I was fifteen, about to embark on my first overseas experience. I had my passport, my visa, and my clothes (expertly packed), but I was lacking one item essential for transcontinental travel: a book. In the end, Terry Brooks and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were consigned to my checked baggage, and J.R.R. Tolkien took his honored place in my carry-on. That flight to Fortaleza inaugurated what has since become an established ritual for me.
You see, during times of extreme change in my life, I (re)read The Lord of the Rings. I still have the same paperback that accompanied me to Brazil and, according to the tally on the epigraph page, I’ve read it six times. The book was my companion during two cross-country moves, my marriage, and my time serving as a missionary in South Asia.
I would argue that Tolkien’s fantasy epic is an excellent applicant to any missionary’s library. When you’ve exhausted the in-flight entertainment system and your Kindle’s running dry, J.R.R. can still spin his tale under your reading lamp. When the Road ahead does indeed go on and on, and home is far behind, Tolkien is the ideal companion. Here are a few reasons why. Read More
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