Into the Mud: Inspiration for Everday Activists: True Stories of South Africa
Here's evidence that with God's help all things are possible. These  remarkable stories of South Africans who overcome economic, social, and spiritual  oppression through faith are testimonies that missionary efforts are bearing incredible  fruit. Two thumbs up for a great book.- Tony Campolo, author and sociology  professor at Eastern UniversityMost of the success stories we Christians  tell each other are inspirational tall tales. Even when the facts are technically  true, we ministry people generally edit ourselves in such a way as to dazzle --  and raise money. So then, both the good news and the bad news is that Chrissie  Jeske's collection of stories about the common, unmiraculous transformations of  common, unmiraculous people is both rare and remarkable.  If you are looking  for some honest hope in a world full of trouble, here it is.- Bart Campolo,  author, speaker, and leader of the Walnut Hills FellowshipAfrica is  a rich, harsh, diverse land not made for sissies! In this riveting book Christine  Jeske invites you to experience, and possibly wrestle with, the many massive burdens  encountered by authentic 21st Century Africans. With their few creature comforts  and minimal Western luxuries, they draw us into the reality of living out Christ  in the midst of trials, tradition, and tribulation. The "mud" of each story in this  book forces readers to examine the impact of God's Living Water to cleanse, clarify,  and cultivate. This is a book we should all read; it expands the mind and softens  the heart.- Rona Miller, executive editor of Christian Living Today (South  Africa)God is calling his people to a strange joy, the kind that comes  only by borrowing the discomfort of others. Some hear the call; many do not. Christine  Jeske hears it and passes it on to us. You don't have to love Africa to hear the  invitation. Africa's stories are like all stories in the world's hard places. The  invitationis to accompany one another in the pilgrimage of faith.- Michele  Rickett, founder and president of Sisters In Service and co-author of Daughters  of Hope and Forgotten GirlsGod made the first human by breathing into  dirt. Jesus healed a blind guy by picking up mud, spitting in it, and wiping  it on the man's eyes. Jesus interrupted a death penalty case by drawing in  the sand as people dropped their stones, and He told a bunch of religious folks  if they want to enter the kingdom of God they need to play in the dirt with the  kids. The Scriptures are full of stories of a God who is not afraid of dirt,  who is just as likely to show up in the sewers of the slums as in the polished halls  of the temples. Christine Jeske has felt the mud between her toes and has seen  God at work in the dirt. This is a book of dirty theology. It's about  a God who is not scared of getting dirty, and invites us to join him in the mud.  May we have the courage to roll up our pant-legs and follow.- Shane Claiborne,  activist and author of Jesus for PresidentInto the Mud tells the real  stories of Africa. These are not the tragic stories, fairy tales, or classic cliches  of many novels. Instead, they are the stories of Africa today--of people struggling  to better their lives, or finding hope in God and community. Jeske's openness with  her own story invites the reader into the realities of walking with your neighbor.  This book will be valuable to individuals and groups in examining their preconceived  notions of development and developing nations, or as they prepare for a cross-cultural  experience.-Pamela Crane, water project manager for Blood:Water MissionInto  the Mud is an engaging picture of how to enter another culture from the position  of a learner and a fallen human being but still with a view to bring about positive  change. Christine Jeske's carefully chosen, well-written stories all have lessons  to be learned and are followed by questions for discussion and reflection. I recommend  this book highly for those thinking of cross-cultural ministry, be it short or long-term.-Jim  Tebbe, Urbana DirectorJeske presents a number of compelling narratives  that serve as a powerful reminder that the kingdom of God is not found in worldly  comforts and pleasures, but rather in the mundane, anonymous struggles of ordinary  people trying to make  sense of the complexities of life. Jeske does a wonderful  job of navigating through complicated issues of race and class in the developing  world in ways that are accessible and personal, and with a distinctively Christian  foundation that adds depth and meaning beyond the  difficult circumstances  described in her accounts. A much-needed example of grace and humility in the way  Western Christians respond to global needs.- Matt Koschmann, assistant  professor of communications at the University of Colorado at BoulderInto  the Mud is an adventure from cover to cover! A young mother from Wisconsin rides  her motorcycle across the South African countryside, searching for the Africa of  which she had dreamed back on her college campus. What she finds instead is more  than colorful folktales and exotic music--she finds miracles of faith and God's  love at work in the "mud" of extreme poverty, violence, racism, and disease. This  book is full of love, hope, and inspiration, and it is sure to launch a huge Christine  Jeske fan club. I'm already eager to see her next one!- Don Mosley, founding  member of Jubilee Partners and author of With Our Own EyesThrough raw,  honest, careful, and dignified re-telling of still-in-process stories of people  in South Africa,Into the Mudshows how our Creator and Redeemer enters  into the pain of people surrounded by injustice in order to provide comfort and  strength as these everyday heroes encounter and embrace faith, hope, and love. I  was inspired and deeply moved.- Benjamin Homan, president of Food for the  HungryJeske offers winsome, colorful exhibits of God's grace and Kingdom  movement in a landscape of globalized juxtapositions.Into the Mudreminds  us that indeed, every story is a travel story, as the journey of becoming and hope  are inextricably woven together in the face of everyday people. One need not have  traveled to the southern tip of Africa to appreciate a literary arousal of the senses  as the author walks the reader through the social and physical topography of the  Zulu nation. Of course, if one has traveled to this mountainous region of South  Africa, these stories ring with authentic detail and perspective. A wonderful read  for anyone who wishes to understand this nook of our planet or who just long to  hear more evidence of God's redemptive work in the muddy places of life.-Gary  T. LaVanchy, adjunct instructor and discipleship coordinator at Wheaton CollegeBeautifully  and engagingly written, Christine Jeske brings us deep reflections and poses important  questions from the front-lines of ministry to the poor in southern Africa. Through  a series of sensitively written, engaging, and evocative stories of ordinary people,  a mosaic of Africa as it is today emerges before our eyes -- complex, deeply Christian,  caring, and humane. The key issues of mission, poverty, development, and justice  surface through these compelling lives. This is a book that you must read.- Bryant L. Myers, professor of international development at Fuller Theological  Seminary and author of Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational  DevelopmentIf Jesus loved to use story in order to teach the crowds,  then it is clear that Christine Jeske is surely one of his disciples. Into the Mud  sings in well-written narrative the glories of God in a context of hardship and  joy, suffering and victory. It's one of those books that beg for the page to turn  in order to discover what happens next. Christine walks us through the South African  dust in dry season and the mud in rainy season, and in the process we discover Christ  and His coming kingdom-- sometimes with great challenges, but often with rewarding  surprises. I urge you to journey with her into the mud and straight to the heart  of God.- Scott A. Bessenecker, associate director of InterVarsity Missions  and author of The New Friars: The Emerging Movement Serving the World's PoorChristine  wrestles with some of the world's greatest problems but offers glimpses of hope  in a landscape of need, seeds of reconciliation in a history of brokenness, and  stories of enduring faith in the most unlikely places. Using moving vignettes, Christine  Jeske accomplishes what the statistics fail to do--plunge us into the grit and reality  of the world's largest issues and move us to action. Jeske is a master storyteller  and this outstanding book contains stories that need to be told.- Peter  Greer, president of HOPE International and co-author of The Poor Will Be Glad