A Better Inheritance Series

London in 1899 is one of the greatest cities on earth and the heart of the global British Empire. Its fame is not enough to raise the appeal of city living in the eyes of young country gentleman John Whitting, however. He would rather be enjoying the idyllic setting of his family's estate after being away at Oxford for several years than living in the midst of London's noise and dirt. Still, duty to family calls him there, and he determines to make the best of it. Little does he know how life-altering his time in the great city will be--especially after meeting Miss Helene Burbank and her family. Helene Burbank is somewhat of an anomaly within her social class, as is her family. Her deep faith in God and her devotion to putting that faith into practice is often disdained by many of her peers. Yet it is this very faith and devotion that intrigues John when he meets Helene. As John comes to know the entire Burbank family, he realizes that his own Christian walk is lacking, a fact which troubles him. He knows there should be more to his spiritual life than he has experienced up until that point. Even as this awakening begins to stir in John, the whispers of a possible war in South Africa threaten to distract him from his true purpose in life. Will he give into what society expects of him as a gentleman of standing, or will he yield to a deeper conviction hidden away in his heart?

Great changes have come to South Africa in 1901. Though the two former Boer republics have been annexed by the British, the Second Anglo-Boer War is still raging, scarring the land and its people. Into this upheaval step John and Helene Whitting, along with their friends the Eldridge's, ready to do the work they have been sent to South Africa to do. The two couples are themselves facing tremendous changes as they enter into their new lives as missionaries in Cape Town. Gone are the grand homes, servants, and society circles they grew up with in Great Britain; in the place of these are modest homes, daily chores, and the sometimes rough-edged lower classes of Cape Town. Yet they choose to embrace their new world and its challenges with joy and faith, knowing they are exactly where God wants them to be. The eventual end of the war brings further changes to their lives. This next set of circumstances stretches the faith of the Whitting's and Eldridge's in ways they never could have anticipated. When a wave of tragic events threatens to overwhelm John's faith, Helene and their friends suddenly find themselves fighting to keep John and what God has used to him to build from being destroyed. Through a painful process, John must choose whether he really believes that God has called him to South Africa. Meanwhile, Helene must cling to the strength God gives her morning by morning, believing that their marriage and mission will still be standing when the storm has passed.