Passport Through Darkness (2011) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 5 stars

“"Passport Through Darkness" isn't your typical missionary workers story. Instead Kimberly Smith takes the reader on a journey around the world to Sudan and other war torn countries. She shares the atrocities that women and children face in these countries every day.

Kimberly Smith was your average American woman, working in the corporate world, a wife, mother and a faithful church member, she was living a good life, but she felt as if something was missing, she longed to make her life matter. About that time her husband Milton started suggesting that they do something meaningful, something to make a difference in other peoples lives. One day as Milton browses thru a magazine in a waiting room he finds an article asking for missionaries to serve in Spain, ironically Milton had been a missionary in Spain back in the 80's, so with what I would consider a giant leap of faith, they were accepted by a missionary agency to work in Spain so they sold everything they had starting a new life journey in the missionary field. While in Spain the couple became aware of the plight of human trafficking, causing them to cofound Make Way Partners, which works to prevent human trafficking worldwide.

I knew a bit of the plight in Sudan before reading this book, but this book brings it front and center, allowing you to see these victims as real people, while it is a hard to read the accounts that are shared in the story, it is a message that needs to be spread.

Thanks to B&B Media for providing me a copy of this book for review. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Passport Through Darkness, is a true story, told with great passion by the author. Kimberly L. Smith was an ordinary American woman, happily married with a successful career. Most of her children were grown up and had left home, and she was starting to feel as if her life was stuck in a rut. On her way to work one day she was struck by the realisation that if she died on that day, she would soon be forgotten and nothing she had left behind would be of any value. She wanted her life to have a meaning and purpose. This feeling was so strong that it overwhelmed her, she felt that she could no longer go on living the life she was living. She found herself begging God to show her what her purpose was. Around this time, her husband was beginning to feel as if their lives had become stale and they should be doing more, trying to make a difference for themselves and others. In his past he had worked as a missionary in Spain, as if by chance there was now an opening for missionaries to work in Spain. Her husband suggested that they move there. At first unsure about the upheaval, eventually the author and her husband and their two teenage children made the move to Spain. This adventure was the start of the author’s ‘Passport Through Darkness’ , the beginning of her journey to realise the reason she was put on the earth. It started a chain of events that would eventually lead her to Sudan, alone, where she was to face her worst fears and risk her own life, to save orphans and widows from the atrocities they faced on a daily basis.

Passport Through Darkness is an eye-opening read, a hard-hitting story about life in Sudan and other war-torn countries. It’s a book that has the power to change the way people see themselves and their lives.

It is an intense book, there are many shocking realities within the pages, but it is a book that begs to be read, and contains the very important message that each one of us has a purpose. By facing her deepest fears, and risking losing everything she cared about, Kimberly L.Smith was able to fully experience life and come to appreciate the person she was put on the earth to be.
Kimberly L. Smith and her husband are the founders of Make Way Partners (www.makewaypartners.org) which helps prevent human trafficking worldwide.

Reviewed by Maria Savva as a reviewer for Bookpleasures.com ”

• Rated 4 stars

“Smith felt there had to be more to life than the house in the suburbs, etc. She and her husband went to Spain and became aware of an orphanage in Portugal where African children were being abused. They returned to the states. His health prevented his travel but she went to Sudan to help work with orphans. She saw a great deal of horror and ultimately experienced some herself. This is a tough book to read. She was surprised to see "pure evil." I was too.”