a shower everyday, eat a meal 3 times a day, have gasoline in my car, I can go to the doctor or hospital as needed, and many other comforts all that I would not like to live without. A missionary though lays it all on the line. Missionaries are given a stipend but they do not become wealthy agents, instead they are God's agents to proclaim the Gospel.
Eliza gave it all away for the sake of Jesus. She had to go, she had to go and tell these people in Liberia about Jesus. Her focus was on the children so that as they grew up they would continue to grow in the Lord, then when they were adults they would be agents or messengers in telling others about Jesus.
What stood out to me the most is Eliza would not take no for an answer, Jesus was her ultimate authority. She did not look to the right or the left, but stayed focused on Jesus and following Him.
I enjoyed reading her life story. I felt the author gave a full perspective to us of Eliza Davis George. Her childhood is examined, as well as the years waiting to be able to go to Africa, her indecisiveness about marrying Mr. George, the love she had for the children, the singular focus of her mission to the children of Liberia, and in teaching and instilling in them a love for and dedication for the Lord and His mission for them.
I was a little unclear about her punishment to the children. The book mentioned her husband was more harsh. I assume that Eliza was strict with the children and expected obedience.
The dynamics of the marriage between Eliza and her husband are brief, and that was okay for me, if too much information about them had been given I believe it would have steered the book away from the main objective, that being Eliza's complete love for and obedience to God's calling.

Thank you to Discovery House Publishers for my free review copy.