When I was young, I rescued orphans with Gladys Alward, hacked through thick jungles with Mary Slessor, forgave my enemies with Corrie Ten Boom, set my face like flint with Helen Rosevere, and touched the poor with Mother Teresa all through the pages of missionary biographies. These amazing people were my heroes!

As a teenager, God used the story of Charles Marsh’s 37 years in Algeria, recorded in a small, long-forgotten book called Too Hard for God? to speak to me about giving up everything, dying to self to fully live for God. As an 8th grader I copied this poem found in the pages of Marsh’s book onto a piece of notebook paper and to this day reread it to remind myself of God’s calling to Live Dead among Muslims. The Marsh’s wrote this after losing their son in the land of their calling. I felt like God was asking me if I would say yes to Him too, no matter what.

(Note: the book was originally published in 1970. Please forgive the non-politically correct language)

If you had been to Moslem lands
Where suffering men stretch out their hands
To plead, yet no one understands;
Would you go back, would you?

If you had trod thru Afric’s sand
Your hand within the Savior’s hand
And knew He’d called you to that land;
Would you go back, would you?

If you had seen the women bear
Their heavy loads with none to share,
Had heard them weep with none to care;
Would you go back, would you?

If you had seen the Christian die
And stand for Christ when one was night,
Had seen him smile and say “Good-bye”;
Would you go back, would you?

Yet still they wait, a listless throng,
Longing for one to right their wrong.
When shall despair be turned to song?
We’re going back, would you?