Sometimes the path of following God's call can be dotted with tedious (and sometimes treacherous) twists and turns. In Tarnished Gold Thread, Barbara Dowdy reflects on her soul's journey from her ancestral roots (slave owners) to the struggles of growing up dirt poor (rural Texas in the Great Depression), to the joys and challenges of a mid-century housewife, mother, and savvy businesswoman ahead of her time, to at last following her lifelong call to Mission work in rural Africa. Enduring the trials of a mixed-bag marriage, Barbara found strength she never knew she had, hard-won grit that taught her to dance with peril (sometimes daily), and resourcefulness that led to co-founding Capital City Baptist Church in Lilongwe, Malawi (one of the largest and most successful Baptist church starts in Malawi history.) In this insightful series of compelling vignettes and observations, told in a narrative voice that pulls you in and holds you tight for the whole ride, readers experience Barbara's journey of unflinching vulnerability through the excitement, wonder, heartbreak, laughter, disappointment, and unflagging determination that line her jagged path to following Gods call to mission ministry. Tarnished Gold Thread is a story of a life well lived - and love without measure.