"Providence has freed our hands"
Book Description
Through the remarkable journey of Elizabeth Russell, a pioneering Methodist missionary to Japan, this compelling historical narrative reveals how cross-cultural spiritual service can transform both the servant and the served. Karen K. Seat weaves together the story of women who ventured far from home in the late nineteenth century, carrying their faith across oceans only to discover that their own understanding of Christianity, gender roles, and racial equality would be forever changed.
Russell's bold establishment of a progressive girls' school in Japan exemplifies the courage required when spiritual conviction meets cultural resistance. As a member of the influential Women's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, she faced opposition not only from conservative voices within her own denomination but also from Japanese government authorities who questioned her educational innovations.
What emerges from these pages is a profound exploration of how genuine spiritual engagement with other cultures can expand our capacity for tolerance and justice. The missionaries who traveled to Japan returned as advocates for women's rights and racial understanding, their faith deepened and broadened by encounters that challenged their assumptions.
This thoughtful examination of women's foreign missions offers contemporary readers insight into how stepping beyond familiar spiritual boundaries can lead to unexpected growth in compassion, wisdom, and social consciousness. The transformation these women experienced speaks to the universal potential for spiritual expansion through authentic cross-cultural engagement.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Short (< 200 pages) (~5 hours)
📄 Length: 193 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Methodist episcopal church, missions
- ✓ Explore Methodist Episcopal Church
- ✓ Explore Missions, japan
- ✓ Explore Church history
- ✓ Explore Women missionaries
- ✓ Explore Women in missionary work
- ✓ Explore United states, church history
- ✓ Explore Missions
