Behind the Ranges: The Life-Changing Story of J. O. Fraser

James Fraser was a godly British man who ministered wholeheartedly and sacrificially to the Lisu people in China. He prayed fervently for their salvation and for God to raise up leaders among the people. He often became discouraged and depressed when new converts would fall back into demon worship. But his persistence in prayer and fasting and in his mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps prepared him for an arduous ministry in the mountains of China. His prayerful persistence paid off, and he saw hundreds of families devote their lives to Christ in the years prior to his untimely passing in the late 1930s. The book itself quotes extensively from Fraser's letters and journals, so it is not a smooth and easy read. But his life is inspirational, and his devotion to Christ admirable.

This is the original biography of James O. Fraser. It's a little harder to read than the newer biography, Mountain Rain, by his daughter, but well worth reading. Fraser was led by God to work among the Lisu people before there seemed any possible way to do so. Living alone with them in the mountains, he suffered from lonliness and depression, even desiring to throw himself off one of the mountains. During that time, someone sent him some copies of The Overcomer magazine with the writings of Jesse Penn-Lewis. Through them, he learned "that deliverance from the power of the evil one comes through definite resistance on the ground of the Cross."Having won the victory over depression, he began to pray with more authority and faith for the salvation and deliverance of the Lisu. Realizing that his own prayers were not sufficient, he began writing friends at home, sharing with them what part their prayers had in the deliverance, salvation, and spiritual growth of the Lisu. It's copies of these letters and his journal that make Behind the Ranges such a powerful read.Within a few years, he saw a great revival work among the people, with hundreds becoming Christian, tearing down their idol shelves.Fraser also had a tremendous impact on Isobel Kuhn at a meeting in Oregon, and later becoming her and her husband's overseer as they worked with him in Lisuland. You can read about that in her book, By Searching.For Christians suffering with depression, I'd recommend reading Mountain Rain rather than Behind the Ranges. But for those who would like to learn more about the prayer of faith, either book will do.