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Reviews and Endorsements
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Jenny
- Growing up as a missionary kid in the 1960's I really related to this book. I read it to the Teen SS at Brighton SDA Church at the beginning of SS, each week. We laughed, we had tears in our eyes, and we really enjoyed it. It challenged them and inspired them.
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Wil
- This is not just another nice story about someone's experience in the mission field. Apart from its affordability, and historical and human interest value, the author has masterfully crafted the story so that it is difficult to put down before reaching the end. I recommend it for teens and older readers, and hope there are more like this on the way.
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Doreen
- This book was one I could not put down. The dedication and commitment made was awesome. The experiences they went through and how God delivered them from those dangers should increase our faith that God is all powerful and can deliver, uphold and strengthen us today as he did in the past.
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[ Bookshelf Review ]
- One of the diabolical aspects of successful cross-cultural missionary endeavour is that eventually it does itself out of business. In the South Pacific Division, where Papua New Guinea has responded tremendously to the missionary efforts of yesteryear, there are fewer cross-cultural missionaries than ever before. As the last of the early Australian and New Zealand missionaries pass to their rest, the risk is that our younger generation may never know the amazing stories of God’s miraculous workings here in our own backyard.
This is why Dr David McClintock’s new book, Canoes, Crocodiles and Christ is such an important book. The story of Haru Hariva, one of the early indigenous missionaries in Papua New Guinea, is extraordinary history that should not be lost. Younger readers will find themselves enthralled by stories of adventure and courage, and of a God who shows up in miraculous ways to speed the gospel on its way. Whether it is being lost at sea, crocodile attacks, snake bites, dreams that foretell the future, or encounters with hungry cannibals, young readers will be left with a compelling conviction that God was and is at work. As they journey with Haru through the loss of his parents, the tragedy of a boat explosion, and the loss of a child, they will be confronted with Haru’s unwavering persistence, integrity and singlemindedness.
Perhaps one of most poignant stories in Canoes, Crocodiles and Christ is of 10-year-old Zita leading out in a funeral service when her parents could not. Older readers will also enjoy hearing more about some of the early missionary families that have become legendary in the South Pacific.
Appealing to both young and old, and with questions in the back of the book that lend themselves to great discussions, this book makes for a great worship experience for families who want to read and reflect on the stories together.
Canoes, Crocodiles and Christ captures beautifully the desire that resides in every heart, regardless of culture, for hope and meaning. Most importantly it captures God’s love and the extraordinary lengths He goes to win the hearts and minds of those caught in primitive religions. More than ever, we need to be reminded that God is active in this world, and that He partners with us when we partner with Him. Like Haru, we may never know until heaven the results of being faithful to the call God places on the human heart.
—Lea-Anne Smith, manager, Better Books and Foods, Cooranbong
