The Obstinate Horse
From SPARK
One-sentence summary
Twenty-four short stories for children from the China Inland Mission, now Overseas Missionary Fellowship. (OMF International)
Description
The Obstinate Horse and other stories from the China Inland Mission (CIM) is a reprint of true stories from the CIM. The stories tell how God protects His people who are in danger. He provides food when it seems impossible, even uses a rat to show a man the way of salvation! The book show how our God still changes lives today. He still answers prayers when people are in danger, or hungry, or lost, or in need of God's love.
The stories will help children understand what God has done and learn about the people He has used. It will encourage them, that God is still works in the lives of people who trust Him.
The final five stories are about early European missionaries to the Far East. One was a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest. The others were Protestants. They joined together to establish future missionary work.
Many of the experiences happened in China. Others tell of missionaries serving God throughout East Asia.
Story titles are the following:
- Pirate Ship
- Five Loaves and Five Cucumbers
- Mr. Chen's False Teeth
- The Rat Who Lost His Tail
- Little Good News
- Dangerous Taxi Ride
- The Rain Stopped in Time
- Pearl's Secret
- The Obstinate Horse
- A Table in the Wilderness
- Fed by Ravens
- The Lost Hen
- A Chicken Flew Over the Wall
- The Farmer's Field
- The Lost Well
- Fuffy Rat Rips a Poster
- God's Easy Way
- The Strangest Flock I Ever Saw
- The Whirlwind and the Rain
- Francis Xavier
- Robert Morrison
- Adam Dorward
- Harold Schofield
- F.W. Baller
Considerations
- Each of the stories ends with a page titled What About Me?. These are personal questions using Bible verses related to the story. A prayer helps children personalize the story.
- Some of the stories have black and white drawings.
- The book has 154 pages. Most stories are three to five pages long.
- Many of the stories are about national Christians sharing their belief in Jesus with family and neighbors.
Limitations
- Pearl's Secretis the longest story with 10 pages. It is written in an outdated style. It is about the daughter of Swedish Christian missionaries. She died while living in China.
- Some of the stories about western missionaries may not be useful in some countries. Many of the stories or of Asians who pray and witness to their own people.
- A few of the drawings show parts of people or scenes. These will need to be explained to children who are not picture literate.
Guidelines for Use
- As individual short stories recorded on audio cassette or CD.
- As individual stories in small booklets.
- As radio or TV dramas.
- In Christian schools as part of devotions.
- By a storyteller. Drawings could be enlarged to make a poster or a picture to color.
Where to Obtain
Link to Producer or Source Organization
- Address: P.O. Box 5206
Newark, NG23 6YL England, UK
- Website: www.searchlight-books.org
www.searchlight-missions.org
Cost
7.99 (GBP) as of September 2008
Producer/Owners
Author/Artist/Producer
Different authors
Current copyright owner
Searchlight Publications, 2004
Other Information
If you are interested in translating this book for a minority language group, contact Searchlight Publications. They will help you work out a Creative Commons License agreement.
Reviewed by
Vida, VMS
Date
September 30, 2008
