Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in
exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I
compensated in any other way.

Off to the Congo

Homeschool Review Crew

Conjurske Publications

We will never turn down a good book to read here in our house!  So recently we headed off to the Congo with Conjurske Publications.  As members of the Homeschool Review Crew, we were sent one hardback copy of Venturing with God in Congo by Darrell Champlin through Conjurske Publications.

My kids are avid readers and I like to keep books on hand that will point them closer to God.  They read a lot of good fiction through our library so I like to counter that with keeping good biographies or even autobiographies on hand here at home for them to pick up and read as well.  These books are also a vital part of our homeschool.  

About the Book

Venturing with God in Congo is a compilation of Darrell Champlin’s memoirs of his time as a missionary when he went off to the Congo.  This is a missionary I had never personally heard of so I was interested in reading this book as well.

At 290 pages it is neither a long nor a short book and so can be read without taking months.  The cover is gorgeous and nicely done.  It pops out at you and makes you want to pick the book up.  I also enjoyed the black and white scenes on the inside covers as well as at the beginning and end of the chapters. 

Darrell Champlin and his wife were in the Congo for ten years spreading the gospel and learning the language.  They were forced to leave during the Congo Crisis and wondered if the work they had done would all be for nought.  Great read especially the epilogue by Darrell’s wife at the end that tells of her journey back years later. 

Our Thoughts

I love all the descriptions of the Congo.  It made me feel like I was actually there.  The pronunciations were also helpful as I like to be able to say things correctly.  Plus who doesn’t want to be able to say something in a foreign language!?

We decided to use this as a read-aloud chapter book.  Mainly I made this decision because I knew if I didn’t one or two children would sneak the book away to read and I might not get a chance to read it!  This way they knew even if they snuck it to read a chapter or two it had to come back to our book basket so I would be able to read from it the next day. 

In my opinion, I would say that children ages 9 and up could read this independently.  You would want to be around the younger edge of this while they were reading as there are words in other languages and some words they might have difficulty with.  I read it aloud to eleven children if you count my youngest who is only 16 months.  The next oldest is three years old and he did sit and listen.  He even asked a few very relevant questions which might have made me squeal with glee!  My oldest who sat to listen is 15 and she also read the book on her own.  

There was one story of a buffalo charging.  It took multiple bullets to kill the beast whose sole purpose was to charge and destroy.  The author didn’t see it as a dangerous beast but rather as something of beauty willing to die for something he believed in. 

The way this book is written is rivetting and we could not stop reading.  Often one chapter would turn into two because it’s captivating and holds you, prisoner, to the story and you have to know what happens next!  I highly recommend you give this book a place on your homeschool shelf and read it often. 

Learn More

You can learn more about going off to the Congo by reading all of the reviews that are linked up on the Main Blog Post over on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.  We all have different age children and different views on things so I’m sure you’ll find lots of differing opinions.  Conjurske Publications can also be found on Facebook.