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"We struck out for Africa carrying all our excess baggage on our bodies, under our clothes." pg. 15 Leah
The Price's are told they can only have forty-four pounds to be carried across the ocean by the Pan American Airline. When they get to the airport they find out that the passengers are not weighed. They put all of their extra luggage under their clothes and on their bodies. -
"They had the peculiar name of Underdown - Reverend and Mrs.Underdown." pg.17
The Price family met the Underdown family as soon as they got off the plane. The Underdown family is another Baptist missionary family that used to live in Kilanga, but has now moved to another part of the Congo. They gave the Price family the mosquito nets and warned them on the things they would endure. -
"They passed back and forth with pots and kettles, all bare-chested and unashamed." pg.24-25
When the Price family got to the village, the village people threw them a feast. However, Nathan could only focus on the sin of their nakedness which led to a sermon right there on their sin. -
"I came back from my spying foray one afternoon to find her playing 'Mother May I?' with half the villages children." pg.111 Leah
Ruth May was the first person out of the family to make friends with the kids in the Congo. They didn't have games like American kids did so she taught them "Mother May I?" Throughout the book, you can find many accounts where the kids are playing this game. -
"Everyday Mama said, 'You're going to crack your head wide open,' but no sir. I broke my arm instead." pg. 116
Ruth May broke her arm when she was spying on the African Communist Boy Scouts. She was up in the tree and ended up falling out. -
"Our chief, Tata Ndu, is concerned about the moral decline of his village." pg. 128
Anatole came over for dinner one night and Nathan ended up arguing with him while eating dinner. Anatole tried to tell him that the villagers had their own gods that they prayed too. The village chief wants him to stop pushing the villagers towards Christianity. -
"He raised it up over her head and slammed it down hard on the table, cracking it right in two." pg. 134 Rachel
Nathan said that Orleanna was too attached to the worldly object. He was still mad over the argument with Anatole. He just broke the plate right in front of Orleanna. -
"We are making preparations to leave, ourselves." pg. 169
The Underdown family came to visit them in the Congo to tell them what was going on with the government. The mission was going to be canceled and the funding for it would be canceled. Mrs. Underdown said that their best decision was to leave. Nathan refused to leave . -
"They're setting it up to look like I was already promised in marriage to Eeben Axelroot." pg.268
Tata Ndu is set on marrying Rachel. However, Rachel refuses. Nathan comes up with a plan to have her act like she's engaged to Axelroot so the village will not be upset with her. -
"Every surface was covered and boiling, and the path like black flowing lava in the moonlight." pg. 299 Leah
Ants attacked the village over night. Adah tried to get her mom to help her, but her mom chose to help Ruth May instead. -
"The only one of us who'd had the nerve was Ruth May, who marched right up and voted for Jesus so hard her pebble struck the cross and bounced." pg. 333-334
Tata Ndu decided to have an election during the church service. Nathan was outraged and said the church was no place for an election. However, they went ahead and voted. "Jesus Christ lost, eleven to fifty-six." -
"My sister, little Miss-The-Lord-Is-My-Shepherd, now thinks she is Robin Hood." pg. 335 Rachel
Leah decided that she wanted to hunt with the rest of the men. Outraged, they immediately said no. However, they held a meeting and gave in letting her go ahead on the hunt. She ended up killing an antelope, but the Chiefs grandson argued and said he did, which led to an argument. -
"Her eyes closed up tightly, and her swollen lips clamped shut." pg. 365
Ruth May was up in a tree one day like usual. However, all the family heard screaming. They all run to find Ruth May laying there slowly dying. She was bit by a green mamba snake up in the tree. It bit her right above the heart so unfortunately there was no chance of her surviving. Ruth May passed away that day. -
"Mother had begun moving all of our furniture into the yard." pg. 371
Orleanna was officially tired of staying over there. After she cleaned up Ruth May's body she had the kids help her move all of the possessions out on the yard. The villagers came and took whatever they wanted. The little kids tried to play "Mother May I?" while Ruth May was laying there. They didn't understand what was going on. -
"We only took what we could carry on our backs." pg. 389
Orleanna has officially decided to leave the Congo. They sat out that day only carrying the things they could carry on their backs. They left town and didn't turn back. Nathan stayed in the village. -
"At some point I laid down in an irresistible hollow at the base of a tree and urged Mother and the others to go on without me." pg. 394
The family fell sick with malaria while on their journey out of the Congo. Leah wasn't recovering very well so she convinced them to just let her stay there with Anatole. Later, she would end up marrying him. -
"As earnestly as Mother had taken up seed catalogs, I took up the catalog of Emory University and studied my possibilities." pg. 408
Adah decided to finally speak and go to college. She went to Emory University to study to become a doctor. While she was there, she came in contact with a specialist that could take care of her limp. She no longer has the disability. -
"I can tell you with absolute positivity that I am soon going to be Mrs. Daniel Attaché-to-the-Ambassador DuPrée." pg. 428
While Rachel was in France, she married Daniel DuPrée. She ended up being married twice and became a successful hotel owner. -
"Move on. Walk forward into the light." pg.543
Orleanna has finally come to peace with everything that has happened. Ruth May tells us in the last chapter of the book that she has made peace. She is able to go on to the other side. -
"You got to be make hills." pg.40
Mama Tataba tried to give advice to Nathan on how to build the garden to make it grow. However, Nathan wouldn't listen and planted the seeds how they would have originally planted them back home. She tried to tell him that the ways that worked where they were from didn't work the same way in the Congo.
