We Wait You - A Book Review

We Wait You by Taryn R. Hutchison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Taryn Hutchinson goes to Eastern Europe after the fall of communism with Campus Crusade for Christ. In this memoir she recounts her life there over a period of ten years. Ultimately, what began as a short one year mission trip became a life choice that changed her outlook on life and her feeling of belonging in the world.

Hutchinson began her life as a foreign missionary in Eastern Europe in Romania as a "college student" studying the Romanian language. She and her colleagues ministered to the other college students. As Romania became more open, they were able to be more forthcoming about their intentions in the country and openly minister to students and their neighbors. She does an excellent job describing the living conditions in this newly free country and the openness of the people there.

After a couple of years in Romania and in Hungary, Hutchinson takes on a more supervisory role and begins to work with staff and volunteers in the other Eastern European countries. She weaves in information about the history of the region, the living conditions in each country, the varying receptions they received from the people, as well as more personal information. She doesn't shy away from describing her own difficulties in dealing with the lack of basic necessities or the spiritual struggles she experienced.

At the end of 10 years there with only short trips home to see family and connect with sponsors, she returns to live in the US. The transition is not an easy one. Life in Eastern Europe has changed her. Returning in 2000, she has missed the 1990s and has to adjust to many new things. Most of the people she knows don't understand her perspective, and she often feels like she doesn't belong in either world. She takes the reader on this personal journey of reintegrating into life in the US.

This book is on the recommended reading list for the United Methodist Women for 2012. I picked it up because I have always been interested in Eastern Europe. I was not disappointed. The book is funny, sad, sometimes a little scary, and very informative. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the area or in mission work.