Adventures Under the Mango Tree (A Story of Hope in War-Torn Sudan) by Lillian Ann Kelp

Book Description:  Hearing the tremendous needs of orphans in Sudan, an ordinary woman in Wisconsin prayed, "Lord, what can I do?" His answer was life altering! "Sell all you have and give it to the poor," He said. Acting in faith and with a heavy burden for orphans, author Lillian Klepp and her husband, Dennis, sold everything they had and moved to war-torn Yei, Sudan. There they opened Harvesters Orphanage and Christian School in a place ranked worst in the world for women and children's well-being. Together, in the midst of a civil war, they battle chronic malnutrition, poor schooling, cancer, malaria, and poverty. Adventures Under the Mango Tree is Lillian's journal of touching stories with heartwarming photographs of the precious orphans they help, the dedicated people who love them, and the often life-threatening struggles they face together. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to serve orphans in South Sudan. To learn more visit: www.hrtn.org.

My Thoughts:  I love missionary stories.  This is a quite a story!  As a man once said, "Be careful what you pray for God may take you at your word."  Interestingly enough this is exactly what happened when Lillian prayed, "Lord, what can I do?" after hearing about war torn Sudan.  God led Lillian and her trooper of a husband, Dennis, from her warm comfortable abode in Wisconsin to the war torn country of Sudan.  Not only is Sudan a far cry from Wisconsin but it's, literally, a different world!  I found the incident with the bats funny.  Lillian tells of her first encounter with the bats.  As she and Mama Ityia were sitting in a room, the bats started flying at them.  Mama Ityia hit the floor and crawled under a table...Lillian just screamed and tried to hit the bats.  This just sounds like something an  American lady would do.  There are many more incidents in the book and lots of great pictures that show how Lillian, Mama Lilly, helped so many of the orphans.  What a story!  Jesus loves all the children of the world.  One of the best missionary reads and a great reminder of reaching out to those in need and that God will lead those who are willing to go!

   

                                                                                                                     *(This review is based upon a copy of this book which was provided free of charge from The Barnabas Agency for review.)*

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Creative Enterprises Studio; 2nd edition (2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0989052176
• ISBN-13: 978-0989052177

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