Call of a Coward - A Book Review

From the Back:  Moses never wanted to be a leader.  Jonah ran away from his missions call.  And when Marcia Moston's husband came home with a call to foreign missions, she was sure God had the wrong number.  His call conflicted with her own dreams, demanded credentials she didn't have, and required courage she couldn't seem to find. She promised to follow where God led, but she never thought the road would lead to a Mayan village on a Guatemalan mountainside.  From the treacherous road trip to their new village home, to learn to navigate a new culture, to a stateside mission field in Vermont, Moston's journey reveals that God leads just as clearly today as he did in biblical times.  Her candid account tells a story of learning to trust and obey when faithfulness seems foolish.

Synopsis:  The book opens with Marcia, her husband Bob and daughter Lily waking up in a motel in Mexico waiting to cross the border into Guatemala.  Marcia and Bob Moston had become convinced God called them to serve in Guatemala.  The book chronicles the ups and downs of their time in Guatemala.  Moston intersperses stories from their time with questions she asked God.  The couple gave up a comfortable life in the states to move into another context that was filled with unique challenges.  From corrupt governments, villager distrust, to primitive living conditions, Moston details it all. 

My Review:  This was an odd little book to me.  I didn't expect that it would chronicle only one year.  I admit I was a bit perplexed at the beginning - there wasn't a lot of overt talk about ministry or the gospel.  But, I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.  About midway through, the book almost "morphed' and became a beautiful story of God working in Moston's life as much or more so than He was working in the village.  I really began to feel Moston's love for the community she was serving.  This isn't your typical missionary book - the Mostons didn't move to Guatemala never to return.  They were only there a short time but it was a powerful time in their lives.  What this book does show is that God uses the obedient - often in ways that are unexpected.  The Mostons gave themselves over to God's call and never looked back.  I loved the storytelling style of the book.  In parts, I felt like I was having coffee with the author.  I just wish I'd had more back story (pre-Guatemala) and more details about their life in Vermont after returning from Guatemala.

Score:  4 bookmarks out of 5.

Note:  Thomas Nelson Publishers gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.