Title: With Two Hands
Author: Rebecca Davis
Series: Hidden Heroes, book 1
Major Themes: Ethiopia, Communism, Persecution, Spiritual Warfare
Synopsis: When Dick McLellan was called by God to be a missionary in Ethiopia, he learned a lot about spiritual warfare and how God protects His people.
Some of the books that Sonlight Curriculum recommends are just plain spectacular. Over the course of the last few years, we have read several of Rebecca Davis’s books in the Hidden Heroes series. We finally got around to With Two Hands this month. I read it to my nine-year-old daughter, but many other family members ended up listening in as well. Even the five-year-old found it enthralling.
Publisher’s description:
Why would a crippled old man wait by the side of the road every day for twenty years? Why would a slave and a witch doctor walk for three days to find a man called Jesus? Why would a lame man purposely hobble to a tribe where he knew he could be killed?
Sixteen captivating true episodes from the ministry of missionary Dick McLellan in Ethiopia, as well as many national missionaries, show the power of God in the midst of darkness. One by one the people declared, “With this hand, I renounce the devil and all his works! With this hand, I embrace my Savior Jesus Christ! All I am and all I have! Two hands!”
The Hidden Heroes series tells inspirational stories for preteens (ages 9-12) that are suitable for read-alouds for younger children. Evangelical Protestant Christian missionaries take the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who then take it to their own people. Biographical true accounts bring the miraculous work of the gospel to life through personal testimonies of historical figures.
My thoughts:
This is an amazing story about how God worked in Ethiopia. I had never heard of Dick McClellan, and have never read much about Ethiopia, so I thoroughly enjoyed With Two Hands. God’s power is shown very clearly here. Many times, people were miraculously saved from death or harm at the hands of people who hated Jesus. Other people were set free from Satan’s powers. This book is an amazing introduction to children to the reality of spiritual warfare and the power of God to protect and set people free. Because of that, you will want to read it before your children do, in case some of it may be too much for them. Having said this, however, my five-year-old is very sensitive, and this was not a problem for her. She did tell me that she had dreamed the night before about what we read just before bed from this book, but she did not seem distressed at all. Apparently, she understood well enough how God is more powerful than evil men that it was not a problem. If you want a book to help build your children’s faith, check this one out, as well as the rest of the series.
WARNING: In many chapters, witch doctors are described in rather gruesome detail. In a number of other chapters, people are threatened with being shot to death for their faith.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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