Gospel Blaze in Borneo combines an illustrated traveller's tale about a 2023 journey of discovery to Ranau in Sabah, East Malaysia, with exciting mission stories, historical research and rare archival letters and photographs from the work of the Borneo Evangelical Mission, established by Australians in 1928.
There are fascinating insights here into rugged missionary sacrifice in the wild interior of a new nation that was throwing off the protective cloak of colonialism and struggling for independence, identity and release from animism. In the early 1950s the writer's parents, called Sabin and Kumin, joined with a few others in pioneering first contact and church planting activity down the remote Labuk River and in and around Ranau. This small mountain town was at the end of the infamous Sandakan death marches, only five years before the post-war missionaries arrived.
Jim Ward first grew up here and on this trip with his wife Ellen, discovered that over sixty strong churches have blazed into spectacular life. This indigenous church has spread throughout Sabah and Sarawak and is self-sufficient, biblically healthy and outreaches not only in Borneo but further afield as well.
The seeds of the gospel were sown in soils of blood and despair, but the Holy Spirit has ensured their germination into a breath-taking harvest of love for Jesus, for which all praise and glory is given to our loving, creator God.
