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My Heart in His Hands: Ann Judson of Burma

MY HEART IN HIS HANDS: ANN JUDSON OF BURMA
By Sharon James
Evangelical Press. 238 pages. £6.95
ISBN 0 85234 421 X

August 8 1810: 'Endeavoured to commit myself entirely to God, to be disposed of according to his pleasure . . .' So wrote 20-year-old Ann Hasseltine shortly after receiving a proposal of marriage from Adoniram Judson, a proposal which entailed not only leaving her family home, but leaving a continent, to be America's first female missionary.

This thrilling biography is the story of her consecration, from conversion at the time of New England's second Great Awakening, to her early death in Burma. Sharon James has woven extracts from letters, diaries and an 1830 memoir together with her own narrative. The result is an edge-of-your-seat read. Hearing about spiritual realities in Ann's own words brings a cutting edge to the writing, while the understated links and historical detail provide a clear backdrop to the drama.

When Adoniram Judson wrote to Ann's father to ask for her hand, he listed the 'hardships and sufferings . . . dangers of the ocean . . . fatal . . . climate, every kind of want and distress, insult persecution and perhaps a violent death' which might await her. He was not wrong, for throughout her short life, Ann underwent great trials - yet what shines through in this book is her vibrant, solid faith. Ann may be a heroine, but she is accessible and we have much to learn from her humble submission to a sovereign God, her zeal to see the lost saved and her resourcefulness in hardship; what an example of godly womanhood! This is an extremely important book in highlighting the pioneering role of women in mission and in revealing the dynamics of a spiritual life founded on God's Word.

The story leaves no saccharine aftertaste; Ann had a sharp mind and faced circumstances which don't fit neatly into any human plan of success, the workings of providence didn't magic away tragedy, but did plant a church in Burma which survives to this day. For these reasons, the narrative causes the reader to marvel all the more at God's sovereign grace and examine his own obedience.

Sarah Allen