Odessa Mission
A Dumb American in a Strange Country:
Finding God Where You Least Expect Him
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Some Reviews are in:
"You are in for a captivating joy ride. With disarming honesty, quick wit, and transparent humility, John Murphy leads you through some of his own blunders and foul-ups in adjusting to culture shock and customs. However, this book is more than good clean humor. Expect to have your heart and mind challenged to higher heights and deeper depths about what it means to be a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ, our Commander in Chief. I pray that God will use this book to ignite a fire in your heart, as well as in the hearts of thousands of others like you, to take the good news to the ends of the earth."
"If you as a reader would like to see God's hand in a single individual's life, then this book is a must-read. You will find joy and pleasure in what God has done through John Murphy's life."
"Simply wonderful! This book has helped me to follow God's will."
"Outstanding. What a wonderful testimony!"
"In an easy, conversational style, John Murphy shares his heart, humor, and experiences as a missionary among the Muslim people of the Ukraine. His wise study of several Scriptural passages gives new insight and food for thought. I love the study of the original languages of the Bible to more accurately grasp the meaning of often misinterpreted passages and I love learning from the more obscure stories of Scripture. Fascinating! I also love hearing about others who risk, do the hard "heart stuff," and are willing to continue on the journey despite all it requires of us. With an honesty and vulnerability that is rare, John speaks of his journey toward intimacy with God, which is demanding, difficult, and often disheartening, but undeniably worth taking. John has abandoned his comfortable faith for one that is challenging and invasive and his journey motivates others who read his story to do the same. "
Table of Contents:
Part One: The Internship!
Chapter One: Lunar Landing.
Chapter Two: This is Houston: Do you read?
Chapter Three: Houston, ah . . . we finally have contact!
Chapter Four: Going to the moon to find myself?
Chapter Five: Confused and VERY far from home.
Chapter Six: Refueling, Repairing, and Repenting.
Part Two: Strange Country? Dumb American?
Chapter Seven: My first real whiff.
Chapter Eight: First lasting impressions.
Chapter Nine: Only in Ukraine!
Chapter Ten: Learning to laugh . . . at yourself.
Part Three: Some God-lessons For the Road!
Chapter Eleven: Finding God's will isn’t entirely doing God’s will!
Chapter Twelve: God's plan and my personality.
Chapter Thirteen: Doubts, concerns, and answers.
Chapter Fourteen: This just can't all be for nothing!
Chapter Fifteen: Take it like a man and just believe!
Chapter Sixteen: The only contingency plan that works.
Chapter Seventeen: Once there was a missionary who got saved . .
Chapter Eighteen: One happy ending and a few happy beginnings.
We hope you enjoy it!
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