Allan Was Away

"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." (Proverbs 25:25) Like a lively collection of letters from a familiar friend, Georgene Shalm's book "Allan Was Away" perfectly captures the personal side of missionary life, through the eyes of an ordinary wife and mother serving an extraordinary God. Allan & Georgene Shalm have been dear friends and outstanding missionaries for nearly forty years, but I've never heard their story quite like this. It's all here ... the mundane and the miraculous, accidents and adversity, severe sickness and supernatural healing, tearful memories and fearful moments, ministry frustrations and family celebrations, opposition and terrorism, spine-tingling angelic interventions and side-splitting hilarious misadventures. As you read along, caught up in the whirlwind of activity that is a missionary's life and calling, you'll gradually come to one very important realisation: We all live out our lives at this junction of the everyday and the extraordinary, at the intersection of answered prayers and unanswered questions, at the crossroads of our human pursuits and God's higher purpose. And it's in that territory of the ordinary that God does His best work. Thanks to our missionary friend Georgene Shalm for inviting us all to join her on this ordinary, extraordinary journey of faith. You will be better for making the trip.

Raymond Woodward Pastor Capital Community Church