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Book Review: Three Cups of Tea

by Dawn Zemke

In 1993 Greg Mortenson, a nurse and avid climber, barely survived a failed attempt to scale Himalayan peak K2, the second highest mountain in the world. Lost and separated from his guide, Mortenson wandered into the small, impoverished Pakistani village of Korphe. As the people nursed him back to health, Mortenson was moved by their kindness—and horrified by the sight of school children attempting to learn while kneeling on frosty ground. Once healed, he left with the promise he’d return and build them a school. Amazingly, over the next decade he managed not only to keep his vow, but build 54 more across the country.

“The first time you share tea with [us] you are a stranger,” Korphe village leader Haji Ali told Mortenson. “The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die.” Ali’s words not only inspire the book’s title, but foreshadow the often nail-biting adventure Mortenson embarks upon as he faces con artists, the fallout from 9/11 and Islamic extremism, and young girls struggling to gain an education in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

TALK ABOUT IT: Other than describing Mortenson’s early life as the son of missionaries in Tanzania, Three Cups of Tea (Penguin Books, 2007) shares little about his personal faith. However, his willingness to embrace people so different from himself—physically, psychologically, and spiritually—provides a great example for Christians. How do we respond to those we encounter daily whose lifestyles, beliefs, and choices are at odds with our faith? Mortenson shows that, like Jesus, we can still give love and respect—and earn the same in return. Through those literal and metaphorical three cups of tea, he accepts the Pakistani people as they are—and makes a life-changing impact in the process.

Perhaps even more inspiring is Mortenson’s commitment to fulfill his promise to the Korphe villagers. It would have been easy, even understandable, if he’d forgotten the vow once he returned home. With plenty of distractions to command his attention—a broken relationship, finding himself jobless and homeless, and eventually marrying—he could have given up on the school and never looked back. Instead, he held on tenaciously to his promise, and poured all his determination and creativity into making it happen.

As Christians, do we abandon our commitment and promises to God when the going gets tough? Or do we, like Mortenson, employ tenacity and creativity in fulfilling them, no matter the obstacle or cost?

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Posted by Bonnie McMaken on January 26, 2010 1:41 PM

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