'Give Me This Mountain' is the
British title of the autobiography of
Dr. Helen Roseveare, graduate in
medicine from University of Cambridge,
in the late 1940's. A well-known
missionary doctor and author, with
several of her works still in print,
she worked in the north-eastern
province of the Belgian Congo with the
Heart of Africa Mission in the 1950's &
60's. She established a substantial
pioneer medical service and assisted
the churches before Congo's
independence in 1960, and continued
there for some years after, at a time
when many had to flee for their lives.
Helen tells her story in down to earth
terms, from playing cricket for the
ladies' university side (a liberated
woman even then), to her return to
Britain after five months as a hostage
in rebel terrorist hands. Her candid
account is an antidote to any delusion
that missionaries are saints who float
about an inch off the ground, and see a
blinding light from heaven when they
receive 'the call'. She almost failed
in missionary school through her
personal failings. Her own admitted
stubbornness, pride, know-it-all
attitude, and inability to work with
others made her a liability. The final
decision to send her overseas came when
an incident with a broken washing line
proved that she at least had a sense of
humour in the face of adversity!
Physical dangers and her personal
ambition in the Congo often almost sank
her, but her faith and hard work
brought her through. Her story is one
of bright mountains, conquered after
experiencing the dark valleys and
learning to give the glory to God.