Walking Home From Mongolia
An extraordinary real life adventure story of a walk across China
Walking Home From Mongolia: Ten Million Steps Through China From the Gobi Desert to the South China Sea
By Rob Lilwall
Hodder & Stoughton,
ISBN 978-1-444-74528-3
Reviewer: Paul Beasley-Murray
Walking Home From Mongolia: Ten Million Steps Through China From the Gobi Desert to the South China Sea tells the story of how the author and his cameraman Leon walked some 3000 miles across China - partly because they were raising funds for a children’s charity, and partly because they love adventure.
It is an extraordinary tale – full of amusement and interest. It is also an honest tale – for the author describes the inevitable relationship difficulties which developed between himself and his companion, and how they resolved these difficulties.
Although this is not a specifically ‘Christian’ book, Rob Lilwall is a Christian, and in the final two paragraphs reflects on the nature of pilgrimage.
He writes:
“I belong to a faith, at the heart of which is the claim that I am completely loved, and which also calls me to live courageously as a pilgrim.
On this pilgrimage of life there will be times when I fall down. But instead of giving up or becoming bitter, I must get up and keep walking and reject the view that life is all about winning. Rather, I must keep a soft heart which, despite the tests and trials, is learning to love….”
I thoroughly enjoyed this real life adventure story. It’s a great holiday read!
The Revd Dr Paul Beasley-Murray recently retired as Senior Minister of Chelmsford Baptist Church
Baptist Times, 06/06/2014