Book
They Were Young – Book 2: Tested
Six whose faith was tried before they were grown
Book 2 of 4 in They Were Young·Next in the series: They Were Young – Book 3: Questions
- 7 chapters
- 1 hr 40 min read
- Accessible Reading difficulty
- Ages 13–17
Free to read·No account needed
Introduction: When Faith Is Tested
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About this book
They Were Young is an original Ochorus series of true stories for readers aged 13 to 17 about people whose faith began, or was tested, while they were young. Book 2, “Tested”, gathers six whose faith was tried by captivity, persecution, loss and their own rebellion.
Patrick was kidnapped from Britain at sixteen and learned to pray as a slave in Ireland, then went back to the people who had enslaved him. Josephine Bakhita was stolen from her home in Sudan as a child and later, before the Italian authorities, chose to stay free. Perpetua, a young mother in Carthage, kept a diary in prison before she was martyred in 203. The young pages of Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda refused to deny Christ and died at Namugongo in 1886. John Newton was forced into the navy at eighteen and cried out to God in a storm at twenty-two. Sundar Singh burned a Bible at fifteen and, days later, met Jesus.
The stories are true and told without graphic detail. Where a tradition is legend rather than history, they say so. Each ends with the person’s own words where we have them, four questions to think through, and a pointer to read on in the library. Book 1 is not required.
The boy on the hillside was hungry, and he was cold, and he was a long way from home. He was somewhere in Ireland, around sixteen or seventeen years old, minding animals that belonged to another man. He had no shoes worth the name, no proper coat, and no way of getting home.
Contents
- 1 Introduction: When Faith Is Tested 4 min
- 2 Patrick: The Slave Who Prayed in the Snow 17 min
- 3 Josephine Bakhita: The Girl Who Said No 15 min
- 4 Perpetua: What a Thing Is Called 18 min
- 5 The Uganda Martyrs: Singing on the Road to Namugongo 14 min
- 6 John Newton: The Storm That Would Not Let Him Go 17 min
- 7 Sadhu Sundar Singh: The Boy Who Waited for the Train 15 min
Questions and Answers
What is Book 2 of They Were Young about?
Six true stories of people whose faith was tested while they were young: by kidnapping and slavery, by persecution and martyrdom, and by their own rebellion. Each chapter tells one life in full, lingering on the years when the test came.
Who is in Book 2?
Patrick of Ireland, Josephine Bakhita, Perpetua of Carthage, the Uganda Martyrs, John Newton and Sadhu Sundar Singh: people from Britain, Sudan, North Africa, Uganda and India across sixteen centuries.
Is it suitable for teenagers?
Yes. It is written for readers aged 13 to 17. It is honest about slavery, kidnapping and martyrdom but never graphic, and the hardest moments are told with care.
Are the stories true?
Yes. They are drawn from the people’s own writings, such as Patrick’s Confession, Perpetua’s prison diary and Newton’s narrative, and from the earliest accounts. Later legends, such as Patrick and the snakes, are named as legends.
Do I need to read Book 1 first?
No. Each book stands on its own. Book 1, Called, tells the stories of six people who came to faith as teenagers.
Can it be used in a youth group?
Yes. Each chapter can be read in one sitting and ends with four questions written for discussion.
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- MLA
- Ochorus Originals. They Were Young – Book 2: Tested. 2026. Ochorus, https://ochorus.com/books/they-were-young-2/.
- Chicago
- Ochorus Originals. They Were Young – Book 2: Tested. 2026. Reprint, Ochorus. https://ochorus.com/books/they-were-young-2/.
- Chicago footnote
- Ochorus Originals, They Were Young – Book 2: Tested (2026; repr., Ochorus), https://ochorus.com/books/they-were-young-2/.
- BibTeX
- @book{ochorusoriginals2026they, author = {{Ochorus Originals}}, title = {{They Were Young – Book 2: Tested}}, year = {2026}, publisher = {Ochorus}, url = {https://ochorus.com/books/they-were-young-2/} }