Far Away From Home
Josip Kavur with Clive Nash
“This is my family’s story,” explains Joe Kavur in the note to his readers that opens Far Away From Home, “but it is also God’s story—the story of how God took care of us through His providence, as we tried to remain faithful to Him no matter the cost.”
By the time we have read this opening page, we have the basic details of his story. In one sense, it is an epic that spans the 20th century with its two World Wars, the spread of Communism and migration out of eastern Europe. It also spans half the globe, from Croatia to the strange new land of Australia. And it is a story of mission, including pioneering church work in Macedonia and a building project in Papua New Guinea.
In another sense—as Kavur’s introduction points out—this is simply the story of one family, buffeted by history but guided by faith. There are the small details of his boyhood experiences, memories his father telling stories of being drafted into the army and sent to the Russian front in 1915, and his older brothers in turn standing up for their Sabbath beliefs during compulsory military service in the Yugloslav army. It was this faithfulness to God that prompted Kavur, two of his brothers and a sister-in-law to try to escape to a life offering freedom to live, work and worship.
And, Kavur is quick to add, this is also God’s story. Far Away From Home describes God working in remarkable ways to protect the Kavur family from danger but, more than that, to share His truth and love with others, even amid those dangers, tragedies and other seemingly unlikely circumstances.
So read Far Away From Home because it is an adventure story of people and places far away, but read it—more importantly—as a story of the God who is close to each one of us, as we seek to serve Him and others, amid the challenges of our own lives. The story of Joe Kavur’s family reminds us of the real difference this makes.
Far Away From Home is available from Adventist bookstores in Australia and New Zealand or online.
