The story of ambush had shaken them. ‘They are going to force you out. But you won’t make it to Xichang.’ ‘They will shoot you… on the mountain pass.’ As the Communists gained control of China, foreigners were no longer welcome.

The team packed what they could onto their mules and set out across the mountains. As they ascended the icy slopes, bleak mists closed in. The paths were treacherous, the future uncertain.

Joan had spent years trying to get to China, facing setbacks, discouragement and opposition. But she was sure God wanted her in China. Finally, reaching the ‘Great Cold Mountains’, things seemed to fall into place. Living and working with the Broomhall family, Joan felt, for the first time in her life, that she belonged.

Now she was being asked to leave. Did God really have a plan?

As Joan looks back, 60 years on, God’s faithfulness and sovereignty are clear. Her remarkable story shows us that there are some lessons we can only learn with hindsight.

320 pages

ISBN 978-08254-6157-6