Missionary trio Mildred Cable and Evangeline and Franscesca French were the first Englishwomen to cross the infamous Gobi Desert, living for years among the diverse peoples of northwestern China in places few Europeans ever reached. Educated and rich, Mildred Cable (1878-1952) once planned to be a concert pianist. Instead she served the people of China through wars and revolutions. Mildred followed Jesus with grit, determination, intelligence, and faith.

When Charles Mulli was a child, his family repeatedly abandoned him, and he lived in fear of his abusive, alcoholic father. With an extraordinary will, the young Kenyan struggled to feed and educate himself and, encountering hope in the gospel, found a reason to live and to forgive. Later, as a multimillionaire and father of eight, the entrepreneur sold his businesses to devote himself to caring for street children throughout Kenya. Since 1989, Charles and his wife, Esther, have taken into their protection thousands of the most vulnerable.

Ida had never forgotten the faces of starving Indian children. She hated India - it was full of horrible situations she could do nothing about. Ida Scudder was sure she would never follow in the footsteps of her medical missionary father. But when she witnessed Indian women dying because their religious beliefs didn't allow male doctors to treat them, Ida heard herself pray, "God, if you want me to, I will spend the rest of my life in India trying to help these women."

William's amazing journey to India would prove to be just the beginning of a missionary quest filled with hardship and heartache as well as tremendous victories. Often referred to as "the father of modern missions", William Carey displayed a single-minded determination to set his face like a flint to the task of bringing the gospel to those lost in darkness. His life of service and sacrifice is a guidepost to Christians of all generations.

God would indeed answer the prayer of the fiery, red-haired woman from Scotland. For 39 years, Mary Slessor would labor in love among the unreached, often treacherous, tribes of Africa's Calabar region. Braving sickness, danger, and death on all sides, Mary became the cherished "White Ma" to entire tribes. Her faith, steadfastness, and pioneering spirit brought her beloved adopted people their first brilliant, contrasting example of the life and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

A rip current overturned the whaleboat with eight Kanaka Christians aboard. Only three of the men could swim, and the others clung to the upturned boat. Sharks circled the three as they struggled to get to shore. The three survived, but the others could not be found. When Florence heard the news, she resolved to go on despite the dangers. Once timid and unsure of her own salvation, New Zealander Florence Young rose to her calling and became a fearless and faithful witness for Jesus Christ.

Aboard the Aquitania, Rachel became aware of something strange happening to her. It was as if she were not on the deck of the ship anymore but was instead in a jungle clearing, looking at a group of brown-skinned, half-naked people. The people beckoned her to come. Suddenly the scene vanished, and Rachel fell to her knees and prayed.

It was totally dark. The lights in the city were turned off, and there were no streetlamps, no neon signs, and no extra glow in shop windows. Klaus noticed that theirs was the only car on the road. How would they slip by the checkpoint? Klaus glanced at his wife, Tina, whose eyes were shut in prayer. Suddenly he heard a thunderous crash, then saw a bright flash of light. Klaus-Dieter John dreamed of becoming a medical missionary in the developing world. He would do whatever it took.

Amy Carmichael's (1867-1951) life was one of simple, determined obedience to God, regardless of the consequences. Her service in India is a vivid example of the impact one person who will fear God and nothing else can have. Driven by love, sustained by faith and determination, this young woman from Northern Ireland defied the cruel barriers of India's caste system.

Watching his father perform medical procedures back in India had convinced Paul that medicine was about blood and guts and ulcers. To his amazement, he found that it was really about causes and cures, alleviating pain, and treating ill people with dignity. The son of missionary parents, Paul Brand did not plan on becoming a doctor. After training as a builder, he was called by God into medicine and spent a lifetime treating leprosy and restoring hope to thousands of sufferers.

Born into a loving family, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) pursued a life as a pastor, teacher, theologian - and spy. He spoke out about the trouble in Germany when Adolph Hitler came to power, urging the Christian church to rescue disparaged people groups and resist Hitler’s evil empire. Accused of being a troublemaker, Dietrich continued on fearlessly in the midst of wickedness. His work as a spy in the German resistance and participation in a plot to assassinate Hitler led to imprisonment and eventual execution.

As Sundar preached the gospel to the crowd, the monastery guard marched forward and arrested him. Sundar was dragged to the edge of town and hurled to the bottom of an abandoned well. The air was putrid. Desperation and loneliness soon washed over him. Left to die, Sundar leaned against the side of the well and began to pray. Searching since boyhood for the way to God, Sundar Singh found truth in Jesus Christ.

Without formal education or a missionary organization to back her, Gladys (1902-1970) raised her own finances for the overland trip that would bring her to the country and people that God had etched so deeply on her heart...China! What follows is an amazing adventure of faith and determination. Gladys Aylward, a housemaid from England, dared to trust God in the face of dire and seemingly hopeless circumstances. Her life is one of the truly great missionary stories of our era.

When he became God's smuggler, Brother Andrew (1928- ) was already familiar with risk. As a boy, the intrepid Andrew van der Bijl joined the Dutch Resistance against the Nazi occupation. As a young man, he fought eagerly in the Dutch East Indies - until the horror of war turned the adventure seeker to a life of alcohol and desperation. Redeemed by God, the Dutchman became a daring messenger of hope, smuggling Scripture through closed borders and equipping persecuted Christians behind the Iron Curtain.

Suddenly, Corrie's (1892-1983) ordered life was lost in the insanity of war. With bravery and compassion, her family and countless other Dutch citizens risked everything to extend God's hand to those innocents marked for certain execution in a world gone mad. Corrie ten Boom's life of determination, faith, and forgiveness in the face of unimaginable brutality and hardship is a stunning testimony of the sustaining power of God.