Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle

Reviewed by Sarah.

I read this book over the Christmas holiday and it seemed like no sooner did I turn on NPR on my daily drive to work on January 13 did the BBC have report on the massive and deadly earthquake in Haiti. I was shocked and devastated yelling out in the privacy of my car, “What!? Oh God please let it not be true!!” I turned up the radio ever louder as to not miss out on the reporter’s account. I learned that the night before there had been an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 that had literally rocked the capital city of Port-au-Price. Sitting at the wheel of my car I considered pulling over as panic washed over me “NO!” I thought “I wonder if Kent and Shelly and their family is safe? Oh God I cannot fathom the destruction and suffering.”

I found it so coincidental that I had just finished reading this book by Kent Annan  called Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle: Living Fully, Loving Dangerously about his decision and journey with his wife Shelly to do relief work in Haiti starting in December of 2003.  The book is written from Kent’s perspective but his wife Shelly has a very strong presence in the book.  In the book Kent is very raw and revealing about his and Shelly’s transition to the country, and their struggles to assimilate and learn what they could do on a daily basis to be agents of change.  The country of Haiti, as most now know, is the poorest county in the Western Hemisphere, and when Kent and Shelly arrived in Haiti the poverty and lack of basic needs were overwhelming and completely frustrating for them to comprehend and at times accept for themselves.  The urge to leave and go back home to the United States was great at times, but it is so evident that within the book that they fell in love with the people of Haiti. Though their voices might not carry international influence, they decided to do everything they could to describe the struggles of their brothers and sisters in Haiti to the readers.  During their time there they lived purposefully and determined learn to live through the eyes of others around them.  Kent and Shelly now live in Florida with their family but with their location allows them to continue their ministry.  With the Earthquake on January 12, 2010 their work not only became necessary but vital. Please read this book and learn their story, especially at this time when recovery is so crucial to the nation of Haiti.  Following Jesus through the eye of a needle can seem impossible, but with God’s mercy, love and grace we can learn what it means to follow him into places that seem terribly difficult.

Book Info:

Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle: Living Fully, Loving Dangerously
Kent Annan
InterVarsity Press
$10.88 (Amazon)