Set during the British rule in the Naga Hills and the backdrop of World War I and World War II, As Honest as the Day is Long tells the true but inspiring life story of Reverend Phandeo in a compelling fictional style. Orphaned as a child, left as a young boy in an abandoned hut to die and later sent off to a faraway land to make a life for himself, he grew up to become one of the pioneer Pastors of the first Baptist Church in his village, Okotso, Lotha country, and served with honesty and integrity till the end of his life.
The ancient Nagas practiced human headhunting and spirit worship. After the resident American Baptist Missionaries sowed the seeds of the Gospel and left Lotha country, the village needed faithful leaders. Armed with the Gospel, Rev. Phandeo stood in the gap to transform Okotso from the darkness of blind beliefs and pagan practices. This book beautifully captures the life story of Rev. Phandeo and the legacy he left behind.
Johnston has a signature style of bringing life into all that he does. He does the same again in this book and brings life to a significant yet forgotten story of how God used one man to turn a community from darkness into His light - Pastor Brian Raj, Associate Pastor, All Peoples Church, Bangalore - East
To chronicle the life of a person is no easy task especially when you have limited access to events and resources from the past. Johnston has wonderfully celebrated the goodness of Late Rev. Phandeo Shitiri in this book. I know Johnston as a colleague and a friend. He always impresses me with his humility and passion to make a huge difference to people around him. - Aniisu K Verghese, Author of Internal Communications - Insights, Practices & Models (Sage, 2012) and Intraskope (www.aniisu.com) - Internal Communication blog
