The Missionary by William Carmichael and David Lambert

David and Christie Eller are missionaries in Caracas, Venezuela.  They run the Hope Village, a mission that has a school, orphanage, and medical clinic.  Christie is a nurse, and David takes care of the administrative duties. 

When David brings home a young boy from the streets who is having trouble breathing, they fear he won't make it.  But David is guilted with the fact of the other kids he left in the street.  David and Christie can only help the children so much, but David wants to help them all.

When a ten minute speech on television is watched by a revolutionary, David has no idea that his impassioned and political talk could have so many repucussions.  He feels that the government is at fault for all of the homeless and impoverished.  Venezuelan sits on an ample oil supply, but instead of using that to help, the government sits in their big houses with their full bellies. 

When a man approached David to help, just a minor role, in their quest to overthrow the government, he has no idea what to do.  While he cannot explain to Christie, he has his own talk with God, and convinces himself that it is something he must do.  But his choices soon have them in a nightmare and David is soon scrambling to get himself, his wife, and their young son out of the country.  However, not only God is watching David, but so is the Fraternity, an elite team of assassins.

The Missionary is a thrilling, heart-thumping, page-turning novel with many layers.  A dominoe affect, where one choice can affect so many other things, is a lending subtext through-out.  The plight of the children is heart-breaking, but the work of the Hope Village is full of hope.  This novel will stay with me for days, as the messages it sends are thought-provoking, and set in a realistic setting.  Fantastic!