Heuertz and Pohl illuminate the possibilities and limitations of an approach to missions that revolves around reciprocal and self-giving friendships rather than one-way donor-recipient relationships.

As a leader in the missions organization Word Made Flesh (Heuertz) and an academic involved with a community of homeless people (Pohl), they write from the context of developing friendships with poor families. Many of their thoughts, though, can be applied to the cultivation of friendships with people on other margins - those of class, sexuality, mental and physical ability, and social acceptance. They encourage relationships in which a marginalized person is dignified by having friends who recognize his/her unique contributions to the friendship, understand his/her set of resources as valuable, and accept the gifts and hospitality he/she offers. I appreciated the comprehensiveness of the book: it did not shy away from the complications and ambiguities of friendships at the margins, nor did it pretend that those sorts of relationships alone can sustain us.

I marked all over the pages of this book. It's a slim volume, but it's a treasure trove of wisdom, stories, and solid theological reflection into practice. It reminded me that I have a long way to go and encouraged me to get going. ( )