It is no secret, I adore the ‘Do Great Things for God Series.‘ This picture book biography series has been dedicated to highlighting woman of faith throughout history. And not just traditionally praised women like Amy Carmichael and Corrie ten Boom, but also women who were on the margins of society, and still are often overlooked in biographies of Christian role models (i.e. Fanny Crosby and Betsey Stockton are a couple of our favorites from the series). Now joining the ranks of the amazing women in this collection is Maria Fearing.
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Who was Maria Fearing?
Maria Fearing was a Black American Missionary to Congo. Born into slavery in Alabama, she grew up learning about Jesus in a secret late-night church. These secrets churches were how many enslaved people learned of the true Gospel. White-controlled churches often emphasized obedience, and taught ‘slaves obey your masters’ liberally and without context so that enslaved people would not identify with the themes of liberation and freedom found in the Bible, and seek their own freedom. In her secret church, Maria learned of God’s love for all people. And he had plans and a purpose for his people.
Many year later, when slavery was abolished and Maria learned of her freedom, she began to save her money to travel to Africa as a missionary.
She moved to the Congo where she found young orphaned children being sold into slavery. She took these children into her care and stood up to the authorities that would try to enslave them. She cared for an raised numerous children.
She also worked to help translate the Bible into her children’s language, Baluba-Lulua, so that they could understand God’s love for them in their heart language.
Her children gave her the name ‘Mama was Mputu’ (mother from far away).
What We Loved
Before we read this book, I had never heard of Maria Fearing. And now that I have read her story, I must suggest we start talking about her more. Her life is amazing, and God’s hand in her life is undeniable. She is someone I think every Christian should learn about. Her faithfulness to God, and willingness to pursue his plans and purposes are a testament of God’s goodness.
I also appreciated how this book approached the reality of Maria being an enslaved person. A thought I shared in my review of Betsey Stockton’s biography from the same series, was they seemed to skirt around the idea of prejudice and the reality that Betsey was an enslaved person, when finding an age-appropriate way to address this may be a better approach.
This seems to have been something noted by the Good Book Company, as I felt this was addressed as a part of Maria’s reality in an age-appropriate way.
They tell the story of African weavers, traders, kings, and queens whose children were kidnapped and sent to America where they were enslaved. This is a dark reality, but one I feel the book handled by showcasing it as wrong, in age-appropriate way, and in a way that does not deny the horrible reality of this practice.
They also talk about the Invisible Churches, where many Black Americans heard the true Gospel, one that was not married to white supremacy. They learned about a God who deeply loved them. This is how Maria learned about the God who deeply loved her.
They even have a page showcasing Juneteenth, showing Maria learning about the emancipation from a horseman carrying the news.
This book also showcases how God used Maria’s story as a testament to his faithfulness. She saved all of her money to travel as a missionary to Congo. There she worked to free people who had been enslaved. The back of this book shows a timeline of her work, including when she established a home for girls that houses as many as 50 girls at a time.
Above all, I love the central theme of this book. Maria’s story is a testament of God’s faithfulness. When we walk with God, nothing is wasted. He turns the hopeless places in our life into a vessel to minister to others.
Click here to purchase your own copy of ‘Do Great Things for God: Maria Fearing.’
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