LAURA'S PEARL

 

LAURA   LEE GROVES NEW PROJECT

My Kindred Heart Writer friend has a new project. Below is her story.I know you will enjoy reading this story of hope and love as much as I did.

 

Laura's Story  

 

I took the first three chapters of Mei’s story, Pearl, to a writer’s conference and was strongly encouraged to continue. Once I finished the novel, a couple of major Christian publishers showed interest. I polished it up and sent it off, but they felt its length was a drawback as well as the fact that, although present day, most of it was set outside the United States.

I thought about finding a way to lengthen the story and add a stronger American component, and I spent a lot of time saying, “Lord, do with this story what You will.” I never felt prompted to add to the plot, so Pearl sat on a shelf here at home. I knew I had written it for a reason; I had learned so much through the whole process that I knew it wasn’t for nothing. It was a story I felt compelled to write, so write I did. I stretched and grew as I wrote, so I knew the Lord had already used Pearl.

But He had another idea. As my son and his sweet wife began to walk down the path to international adoption, we all talked of the financial cost. My son is the pastor of a little rural Kentucky church that averages a hundred in attendance, so you can imagine that he’s not in it for the money. My husband and I talked about how we could help them, and the Lord brought Pearl to mind.

“It’s a story of international adoption. Why not publish it and use the proceeds to benefit the adoption fund?” I said. My husband readily agreed, and I started researching the best way to accomplish this. We settled on CreateSpace, who designed the cover, set up the print book, converted the files for Kindle, and placed it both in their online bookstore and on Amazon.

This story has been a blessing in so many ways. Through this story and Jonathan and Kristen’s adoption journey, I’ve met new friends and reconnected with others on the same path. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of adoption as a picture of Gospel hope.

Tucked inside the Old and New Testaments are stories we know well, but we don’t always see how they brim with hope. Hope for those born in the wrong place, to the wrong group.

From David to Ruth to Rahab, we see the hope of the Gospel. This is a kingdom turned upside down. Matthew, the disciple who had lived the life of an outcast as a despised tax collector, writes the genealogy that shows us the Saviour’s earthly path. He names even who fell or who had lived less than pristine lives. As he includes them, he reminds us that our inclusion in God’s family depends upon God—not on our birth, our status, or our performance.

Adoption is a picture of the hope of the Gospel.

God welcomes home the foreigner, the outcast, the alien.

Blessed to be a part of the Gospel hope, how can we do less?