Is It Sacrifice? - Bill and Shirley Lees

Published by Inter-Varsity Press: Leicester, England, 1987.

I picked this little book up from a pile my mum was giving away, then found it in my reading pile when I couldn't sleep a few nights ago. The authors, Bill and Shirley Lees, tell of their time as missionaries in Borneo, along with their call to the mission, some of their courtship and family stories. 

Within the book, Shirley mentions an earlier book that she wrote, Drunk Before Dawn, which apparently tells the history the mission they were involved with more thoroughly. That allows this book some freedom to focus on particular themes and topics rather than needing to be tied to a larger arc. In some cases this would be an issue, but Is It Sacrifice? is very easy to read. The chapters are short and interesting, and the authors end each of them with a few questions to think about, as well as including a recommended reading list of other books on the theme of the chapter (some of which I might hunt out).

Some parts of the book that jumped out at me on this read include the way Bill and Shirley chose to honour their parents even though it meant a delay to the start of their mission (pages 43-44), a reminder that if we are seeking God's will we can make decisions and trust that God will lead us once we've made them (pages 50-52), and even a discussion on how missionaries should train up locals to take over the church, rather than simply staying on indefinitely (pages 90-91).

A short, uplifting read, and the right book for the right moment.

Completed 31 October 2021.

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