A Story to Tell

It is finished!

I completed the last edits, the last chapter (which had been unwritten up until now), and the epilogue of my book this afternoon. OH HALLELUJAH!! That feels so good.

After talking to Dave in Jerusalem (how wonderful technology is) and being encouraged by him to take a walk, Kaylee and I set off for the hills here on Hvar.

I wish I could bottle the sights, sounds and smells from up here. Blossoming rosemary, blooming flowers, new leaves, tilled dirt, warm grass, light breeze, sea air, buzzing bees, chirping birds, misty clouds, lapping waves (yes, even from up here you can hear it).

How good it felt to be outside to enjoy it all knowing that I was done with the bulk of my work.

My manuscript now goes back to the editor, so in reality there are still a few steps ahead before it's actually ready to be published.

But I'm hopeful that the extensive rewrites, deletions and new material have finally brought the whole concept together into a cohesive story.

As I walked this afternoon I thought about why the Lord asked me to write this story ... the one of my life, of our life as a couple, as a family, and of the beginnings of Josiah Venture and what's happened because of that step of faith.

As I tried to formulate an answer to that question I came back to one simple thought.

I'm actually telling HIS story.

And that makes me really happy, because his stories should be told. They're the best ones! And I want him to get a lot of praise, glory and honor from this amazing missionary story that HE'S been writing all these years.

Missionary biographies are not usually bestsellers, and I don't expect this one will be either. But I do hope that those who read mine will be encouraged to say "Yes" to an almighty and powerful, yet tender and loving God who moves mountains, transform lives and accomplishes his purposes across an entire region of the world.