Angola in my Heart

Ruth Hadley went to Angola in 1982. She left behind her family, her friends, and a life as a dedicated and gifted teacher. On the cusp of gaining a place in the England international hockey squad, she set aside both her career and her sporting ambition to devote her life to serving God and the Chokwe people.

When civil war broke out in 1984, she stayed, despite the advice of the Foreign Office. For thirty-four years she lived among the Chokwe people, sharing in their privations and the perils of conflict - including disease and hunger, gun battles and landmines. Alongside facilitating in-depth Bible study, she organised and dispersed humanitarian and medical aid and, when the war finished, oversaw the building and equipping of four rural schools.

This is a story of courage in the face of danger, compassion in the face of suffering and confidence in God.