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The good SamaritanRefugees on the runTHE GOOD SAMARITAN This is a novel, apparently aimed at young teenagers. It is a racy story, set on the Australian coast. A group of Afghan asylum seekers, who have been fleeced by people traffickers, are shipwrecked, rescued and taken by the authorities to a detention centre. However, one man is not picked up, but is discovered by two young adults, Josh and Sarah, who shelter and care for him secretly in their family’s garden shed. In the story Josh, 16, seeks out ways to earn extra money in order to feed his new friend, while he tries to work out how to reunite him with his family. During these days he learns more about the plight of asylum seekers, makes new friends (even starting a low-key romance) and learns several needful lessons. Finally, on his sister Sarah’s wedding day, his secret is revealed to family and police alike, and his refugee friend is revealed to be a Christian and happily reunited with his family. The story is a simple one, but it is shot through with issues to which youngsters might want answers. These include how to discern truth from falsehood, the issue of different Bible rversions, and the reality of depression in a real Christian. This little volume gives an interesting slant on the story of the Good Samaritan, and would be a worthwhile read on its own, or as a starting-point for discussion in a young peoples group. Susan Heaps, © Evangelicals Now - May 2009 |