Sunday, January 13, 2013

Through Rushing Water

Summary: When the life she planned for herself is snatched away, Sophia's eyes open to the life God has planned for her.

Sophia Makinoff is sure that 1876 is the year she's going to become the wife of an up-and-coming congressman. But when the congressman humiliates her by proposing to her mousy roommate,
Sophia wants nothing more than to disappear and avoid the wedding plans. She grasps at her first opportunity for escape and signs up for the Board of Foreign Missions.

She thinks she'll be going to China . . . but even running away doesn't go as planned when she's instead sent to the Ponca Indian Agency in the Dakota Territory. It's an abysmal, primitive place for a lady of society, but as she gets to know the people, she discovers she can't abandon them. The motives that led her there were anything but pure, but she finds a new purpose in trying to protect "the least of these."

The water rushes around her—literally and figuratively—as Sophia learns that the only way to fulfill her purpose is to ignore the distractions and focus on God's leading.

My take:

One of the things I enjoyed so much about this book was how easy it was to relate to the charachters. Sophia starts off a little proud and overly sure of herself and what her life will hold. Working with the Indians makes her feel . . . small and insignificant. She sees so much need and doesn't know how she can make a dent in the problems.

Many of us can relate to these feelings. Ignoring the rushing water is a concept I hope I never forget.

The conditions for the Indians made my heart break. The fascinating thing was how positive they were most of the time -- and how grateful for every small thing they were given. Instead of sitting around and complaining, they worked to try and make their situation better, take care of each other, and preserve their culture while still learning new things to better cope in their changed world.

This was a very inspirational book and I want to thank the publisher for providing my copy. It in no way influenced my review.

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