Cascade Press has published Grace at the Garbage Dump: Making Sense of Mission in the Twenty-First Century by the Rev. Jesse Zink. The book is a theological memoir and reflection on the importance of mission drawn from Jesse’s years as a Young Adult Service Corps missionary of the Episcopal Church in Mthatha, South Africa.

The book is being widely praised. Brian McLaren says Jesse Zink is “talented as a writer, honest as a Christian thinker, and smart as an activist—exactly the kind of voice we need.” The bishop of Connecticut, Ian Douglas, says “I can think of no more exciting study of Christian mission than Jesse’s book. It is a welcome resource to the many people who are looking for a meaningful and contemporary presentation of what God is up to in the world today.” Read more about what people are saying.

Here’s the text on the back of the book.

Like many young people in his generation, Jesse Zink had long been eager to work overseas and make the world a better place. As a missionary working in a shantytown community in South Africa, he found all that and much more—in demanding, unexpected, and surprising ways.

Grace at the Garbage Dumptakes readers with Jesse through his years in South Africa: struggling with AIDS patients to get life-saving drugs, coaching women through a micro-credit program, and teaching preschool students to sing (and dance) to “Johnny B. Goode.” It’s a story that leads us to a deeper understanding of our world and is at once hopeful and uplifting while also being credible and serious.

The headlines are dominated by disaster and despair but young people remain passionate about service to the least among us. Grace at the Garbage Dump is an invigorating call to respond to the difficulties of our time with an active and engaged faith. Whether you end up at the local soup kitchen or halfway around the world, you’ll be challenged to seek God’s grace in even the most adverse circumstances.

The best and cheapest way to get a copy of the book is directly from the publisher.