In 1915, a promising young baseball player from Waynesboro, Va. traded in the prospect of a major league career for a life of medical missions in China. The soon-to-be doctor, Lemuel Nelson Bell (July 30, 1894 - August 2, 1973), felt the urgency of God's call and embarked on a 25-year adventure among foreigner-fearing Chinese peasants, bandits, and nobility. His selfless work and compassion quickly moved him from yang gui-zi ("foreign devil") to Zhong Ai Hua ("the Bell who is lover of the Chinese people") in the eyes of those he served. The remarkable story of Ruth Bell Graham's father will...