A child of missionary parents,
author Jeanette Windle grew up
in the jungles, rural villages and
mountains of what’s now a guerilla
hot zone in Colombia.
As such, it’s no surprise she
knows how to spin an engaging
yarn—which is exactly
what does with her latest title,
Congo Dawn (Tyndale House).
Known for her page-turners set
in exotic yet troubled locales,
Congo Dawn features a strongwilled
protagonist named
Robin, a former Marine lieutenant—
who, let’s just say, is no
stranger to corruption.
Now tasked to track down a
killer with her esteemed security
team, the lines between
what’s good and bad are blurred
more than ever before. Worse
yet, she can’t easily reconcile all
the hurt, disease and children
dying of preventable diseases
that she’s seeing along the way
or help wondering where God is
in the midst of it all.
“It is a heart cry with
which I think every
reader can identify;
and my prayer is that
in walking through
Robin’s own journey,
readers will find
answers of their own
to the core questions
of this story. How can
a world filled with
such darkness, injustice
and pain possibly
be the creation of a
God of love?” Jeanette shares. “How can followers
of Yesu [Jesus] in the bleakness of an Ituri rainforest
conflict zone or any other dark corner of
this planet take seriously a Scriptural mandate to
rejoice in their suffering [James 1:2; I Peter 4:13]?
What value beyond our own comprehension
might human suffering possibly hold that a loving
Creator God permits it to continue?”
Knowing the answers are far from easy, that’s
just one of many thought-provoking themes that
are explored in Congo Dawn. “Robin’s personal
journey through the pages of Congo Dawn reflects
my own spiritual journey to find answers to these
questions. The answer begins ultimately with
recognizing how that Congolese doctor’s wife in
the story responds to Robin’s questions. I am not
more compassionate than my Creator. Any love I
can possibly feel or show is a dim reflection of our
heavenly Father’s love.”