The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Broken

by Naomi Zacharias

Follow Naomi as she talks to women working in brothels in Mumbai; survivors of an Indonesian tsunami in which more than 160,000 lives were lost; a young girl waiting on an operation to save her life; and victims of domestic violence horrifically burned by fire. Be still with her when she realizes the pain she feels in the face of these extreme injustices reveals a common struggle that exists within all of humanity. And rise with her as she wrestles with confusion over her identity, comes face to face with redemption, and then begins to understand her own story and to find her calling.

The Scent of Water will open your eyes to the complexities of the world, showing you pain can also be beauty, and how each are found in the unlikeliest of places. Zacharias doesn't have all the answers. But she has hope and encouragement that will empower you to find and begin the adventure of your life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Christian Living, Religion, Christianity, Christian Non Fiction, Spirituality

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Naomi Zacharias graduated from Wheaton College. After working in sales for Coca-Cola, she joined RZIM and launched Wellspring International, an initiative devoted to providing financial grants to international efforts working with at-risk women and children. Naomi has spent time in red-light districts in The Netherlands, India, and Thailand; foster homes for children affected by HIV/AIDS throughout Asia; hospitals providing surgical treatment for women who have been victims of violence in the Congo; women's prisons in South Africa; displacement camps in Indonesia, Uganda and Pakistan; areas of the Middle East offering aid to Iraqi refugees; and areas of Southeast Asia devastated by the tsunami of 2004. Naomi recently met and married her husband, Drew, in Florence, Italy. They currently live in Oxford, England.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the story of Naomi Zacharias' work and life with Wellspring International. You could call this an autobiography of her life, sort of, since she talks about some aspect of her personal life, not just her work with Wellspring.

What is Wellspring International? According to the book, Wellspring was set up "to research global needs for women and children at risk and to develop a process of due diligence to evaluate organizations seeking to meet those needs. Our mission is to facilitate financial support to meet such needs by providing donors the confidence that their gifts were managed with integrity and were meeting legitimate purposes." She details some of her work in this book, which is very interesting. This book is an enjoyable read. The work that Wellspring does is truly commendable.

Through the ministry of Wellspring, children who would not have been able to afford liver transplant, get it, prostitutes enslaved in the red light district in Amsterdam (where prostitution is legal), are given hope and opportunity to live a better life and much more. Through her work with Wellspring, Ms Zacharias travels to different countries on different continents to help meet the need of the less fortunate. Wellspring is doing a good job. While talking about her work with Wellspring, she also talks openly and honestly about some areas of her personal life especially her divorce.

While I applaud the work the author does through Wellspring, I do have one major issue with the book - there is no gospel message in it pages! As a Christian author involved in Christian ministry, the book seemed to lack the gospel message. In all the good that was done to the less privilege through Wellspring, there was no mention of ever sharing the good news of the gospel with any of them. Perhaps the gospel was presented, but there is no mention of it in the book. As Christians, we are called not only to minister to the needs of the poor and oppressed but also to preach the gospel to them. In His response to the disciples of John the Baptist who wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah or not, Jesus said to tell John that the "poor have the gospel preached to them." (Luke 7:22). Jesus is the only hope for the poor and the oppressed.

Also, the Scripture is replete with what a Christian woman should look and act like, so I found it very disturbing that the author who professes to be a believer in Christ, encourages women to read Jean Bolen's book "Goddess in every woman" to find out which " goddess archetype is prominent in her person." seriously?! She sees her own goddess archetype as Artemis and "Artemis pursues her own course and appears strong outwardly" Why this would even be in a book about a Christian woman and her work with a Christian ministry is beyond me!

I do not question Ms Zacharias' faith in Christ, I question her wisdom in leaving the gospel message out of her book. While everyone who reads the book will surely commend the work of Wellspring International, we should not forget that as believers, we have been called to preach the gospel in season and out of season.

Reading level: age 18 and up

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If I know my wife, she won't give up she'll keep on climbing because she knows that the view from the top is amazing."



Job 14:7-9 ESV

7 “For there is hope for a tree,
    if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
    and that its shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root grow old in the earth,
    and its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put out branches like a young plant.

[Natalie Palmquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insight into Naomi's personal struggles and the struggles of the many incredible women she has met along her journey leading Wellspring International. This book helped me see many sins from a new lens, a more Christ like lens remembering the deep seated pain that exists in every person in difficult situations.

[Ronald J. Pauleus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a powerful book because of the amazing stories where God’s grace entered into the broken situations. My heart was rejoicing much, I want to tell people about Jesus,

“My story only matters — I only matter — when you understand where I have come from and the story and power of redemption.”

[Ronda Kinnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naomi Zacharias writes so beautifully. I would read and couldn’t put it down! So many heart breaking stories - it was hard to pick it up again to read more. I cried every chapter. You must read this book.

[Cbpax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Job 14:9 "Yet at the scent of water it will bud" (speaking of a tree stump which is dead in the ground).

Naomi Zacharias, founder of Wellspring International, takes us on a tour of some of the poorest areas of the world and areas of the world where nature has been cruel. Wellspring addresses these problems after first assessing them by helping programs that will help.
In the meantime Zacharias takes us to -
Banda Aceh, Sumatra, 6 weeks after the tsunami
A prison in Africa
To see firsthand the effect of poverty in the Czech Republic on a child
Amsterdam and life in a brothel (and saving women from this life)
Meeting victims of domestic violence
and a child awaiting an operation to save her life.

I know I've left some out. Each chapter grabs your heart and wrings it out. Along the way you will find God working.
Wonderful book..

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naomi Zacharias’ book, The Scent of Water, is a vivid recounting of her and other women’s struggles through life. For anyone who would ask, “Why would a good God allow this?” you should read this book. Again and again, the stories within present the reader with the aspirations of a promising life interrupted by tragedy and trial. We can all relate in some way, and if we are willing to admit it, we have found pain birth beauty in our own lives.

The author has a way with words, and she paints a picture to which one can relate. Her words brings each scene to life, and causes you to become invested.

I found myself wishing for a chronological arrangement of each story, but I also understand that was not the main point the author was trying to convey to her audience. The Scent of Water really makes you think, and it allows you to gain a glimpse into other cultures and others’ lives as they struggle with life, hardship and injustice.

It was really amazing to see the impact Wellspring International is having on women and children. I enjoyed this book, and I am thankful for the perspective it provides.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Scent of Water, Grace for Every Kind of Broken” by Naomi Zacharias

This book was a very eye opening journey for me, the reader, while the author tells us her story of traveling around the world trying to help women and children where she can. This book is full of places from around the world, right to what is inside of us. I will say my review of this book does not even touch the surface of what she did, where she went, and what she, personally, got out of her travels and portrays as she tells us her story. The only way to get the true understanding of what she went completely and what she has to teach us from her experience is to read this book for yourself.
This is a story of truth. It is a story of life and lives. It is of sadness, happiness, of learning, of doing. It is reaching out to others when no one else would even consider it, and people reaching out to us. Naomi goes through life learning her own lessons of life, and helps to teach us what she has learned.
Naomi Zacharias has written a work of Non-Fiction, telling us about her life experiences starting at the young age of 23 when she went to work for Wellspring International, an outreach of RZIM. From the book, their foundation bases their values on Rescue, Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Re-entry; helping individuals in need and existing organizations serving women and children at risk.
Knowing that, you understand why she traveled and did some of the things she did. She has been all over the world to such extreme places, such as in Pakistan riding in a car with outside temperatures of 125 degrees, wrapped up, hidden in the dress of the area so the Taliban would not kidnap and take her hostage if they knew she was American, all in the name of helping people.
She went to Amsterdam, Asia, India, and other countries visiting the Red Light Districts, trying to help the women who had become sex slaves of prostitution to try to help themselves get out. It is not something you can force these women to do, she says, as they must make their own choices to get out. It was not most of their choices to become sex slaves, but by the time Naomi would come across them, most of them could not get out or had children, and this occupation paid well. They had no friends or relatives to rely on for help, and could not return home as they had this title of “Prostitute” hanging over their heads, by no fault of their own. They had become a shame to their families. If only these families knew they had sent their daughters to this life by blessing them.
This was amazingly eye opening to me. I knew of the sex slave industry, but I had no knowledge or the circumstances surrounding it. This part is not in the book, but, when Natalie Holloway disappeared, there was speculation that possibly she had been kidnapped into the sex slave industry. When I heard that, I thought no way. I was wrong. I now can see why people thought that. I did not know this happened so often, and to so many women, nor did I know how easily this can happen to any woman. I did not understand the extent of this problem until reading this book.
One of Naomi’s descriptions of how women are kidnapped or even fooled into the sex slave industry will never leave my mind. It was of an airline attendant who was romanced by a man who traveled often on the airlines she worked for. He brought her gifts every time he flew and was so nice to her. He eventually expressed his wishes to marry her and her family approved of him. They married and she flew back home to his country with him. Immediately, right from the plane, he took her directly to the Red Light District putting her in a room with a window in the doorway right away. There was no going home with him. In this society, this was accepted. He put her to work for him. She tried to return home one time, but her family had known what had happened to her and they rejected her calling her a “prostitute”, yet this was none of her own doing.
Some of these stories were heartbreaking, yet when Naomi’s and the organization she worked for was able to and did help so many of these women, it was as if it was God rescuing them. Had Naomi and her organization not been there, they would still be stuck in a life they did not want and could not get out of.
Naomi has been all over the map helping people where she could. She visited Banda Aceh, Indonesia, where the Tsunami had taken countless lives. Her description of the destruction of the Tsunami was horrifying. She helped people there. There are too many more places to list, but as she was helping these women, they helped her as well, in ways she never would have expected.
Through all Naomi’s travels, she learned a lot about her own life. She had her own personal trials she went through, good and bad like we all do. Life lived is not to be perfect. She talks of the deception we all come to realize that the fairy tales have, even though we know they are not true, the dream we still have is we want life to be like them. Life cannot be so. Life without these triumphs and failures is a life without growth. God meant for it to be this way. This is the way we grow. She said that “Ruin is a gift. It’s the road to transformation.” It was this way for all the women and children she helped and for her own life as well, and for our lives, to. She says it is ‘the scent of water’, the drop of water that allows us to bud, to blossom, to grow.
I want to thank Zondervan Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review. It was truly my pleasure to read this book. I got so much out of this book that I almost feel guilty in only writing a review in exchange for it. This is a short book of only 222 pages, but it is so full of life, lives, and learning, I could not just write a ‘short’ review. There is much more to this book as I only touched on a small portion, believe it or not. This is a definite must-read. I give it a 5 star rating on my scale.
Laurie Carlson
www.lauriehere.blogspot.com

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have followed the work of Wellspring for a decade now, and have really enjoyed what they do to help women who are oppressed and who have been victims of human trafficking.

I was unaware that Ravi Zacharias had a daughter (let alone three children) and that one of them was involved in the work of Wellspring as one who goes to different countries to gather information and work with women who need support.

In this book, Naomi Zacharias talks about her own discomforts in life and hardships intertwined with the heartbreaking stories of those she has encountered along the way in her work. She shares many of the stories of these women as well as her own brokenness and need for finding herself. It is really a very encouraging story that I think young women especially will get inspiration and encouragement from!

[Cathie Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, if someone asked me what this book was about, I would respond with: "I have absolutely no idea." It is poorly organized, has no clear direction, and is essentially just many of the author's random thoughts and experiences. The only reason I read beyond the first couple of chapters is because someone loaned it to me, and I would feel guilty if I returned it to them without reading it. However, it was such a waste of my time that I regret doing so. The only reason that I gave it 2/5 instead of 1/5 is because (1) the writing can, at times, be quite beautiful and poetic, and (2) the afterword written by Jacoline, a previously prostituted woman who was briefly mentioned in the book, somewhat redeemed the book with her personal story.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given it four stars if it had been a little easier to follow. I found it somewhat disjointed and was confused at times as to where she was going with a particular story. However, Naomi wrote with compassion and a depth of honesty that is rarely seen in autobiographical writing. She had many relevant and enlightening things to say, so in spite of the unusual way it was written, I would definitely recommend it.

[Oksanyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring

I love the way this book is written. I enjoyed all the stories and the way she shared about her experiences and the journey to her self actualization. Being a compassionate person I could relate to her experiences. Loved the book and am so happy that I found it.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories that make you aware of life outside yourself, life's struggles and grace through it all. A little long but overall very good

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself is good and I think she has a lot of important topics in her book, but the writing isn't really the best.

[Jennifer Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how she writes and her story telling.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. Poignant. Honest. Not to be read lightly.

[Marilynne Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful non fiction book about life's challenges and getting involved in human traffic ministry.

[Fabiola Moreno · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth your time.

this book is the story about a privileged girl who wanted to have published work. The stories are all about her and do not convey God’s work.

[Kari Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more like a series of stories, of her journeys around the world, and of the lives that speak of redemption and hope amidst the worst kinds of trials.

[Jenny Marcelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author weaves stories of women into her own memoir well.

[Dani]

This is a profound read. Stories that touch the heart, but show us there is always hope, regardless of how deeply disturbing a person's life may be at any given time.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the beginning of the prologue I loved this book. The story of the rabbi is beautiful and one I’d never heard before and now will never forget.

In her book, Naomi takes us on a journey through unbelievable horror, poverty, destruction, disasters, immense pain and sorrow. In the beginning Naomi is in Banda Aceh on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia just six weeks after the tsunami hit killing 250,000 people. This disaster wasn’t caused by man but by nature and was the most destructive natural disaster in history. Just think what these people lost! Furniture, homes, cars, clothing and the like, but these things can be replaced, however, our loved ones cannot. Did they, could they retain their faith and hope in Christ?

In Amsterdam, Naomi met a woman named Annie who was a prostitute and lived in a brothel. Naomi was there to meet a woman who was the Director of an organization that advocated for women who want to leave the life of prostitution. The organization provides financial support, counselling and other resources, but most importantly of all, they are told about the love of God.

In the Czech Republic, Naomi meets a young girl, Elsie, who is told by her mother to go and steal from her grandmother. On the way she is gang raped by several boys each taking their turn. Elsie pulled herself together and stole from her Gramma. After seeing a doctor she is told she will NEVER have children. This one horrible act caused her to lose something precious, her ability to become a mother. Eventually Elsie met a woman who told her about an organization that would help her. They applied for school, got her proper papers and then spoke to Elsie of a gracious and loving God for the first time and Elsie wondered if God might actually exist.

The entire book is about abused and used women from all walks of life, and the indecencies that we as humans can bestow upon our fellow man.

We all need faith, a belief in God, a higher power. Nothing in life is black and white and although as humans we struggle and demand for someone to tell us if the answer is black or white, sometimes we have to accept, whether we want to or not, that there is an ‘in between’ with no clear determination of black or white. It’s like a cruel gray that taunts and haunts us, driving our humanistic need for right or wrong, black or white, up the scale, but gray is a times our only reality.

We must be aware of our words and our actions as we might unknowingly hurt another person, even when that is not our intent.

We must accept ourselves and others for who we are and who they are. Never expect anyone to change who they are to fulfill our own agenda of who we want them to be. If you’re expecting someone to change for you then it’s not a true and honest bond and nor should we change ourselves for the benefit of others. We must remain true to who God made us to be and the only one we should be striving to be like is Christ.

Remember to “touch” the people in your life, give them a hug, pat their hand so they feel the human connection. It signals that you care about them and love them just as God loves us all. There is great power in the human touch!

Pray, but God doesn’t always answer prayer when we want him too. He answers only when He thinks that you are ready to hear the response. This reminds me of a poem by Helen Steiner Rice:

“There is no problem too big, no problem to small
Just ask God in faith and He’ll answer them all
Not always at once so be patient and wait
For God never comes too soon or too late.”

Listen carefully to Naomi in the story when she realizes the pain she feels when facing these “extreme injustices”. Stand behind her as she fights within herself over her own identity and “comes face-to-face with redemption...”

Some of the other situations in this book will shock and disgust you but we need to be shocked and disgusted to be moved into action!

There are so many lessons to be learned in this memoir and I encourage each and every one of you to read this with an open mind and an open heart!

(Note*** The copy of this book was sent to me by Zondervan “free of charge” for the purpose of reviewing the book).

[Sunrise (Brit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author and her work is fantastic. She is wonderful and lovable and beautiful and much more. The book covers her work overseas with abused women and children through Wellspring International, and also somehow covers her own story as well.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really heavy but good for anyone going through any type of grief. And aren't we all?

Some of my favorite quotes from this book:

(pg. 77) "...the naivete of younger years should not be confused with courage. It is only courage when we know the cost of failure. It is only faith when there is potential for doubt. And it can only be won when we have to fight for it."

(pg. 129) "...shared wounds, when pinned to the sky, become stars in the night that help us navigate a pathway home. It can be said of friendship as well."

(pg. 135) "...I was looking for a fresh start, while in reality I had also been looking for a soft place to fall. But the distance of some falls is so far that it won't allow for any kind of buffer. Some heartache is so great that the only way out is by plunging into its chaos. And some loss is so significant that your heart will shed perpetual tears as an eternal flame to commemorate the story."

(pg. 136) "Yes, it was the perfect place, but until the tree had been planted, I had never noticed that anything was missing. The answer was not to cover up the hole. The solution was not to pretend the hole wasn't there. And it wasn't to leave the gaping chasm glaring back at us. In this case, the answer was to give it purpose."

(pg. 202) "I found it purposeful that the sediment was there at all, that bitter yeast was necessary for fermentation, and that it served a purpose for a time. Without the knowledge of the process necessary to achieve flavor, an amateur would mistakenly conclude that a bitter taste should be removed immediately or avoided altogether. But this wasn't the case. The sediment was part of a necessary process, and the wine was not immediately relieved of its bitterness by the contadino. The process required the careful eye of one who knew when enough time had gone by, when the presence of sediment no longer served to enhance but would instead destroy-but one who also knew enough to risk the presence and potential of something bitter, for its proportion made the flavor true. And within its truth lay the texture and richness that was the very character of wine itself, the difference between a good wine and one that is legendary."

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author takes us on a journey through Banda Aceh on the island of Sumatra six weeks after the devastating tsunami. To the Czech Republic, where a young girl is sent on an illicit mission by her mother and is attacked and raped by a gang of boys. We go to a prison in Africa, where a lack of vernacular knowledge has doomed many of the women to a life of misery. In Amsterdam, we are introduced to the complicated story of a prostitute living in a brothel. We visit a teenage girl who is in desperate need of lifesaving surgery and hear from victims of the most horrendous form of domestic abuse. These are just some of the appalling stories recounted in this gripping memoir.

Ms. Zacharias has a way of touching your soul and allowing you to see beneath the seemingly shallow surface of these extreme injustices and into the depth of humanity.

Throughout the book, your heart will fracture and within this fracture, you will be inspired to a level of human accountability that can only serve to make us kinder, gentler and less judgemental. You should definitely put this heartbreakingly beautiful book on your must read list.

[Georgia Herod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daughter of Ravi Zacharias, internationally known apologist, speaker, and author, NZ has established herself not only as founder and director of Wellspring International, an initiative devoted to providing financial grants to international efforts working with at-risk women and children, but also as a writer and speaker. As a result, NZ has traveled internationally and visited with women in the red-light district of The Netherlands, India, and Thailand; foster homes for children affected by HIV/AIDS throughout Asia; victims of violence in the Congo; women’s prisons in South Africa; refugee camps in Indonesia, Uganda and Pakistan; tsunami destroyed areas of Indonesia; etc. In sharing those experiences of encountering pain and suffering of other women, NZ also faces the emotional pain of her own life—including an eating disorder, issues related to body image, hunger for relationship, and divorce. She grows as she encounters grace “for every kind of broken” in her own life and the lives of those whom she serves. Beautifully and sensitively written.

[Ben Zajdel]

The Scent of Water begins with Naomi Zacharias walking a beach in Indonesia after the tsunami of 2005. She notes how empty it feels after the wave of destruction swept through. For a prologue, it's awfully poetic.

But Indonesia is just the beginning. By the time this book ends, Zacharias has taken you all over the world, and describes it with a compassionate and artful eye. She describes Amsterdam and its corruption as well as she paints the broken women she encounters there. Whatever pain she encounters, she is able to find the angle that others don't see. She sketches grace into paragraphs of tragedy.

Her personal story is woven into this book, which focuses on redemption of the broken. This isn't a generic book about helping the least of these, however. This is an earnest memoir from an author who once believed in fairy tales, and came to find that only God could make those stories come true. A stunning work from a humanitarian turned artist.

[Catie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know exactly how to describe this beautiful, yet heartbreaking book. I really like Naomi's father, Ravi Zacharias (I listen to his podcasts), so I was very interested in what his daughter had to say.

All I can say is this book did not disappoint. It's a series of vignettes of different women around the world who's lives involve some kind of brokenness. Naomi's story is woven in as well. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to read in some spots and typically, I stop reading if it gets too tough. But I felt like I had to keep reading to honor these woman and to really appreciate what they went through and the work the Lord has done in their lives. (Although not all stories had a happy ending.)

This book made me grateful for the life I have but also left me with a resolve to do more. There are so many needs (in and outside of my little world) and I feel like there's so much more I can do.

[Maegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a world I grew up in. People, faces, stories, hurts, and hope that live on in my heart and memory. A world containing Red Light districts that sometimes knifed cold fear into me in the dark of the night. A world of precious smiles in the midst of brokenness. A time when sorrow was an anchoring weight to my soul. When prayer felt an absolute lifeline against heinous crimes against humanity.

This book transported me back to that world and is a must read for every Christian, especially those who have never left the protective bubble of the West. It will move you to pray and see outside the borders of your own city. Perhaps in prayer, the Lord will lead us to other means of joining in His work of bringing Hope to the broken, and welcoming new brothers and sisters into the Family of God, too. We have the source of grace, hope, love, and life; maybe this book will be a reminder of the fullness of that gift. It was to me.

[Glenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing summation. One of love, blessings, faith, and making a difference one day at a time. You will see how the love of a caring and nurturing heart gives courage and hope to so many.

The stories held in the book reflect how one person's journey gave hope and inspiration to so many and made a tremendous difference in the healing and cleansing of the soul. If you wish to make a difference I encourage you to read this book and see what giving and healing are all about.

Naomi's amazing ability to put in writing how hope and encouragement can empower you to be all you wish to be and how to begin an adventure that will show you what we all are intended to do in our life time by making the difference with love and courage.

This is not a book you will soon forget. Naomi Zacharias is an amazing woman!