SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Tessa Stockton: Farmer's Market

Tuesday

Marcia Laycock

Wednesday

Alice Valdal: Perspective

Thursday

Jenn Kelly

Friday Devotion

Shirley Corder: A Thorny Issue

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Contest Giveaway

Check out Kara Isaac's July 25 post Giveaway - Your Choice! One lucky reader will win an award winning book of their choice from one of our blog members. The giveaway books include Red Ink by Kathi Macias, Veiled Freedom by Jeanette Windle, Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris, Picking up the Pieces by Paula Vince and The Six Liter Club by Harry Kraus. The giveaway closes midnight Tuesday 2 August EST. To enter, please leave a comment on Kara's July 25 post. Good luck!

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Contest News

Kathi Macias' book, Red Ink, won first prize in the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association's 2011 Golden Scroll Book of the Year Award in the fiction category - congratulations Kathi!

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News

LeAnne Hardy has a blog tour with Kregel for her book Glastonbury Tor. The links for 24 Book Reviews in the blog tour can be found on the Kregel Glastonbury Tor Blog Tour page.

Jeanette Windle's book, Veiled Freedom (Tyndale), a 2010 Christian Book Award and Christy Award finalist, set in contemporary Afghanistan, is now a FREE e-book download for the next few weeks on Amazon, B&N Nook, Christianbook.com as part of the current book launch of sequel Freedom's Stand, an AWSA Golden Scroll Novel of the Year finalist.

Publishers Weekly says of Veiled Freedom, "Readers will be enthralled with this penetrating look at Afghanistan." ChristianBook.com calls Freedom's Stand "Influential! Powerful!" Dr. Carl Moeller, serving the persecuted church as President of Open Doors calls this story "a message of hope that will touch your heart like nothing else."

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Upcoming Book Releases

Nick Daniels' thriller set in the Middle East, The Jihad's Messiah, Book One in the Jihad series, will be a September 2011 release from Risen Books.

Rita Galieh's book, Signed, Sealed and Delivered, will be a September 2011 release from Ark House Press.

Jenn Kelly's children's book for middle grade readers, Jackson Jones: the Tale of a Boy, a Troll and a Rather Large Chicken, will be a September 2011 release from Zonderkidz.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Deliver Me from Evil, Book One in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a September 2011 release from New Hope Publishers.

Kathi Macias' Christmas themed book, A Christmas Journey Home, set in Arizona and Ensenada, Mexico, will be a September 2011 release from New Hope Publishers.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Special Delivery, Book Two in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a January 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Valerie Comer's debut novella, Topaz Treasure, which is part of the Rainbow's End collection, will be a March 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego and Mexico, The Deliverer, Book Three in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a April 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

To find more International Christian Fiction books, please visit our Recent Releases page, Backlist Titles page and our International Christian Fiction wiki.

DEVOTION: Published! - Pam Ford Davis

It is thrilling to see my work published. I am motivated to continue sharpening my skills. The rewards are not only financial; it is nice to earn some extra money, but the fulfilment of my dream means so much more. Achievements may be small; I am not a well-known author, just a happy one.

 Christian writers have both a great opportunity and responsibility. "Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing it everywhere around the world! Sing out his praises! Bless his name. Each day tell someone that he saves. Publish his glorious acts throughout the earth. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does" (Psalms 96:1-3 The Book/ Living Bible). That is a big goal; each writer plays a small part to spread the good news.

With God all things are possible! Devotionals are Pam Ford Davis's first love in writing! She has published articles in Mature Living Magazine, Secret Place and Daily Devotionals for the Deaf. Her e-book, FORGET-ME-NOT DAILY DEVOTIONAL is available at the Faith Writers book store.

Read more of her work at her websites and blogs:

http://pamforddavis.wordpress.com/about/

http://innerfulfillment.wordpress.com/ and

http://www.teapottestimony.vpweb.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Writing for a Higher Purpose

By Nick Daniels

It is said that you'll know that you are a writer if you cannot not write. There is a passion, an invisible hand that forces you to put your words on paper (or screen).

This is true in my case, besides the fact that I enjoy writing. But as the years pass and I've been more involved in ministry and international missions, I've realized there is more to my calling as an author than spending my life dreaming characters and plots.

I want to write not just to be a communicator of truth or provide clean entertaining. Certainly not for money and fame. I want to make an actual difference in the life of people. A difference like feeding the hungry, healing the sick, bringing hope to the hopeless. The gospel of Jesus in action.

That's why I'm so excited about the new partnership between my publisher and an organization that serves orphaned children. Below is an excerpt from the announcement:

Risen Books has partnered with Holt International, a Christian organization that finds and supports permanent, loving families for children who are orphaned, abandoned or separated from families, or at serious risk of separation. Holt is a world leader in international adoption and child welfare programs that enable children to have families of their own.

For every book sold through Risen’s online store, the publisher will donate a portion of the proceeds to Holt International to aid children in need.

“We at Holt are so pleased by our new partnership with Risen Books,” says Kim Brown, CEO and president of Holt International Children’s Services. “We truly applaud their commitment to help us serve orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children around the world.”

The founders of Risen Books have been sponsoring children through Holt since 2006. “Holt shows God’s love for humanity by caring for these precious children,” says DP Martinez, senior editor at Risen Books. “We want to raise awareness of their labor and invite our readers to get involved, not only by buying books but by sponsoring children.”

Learn more about Holt International Children Services and how to give at HoltInternational.org.

I have decided to join this cause by amending my contract with Risen Books so that I won't receive any royalties for the sale of my new book, The Jihad's Messiah, but for that money to go to Holt International instead.

I've found a higher purpose for my writing, thanks to the work of Christ on the cross. He died for me so I may have eternal life and communion with God. Now I want to follow his example and live my life for the benefit of others. I invite you to do the same.

Nick Daniels' newest novel, The Jihad's Messiah will be released in September 2011, but you can pre-order it (and help orphaned children in the process) at www.risenfiction.com/store.

The International Horror of Human Trafficking

My next book, Deliver Me From Evil, releases in a matter of weeks. Its international scope is heartbreaking.

Much of the time, when I mention the topic of this new book/series, people say something like, "Oh, yeah. I've heard of that happening in Thailand." And yes, it does happen there. In fact, the subplot of my book unravels in the Golden Triangle of that very country.

But the main story? Right here where I live--Southern California. San Diego, to be exact. One of the primary locations for such an atrocious crime, as so many of these victims are brought in across the Mexico/US border.

Before starting this series, I spoke with an investigative reporter for the largest newspaper in the San Diego area, and he told me that even after year of digging into some of the most sordid happenings imaginable, he has seldom been as horrified as he was by investigating the human side of modern-day slavery.

And that's the point. This isn't simply a tragedy involving staggering statistics (27 million people estimated to be held in captivity around the world, for various reasons including sexual exploitation, cheap or free labor, and harvesting of body parts/organs); it is a tragedy with names and faces. Children, much like yours and mine, are kidnapped or even sold by family members into a life that is so violent and degrading that few ever make it out alive. If they do, they are often so scarred that they can never lead a normal life.

Are we our "brother's keeper"? Yes, we are. God has called as to BE the Church! We are to pray for the deliverance and healing of these precious people, but also to speak out for the absolute abolition of modern-day slavery. We cannot sit idly by while people created in the image of God are used as chattel and thrown away like refuse.

It is a worldwide problem, but the Church spans the globe and crosses the borders of time. May we rise up together and say "No more!" May our battle cry be "Abolition!"

The Global Village

They say the world is shrinking. Sometimes it certainly seems that way. Technology has reached the point where it allows us to communicate across time and space like never before. For example, in the Firefox browser you can use an add-on called FoxClocks. It sits in a bar along the bottom of your browser window and can display the current date and time of as many time zones as you like. I have US Pacific, US Mountain, US Central, US Eastern, the UK, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Victoria Australia. The reason I have so many clocks is because I have to communicate regularly with people in all these places. I also have a watch on my wrist for emergencies.

Communication technology has come a long way since the smoke signals of North America, the bullroarer of the Australian Aborigines, and the talking drums of Africa. We can now hold simultaneous conversations with multiple people from all corners of the earth, the only obstacle being the need for sleep. Just this weekend I helped Grace do a final check of Splashdown's upcoming short story anthology. We were able to exchange documents back and forth almost instantaneously. Up until not so long ago, that sort of thing would have been impossible.

The Internet has created the "Global Village" which sounds cozy from the inside. Unfortunately, it is a village to which not everyone has access. While we enjoy chatting, texting, and tweeting, there are people out there whose only concern is finding their next meal. Sometimes it is easy to forget just how privileged we are. This weekend I read the news headlines and my heart almost broke. The main story was about how East Africa is being ravaged by the worst drought in sixty years. Somalia is worst-hit and the UN estimates there are ten million people in that region at risk of starvation. Another story covered the shooting in Norway in which an estimated ninety-six people lost their lives. A third story was about a talented British singer who was found dead at her home on Saturday after a long battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

All of which brought home to me how much the world desperately needs the healing power of Jesus. Without Him, we are at the mercy of all that is bad in the world. Without Him, we are doomed. Scientists may try to tell us that we can build a perfect world, but they are deluded. In one weekend, a woman with everything the world has to offer lost her battle with addiction, an apparently ordinary man decided to kill as many people as he could, and the Horn of Africa stands on the brink of starvation. If this is the best we can do, then we are in deep trouble.

As Christian writers spread across the globe, we are perfectly positioned to help spread the word that there is a solution to this world's problems; that there is a peace that fame and fortune cannot bring; that there is a love that can make the angriest man lay down his guns; and that God's mercy makes us all brothers and sisters in Him and that no-one should go hungry.

We have the technology at our fingertips to see our stories reach the farthest corners of the globe. My prayer is that we write for God's glory, and that our words might help nudge the world a little closer to Christ. Because there is no higher calling.

Giveaway - Your Choice!

If you've been watching Narelle's Sunday Updates lately, you'll see that some of our contributors here at International Christian Fiction Writers' have been walking the red carpet with their recent releases.

They include:

Kathi Macias - Red Ink - Winner - 2011 Golden Scroll Book of the Year Award (Fiction)

Jeanette Windle - Veiled Freedom - Finalist - 2010 Christian Book Award and Christy Award Finalist

Lisa Harris - Blood Ransom - Finalist - 2011 Christy Award

Paula Vince - Picking Up the Pieces - Winner - 2011 International Book Awards (Religious Fiction)

Harry Kraus - The Six Liter Club - Finalist - Faith, Hope & Love Inspirational Chapter of RWA's 2011 Inspirational Readers Choice Award

It's incredibly exciting for us here to see books based in international settings being recognised like this and so, to celebrate, I'm going to give one away. To enter just provide comment by midnight Tuesday 2 August (EST) with a contact email address and which book you'd like to receive if you win.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Kara Isaac

Tuesday

Paul Baines

Wednesday

Kathi Macias

Thursday

Nick Daniels

Friday Devotion

Pam Ford Davis: Published!

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Contest News

Kathi Macias' book, Red Ink, won first prize in the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association's 2011 Golden Scroll Book of the Year Award in the fiction category - congratulations Kathi!

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News

Jeanette Windle's book, Veiled Freedom (Tyndale), a 2010 Christian Book Award and Christy Award finalist, set in contemporary Afghanistan, is now a FREE e-book download for the next few weeks on Amazon, B&N Nook, Christianbook.com as part of the current book launch of sequel Freedom's Stand, an AWSA Golden Scroll Novel of the Year finalist.

Publishers Weekly says of Veiled Freedom, "Readers will be enthralled with this penetrating look at Afghanistan." ChristianBook.com calls Freedom's Stand "Influential! Powerful!" Dr. Carl Moeller, serving the persecuted church as President of Open Doors calls this story "a message of hope that will touch your heart like nothing else."

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Upcoming Book Releases

Nick Daniels' thriller set in the Middle East, The Jihad's Messiah, Book One in the Jihad series, will be a September 2011 release from Risen Books.

Rita Galieh's book, Signed, Sealed and Delivered, will be a September 2011 release from Ark House Press.

Jenn Kelly's children's book for middle grade readers, Jackson Jones: the Tale of a Boy, a Troll and a Rather Large Chicken, will be a September 2011 release from Zonderkidz.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Deliver Me from Evil, Book One in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a September 2011 release from New Hope Publishers.

Kathi Macias' Christmas themed book, A Christmas Journey Home, set in Arizona and Ensenada, Mexico, will be a September 2011 release from New Hope Publishers.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Special Delivery, Book Two in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a January 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Valerie Comer's debut novella, Topaz Treasure, which is part of the Rainbow's End collection, will be a March 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego and Mexico, The Deliverer, Book Three in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a April 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

To find more International Christian Fiction books, please visit our Recent Releases page, Backlist Titles page and our International Christian Fiction wiki.

DEVOTION: A Faithful "No" - Marcia Lee Laycock

Having to promote your own books is a daunting business. It can also be quite frustrating at times.

There’s a large church near where I live that often has large events. Thinking about selling books, I clicked into their website to see if there was anything coming up. I was hoping they might allow me to set up a book table. I was glad to see there was an event coming up almost immediately, one that I decided I wanted to attend, so I e-mailed the woman in charge with my idea.

She e-mailed back right away but the answer was no. She explained that her committee thought it might be too much of a distraction. That did not brighten my mood. Other doors had closed that week and as I looked at the total number of books I have managed to sell in the past year, I became discouraged. In fact, I was downright depressed. I sat at my computer that day and thought, why am I hitting my head against this brick wall? I was sorely tempted to quit.

But I went to the event. It was a simulcast – a live video feed - with Beth Moore, speaking from a church in Louisville Kentucky. As I walked into the sanctuary that Friday evening, I wasn’t feeling in the mood – I was still angry and frustrated and, underneath, wondered why God wasn’t helping me to get the word out about my books. The video began and I found it did nothing to help. The sound was a bit wobbly and the music seemed “canned.” I thought, oh yeah, here we go with another hyped-up performance that will leave me cold.

Then Beth Moore began to speak. Slowly her passion and sincerity began to break through. Her humour broke the heaviness. And I began to listen for what God was saying to me. He said plenty. Then the worship group came back on and suddenly the music lifted me into that place of praise and worship. By the end of the evening I was in tears at God’s wonderful grace and mercy and unconditional love. I felt ashamed at my lack of trust. I knew my discouragement was a slap in God’s face.

The next day was more of the same. I don’t think it was a coincidence that Ms. Moore spoke from Luke 8, which lays out the parable of the sower and talks about those who hear but don’t respond, those who in “the time of testing fall away,” and those who “hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures and they do not mature.” 

I left that place with a renewed sense of how alive my God is, how good, and how faithful. Best of all, I had a renewed passion for His Word – something that has been lacking in my life for a while. And I was so glad for that faithful ‘no.’ Had I been concerned with selling books I would have been distracted from what God wanted to say to me. I might not have heard Him at all.

As I read the rest of Luke 8 at home later, another verse popped out – verse 18 – “Therefore consider carefully how you listen.” That’s a verse to which I think we can all say, “Amen!”

Marcia’s inspirational writing has won awards in both Canada and the U.S.  Her devotionals are distributed to thousands and her novel, One Smooth Stone, won the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award in 2006. Marcia is also a sought-after speaker for women’s events. Visit her at www.vinemarc.com

THE JIHAD MESSIAH (Book review by Rita Stella Galieh)

Storm clouds are gathering

As the title suggests, Nick Daniel's fast-paced novel is set in the Middle East several years into the future. As a novelist who writes about the past, I am intrigued with these forecasts into what might yet unfold. Not for the faint-hearted, the story line pulls aside the curtain in revealing the vicious plans of those who would seek to stamp out faith in a just, but loving God.

The setting: Iraq. A power struggle exists between two Muslim Iraqi army majors. Deception at the highest levels becomes catastrophic for the main protagonist as he is dogged by his nemesis seeking to annihilate him. Add Christian Bedouin followers, plus a feisty Jewess, into this mix of religious  fervour and you have the sort of conflict we constantly see on our nightly newscasts!

Rita:  Nick, I am fascinated with the way other authors undertake their research. You had me believing you are either an Iraqi or have lived there. Would you share with us how you came to know so many relevant details?

Nick:  In 2007, after listening to Perry Stone Jr. (author of Unleashing the Beast), speak about the connection between Islam and the end times, I began toying with the idea of a novel with this scenario. I had always found eschatology fascinating and was a fan of the Left Behind series, but this new information made more sense to me than everything I had heard about the end times before.

I’m a storyteller by nature and as I studied the connection between Islam and the end times, I realized there’s a great story here. I did my homework on the subject for two years, watching documentaries, interviewing people, and reading books--from Islamic texts to Arabic dictionaries.

My research on the subject included reading Joel Richardson’s book Antichrist: Islam’s Awaited Messiah, in which he talks about the three characters in Islamic traditions that have a parallel with another three figures in the book of Revelation: The Mahdi, or Islamic Messiah, the Biblical antichrist; the Muslim Jesus, or Isa son of Mary, who is the Biblical false prophet; and the Dajjal, or Islam’s antichrist, who is the Biblical Jesus. Based on these three characters, I developed the idea for a trilogy.

Rita:  How would describe the genre of your book, The Gentlemen's Conspiracy? And this latest novel?

Nick:  While The Gentlemen's Conspiracy is a historical suspense novel--a mystery with lots of twists--my new novel, The JIhad's Messiah, is an end times thriller with a military flavor to it.

Rita:  What is your day job. And how do you fit in writing time?


Nick:  I'm a science writer by day, and have always earned my living with the written word. The best time to work on my novels is late at night, when everybody else is sleeping.

Rita:  Goes to show how different we are. I'm counting sheep in the wee hours! But thanks for your insights, Nick, especially about research. We can never do enough of it. Sounds like your scientific mind works overtime. Now, for those interested in your novel, how can they follow up on it?



Nick:  No problem. Rita. They can look at this page: http://jihadseries.com/the-books/the-jihads-messiah/
I will add a link or a form there for people who want to pre-order the book.

As much as I love my romance stories, I read across the board, but I know many readers have certain preferences. Romance sets my heart fluttering. Suspense sets it racing, and Thrillers make it pound.

 * At the other end of the sphere, Rita Stella Galieh writes historical romances. Her next novel, will be released in Sept by Ark House Press Book I of the Watermark Women Trilogy is titled: Signed, Sealed, & Delivered. How could she believe in her future when she couldn't escape her past? http://inspirationalromance.blogspot.com

 

Guest Post: Southern Fried Writer

By Jennifer Rogers Spinola

I know many readers assume that since we international writers live abroad, we probably can’t wait to fill up our novels with details about sugar-white Brazilian beaches, ice-cold coconut water, and hot, salty, sand-like farofa manioc flour, right?

Nope. Not for me, anyway.

People often ask me—an American who’s been living in Brazil more than seven years now and two years in Japan before that—how Brazil figures into my writing, and especially my debut novel series. Well, simply from the title, “Southern Fried Sushi,” you can tell my mind is somewhere else.

Precisely.

Because many times, in the grunt and strain and sweat of pushing a heavy baby stroller on broken sidewalks in the tropical heat, or cheeks reddening as I make one more mistake in Portuguese and everybody in the grocery store or overcrowded bus turns to gawk at me, the misplaced American, I wish I WAS somewhere else. Somewhere familiar. Somewhere I’m not introduced as an American (and subsequently judged, according to the hearer’s opinion). Somewhere I can buy peanut butter and grits and not have to explain ANY of it. Somewhere where I could regress back into my un-teacher-like Southern drawl, or look around the table and see everyone holding and cutting with a knife and fork like I do, and don’t have to answer the hundredth (antagonistic) question about Bush or American international policies—while two listeners whisper and giggle together about my accent.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Brazil. I’ve loved Brazil since my first trip here as a journalist in 2000, holding dust-streaked children in rural slums near the Pantanal. It was my dream to come back. My husband and son are both Brazilian, digging into black beans and rice, pouring on the farofa, and shouting “GOLLLLLL!” at every soccer match. And I jump in with the best of them.

But—under my tropical-sun-tanned skin and deceptively Brazilian long haircut and Havaiana flip-flops—I am simply. Not. Brazilian.

I am American. A South Carolina-born Virginia native. A lover of the Rocky Mountains and ice-cold streams and mist-covered pines. A NASCAR-watching, corn-shucking, bluegrass-loving Southerner who’s somehow detoured in countries far from her own. And that’s okay. That’s my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So what does this have to do with fiction writing? For me, everything.

Instead of writing about the environment I find myself in, I often find myself turning to writing—a blank page or a white Word document—to unburden my emotions. The places I miss. The memories I hold dear. The Fourth of July fireworks I don’t see, and snowfalls I long so deeply to feel against my face, just for a moment. A breath of crisp fall that I have nearly lost in years among sunshine and palms.

And so I write.

From this my first published novels were born. I thought, again, one January morning, of the places I missed. The smell of black powder and fall woodsmoke and delicate spring hyacinths. The slope of dusty purple Blue Ridge Mountains. Even the tang of soy sauce and clatter of the Japanese subway system that I’d come to love, and—like everything else—left behind in a blur of visas and passport stamps.

If you’re longing for familiar places, or even longing for some inspiration, consider your past. It may be that, like me, your old loves, and even old hates-turned-loves, will reward you with passion, details, and emotions that you never thought possible.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola lives in Brasilia, Brazil with her Brazilian husband, Athos, and two-year-old son, Ethan. She teaches ESL private classes and is the author of Barbour Books' "Southern Fried Sushi" series (first book releasing in October and now available for pre-order here!) and an upcoming romance novella collection based on Yellowstone National Park (also with Barbour Books). Jenny is an advocate for adoption and loves the outdoors, photography, writing, and camping. She has previously served as a missionary to Japan, a middle- and high-school teacher, and National Park Service volunteer. Jenny has a B.A. in English/journalism from Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina.


Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughter.

She is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency and has recently sold her first work, a novella, to Barbour Books. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.

From Texas to Tasmania



2009 Texas team visit a Tasmanian Devil Zoo

Okay, so on my own blog our last few posts there have been about our Texas friends visiting our church in Tasmania and helping us try to reach out into our community. My heart and thoughts have been consumed with this great couple of weeks we've just enjoyed and thought I might share a little with you about this wonderful fellowship we have experienced again now for the third year.

 Back in 2009, we prayed and planned and prayed as our new, small fellowship prepared with excitement and anticipation for that first team from Texas to arrive. Only our Craig and Rochelle had met the leaders, Chris and Heather Horton, about fifteen years ago and before Craig and Rochelle were married. Our son was then living in a small rural town in New South Wales where his church hosted a Texas team ministering with them. Two recently married young Texans stayed at Craig's house, became friends and kept in touch over the years. The internet and Facebook helped them even more a few years ago. The end result was the team Chris and Heather brought with them from summer in Texas to winter in Tasmania. Together we made special efforts to try and reach out into our community with the message of Christ and His love for us all as shown so clearly on the cross.



The drama of the cross by the 2009 team

 For a fortnight we shared many times together, meeting with groups in the community, holding evening worship meetings with great items and messages. Over the days there was a family concert, special programmes for children, a men’s dinner and evening and day fellowship times for women. Always we were challenged to commit our lives to Christ to serve Him, to honour and glorify His name. God certainly worked in our community that year!

There was a special blessing added to Ray and I in 2009. 



ACFW 2009 book-signing



2009 We are guests at Lark Fork church

 Before plans for the Texans to come, we had already booked our trip to the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Colorado. Having had contact with other writers in Texas over many years I tried to organise meetings with them after the conference. Dallas became a possibility and so Ray and I had included a flight from Denver to Dallas in our international flight tickets. As we know, Texas is a large state and not until just before the team arrived here did we realise how close their church was to Dallas. End result? The minute we mentioned we would be in Dallas several weeks after they returned home, wheels were set in motion. We met the members of that team again at their own church! What a privilege! Their generosity to us was amazing and an absolute delight to share fellowship and ministry with them again and meet their friends and family. 

2011 team

 

At our house with Caitlyn and Lillian
- and two of our grandchildren



In 2011 Ray Adams presents
farewell gift to Chris

 

Ben Fisher continues to train and grow through
his Christian Fusion course

We were thrilled when the Horton family was able to return last year. We again reached out to our community for Christ, but we all thought that extra blessing would be the last time. God had other plans and through the faithful prayer, generosity and support of their church once more, we have been so blessed by the ministry by Chris, Heather, their growing children, Dempsey and Jace, and the two friends that joined them, Caitlyn and Lillian. 

 

I hope you enjoy the photos. There is so much more I could share but perhaps it would take a book?
We certainly enjoyed those times of blessing and challenge. This year we could see the changes in lives such as the older gentleman, Ray Adams and the young man, Ben Fisher, who committed their lives fully to Christ that first year. We know there will be more “fruit” become evident here in the days that lie ahead.
Praise God for our links with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Lark Fork Baptist church near Alba, Texas.

Mary Hawkins is a best-selling inspirational romance author.
A Queensland farmer’s daughter, she became a registered nurse before going to Bible College. She and her minister husband have three adult children and five grandchildren, enjoyed over 46 years of ministry including church planting in Australia, two years in England, three short term mission trips to Africa and now live in Tasmania, Australia's island state. Her 19th title, Justice at Baragula was released May, 2011. Do watch out for book giveaways here and also on her own blog http://www.maryhawkins.blogspot.com