The Obstinate Horse and Other Stories

This reprint of classic true stories from the CIM (now OMF International) highlights the power of God to protect in dangerous situations, to provide food when it seems impossible, even to use a rat to show a man the way of salvation! Each chapter also contains a devotional personal application section. It will be a spiritual inspiration and treasure for children of all ages.

The China Inland Mission, founded by Hudson Taylor, is regarded as one of the finest missionary organizations ever raised up by God. For nearly 100 years they took the message of Jesus Christ into every corner of China. They were people of great prayer and great faith. This reprint of classic true stories from the CIM (now OMF International) highlights the power of God to protect in dangerous situations, to provide food when it seems impossible, even to use a rat to show a man the way of salvation! Each chapter also contains a devotional personal application section. It will be a spiritual inspiration and treasure for children of all ages.

This book is about remembering. The first story is about a Norwegian missionary, Marie Monsen, and how God protected her when she was on a ship that was captured by pirates.

But most of all, this book is about remembering the Almighty God who still moves in our world and changes lives today. He still answers prayers when people are in danger, or hungry, or lost, or in need of the message of God's love for them.

In 1865 a man from England, named J. Hudson Taylor, felt called by God to start a missionary organisation, called the China Inland Mission, that would take the message of Jesus to every part of China. At that time, most people in China had never even heard of Jesus. Hudson Taylor believed that God is able to do great and mighty things if we trust Him and ask Him to help us in everything. Everybody in the China Inland Mission believed the same way, and God answered many of their prayers, as you will see, because the stories in this book are taken from things that happened to missionaries that were working with the CIM. They did wonderful work all over China until 1951, when the last missionaries had to leave the country because of the communist takeover.

However, that did not stop God or the missionaries. They prayed and asked God what they should do, and they began to see that many other parts of Asia were also in need of the message of Jesus. So the missionaries of the China Inland Mission began to go to many other nations. They were now known as the Overseas Missionary Fellowship. Some of the stories in this book are from the countries where they began to work. Even today they continue to work for Jesus in many countries under the name, OMF International. The people and the name may have changed, but their faith and trust in almighty God remain the same!

We hope these stories will help you remember the things God has done and the people He has used in the past. But we also hope that they will help you to see that God is still the same and that He still does amazing things in the lives of ordinary people like you and me when we trust Him enough to obey Him.

Sample Chapters

Marie Monsen and the Pirate Ship