In First a Flicker, Then a Blaze, Richard Gammill takes us through the extensive history of Nazarene mission work in India. His love for God's mission is expressed artfully in his narrative, pulling together some of the stories of how God has moved in the world of India and South Asia through nearly a century.
Gammill has skillfully woven together the story spanning several generations of Nazarenes. Covering much of the geographic area in South Asia, he tells real stories of faithful missionary and pastoral families to escort us from the initially slow growth of the church to its current, rapid expansion.
One such story is in the chapter, "The Dandge Story," in which the reader learns about the life of Rev. Dandge. Dandge, it turns out, is a fourth generation Nazarene who, in answering a call to missions on his own continent, was taking the Light of the world to others. It delighted me to be reminded that although the results of our sacrifice may take longer to see than we are sometimes willing to wait in our "hurry up" world, we still need to wait on God.
Another example is in the chapter, "From the Village to the City," in which Gammill follows a man named Diwakar from the beginning of his small village ministry to his help responding to victims of a massive earthquake that struck a northwest region of India in 2001.
From the role of JESUS Film Harvest Partners and extension education centers to churches and homes constructed with the help of Alabaster funds, the author shows us that, despite opposition, God uses His people’s efforts faithfully. Through the sacrifice of his followers, God has produced missionaries from within India who now serve throughout the area.
I read this book in short bursts because there was so much to absorb. Although for me this was not as easy to read as some of our other missionary books, it is still a quick read -- a little over an hour. Many of the stories can be used by a pastor or Nazarene Missions International (NMI) leader to remind the congregation of God's faithfulness.
In this short book we meet people who have no peace while fighting God's call on their lives, and see how peace fills their hearts when they answer that call. Through these stories, we realize the ways that God is fanning the flame in India and South Asia.