Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

About the book: 

Her courage and her heart will be tested in ways she never expected . . .

Beth Thatcher has spent her entire life in the safe, comfortable world of her family, her friends, and the social outings her father's wealth provides. But Beth is about to leave it all behind to accept a teaching position in the rugged foothills of western Canada. Inspired by her aunt Elizabeth, who went west to teach school several years ago, and gently encouraged by her father, Beth resolves to put her trust in God and bravely face any challenge that comes her way.

But the conditions in Coal Valley are even worse than she'd feared. A recent mining accident has left the town grieving and at the mercy of the mining company. The children have had very little prior education, and many of the locals don't even speak English. There isn't even a proper schoolhouse. In addition, Beth's heart is torn between two young men---both Mounties, one a lifelong friend and the other a kind, quiet man who comes to her aid more than once.

Despite the many challenges, Beth is determined to make a difference in the rustic frontier town. But when her sister visits from the East, reminding her of all the luxuries she's had to give up, will Beth decide to return to her privileged life as soon as the school year is over?

Purchase a copy and read an excerpt: http://ow.ly/tyWJH 


About Authors:

Janette Oke Celebrated for her significant contribution to the Christian book industry, Janette Oke is the recipient of numerous awards. Her novels have sold more than 30 million copies and are beloved by readers around the world. Janette lives with her husband, Edward, in Alberta, Canada. 

Laurel Oke Logan is the daughter of Edward and Janette Oke, is the author of "Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie," as well as the novel "Dana's Valley," which she co-wrote with her mom. Laurel and her husband have six children and two sons-in-law and live near Indianapolis, Indiana.

My Thoughts

Beth is made to endure a going away party her mother has arranged for her which was against Beth's wishes.  Her mother has invited the very elite of society.  He main comfort and support at the party is her father.  Beth has taken a teaching position in the remote foothills of western Canada.  This is a great undertaking for such a refined lady but she is sure she up to the challenge. After all her aunt had taken a teaching position in a remote area in Canada several years back.  

When Beth arrives at her destination of Coal Valley the conditions were poor.  The families had very little in shelter, clothing and food.  Many of the families had lost their husbands and fathers in a mine cave in.  She is also informed she will be holding school in a pool hall.  Her mother would be mortified.  To her great pleasure the people of this mining town were mostly pleasant.  The town was protected by the Canadian Mounties.  Which gave her a small sense of security.

This was an informative read.  I remember watching shows with the very impressive Canadian Mounties.  I like historical novels and this book was an exceptional read .  

The authors write of a brave woman that takes on such an adventure where she would be in danger on a daily basis.  This was the wilderness of all wilderness.  She had a very big heart and a great desire to teach children in order to give them a chance at a better life.  

I see Janette Oke as one of these women cutting a path for our young women to follow in her footsteps.  I have so much love and respect for women authors who have given me many hours of reading pleasure.  

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group/Bethany House for review. I was in no way compensated for this review.  This review is my honest opinion.

 

The Mystery of the Indian Carvings by Gloria Repp

About Book 

The Mystery of the Indian Carvings 

Christian fiction - Ages 9-12 

Julie has become a problem at home and is sent to visit her relatives on Bartlett Island near Victoria, Canada. Everyone is on edge, she discovers, because one of Uncle Nate's valuable artifacts has disappeared. Even worse, she's beginning to hate her cousin Karin, her aunt thinks she's a trouble maker, and a persistent reporter is hanging around the family. Problems pile higher and higher and finally, the only person Julie can turn to is the mysterious Native American who lives in the forest. Does she dare to confide in him?

Read a sample chapter

Where to buy: Amazon, Christianbook.com

About Author

Gloria Repp grew up in the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Northwest; it was there she learned a love for wilderness that pervades her writing. She has taught creative writing, worked as an editor, and written books for children, teens, and adults. In addition to wilderness adventures, she enjoys flying in single-engine airplanes and has a particular fondness for owls and frogs.

Each family member has played a unique part in the writing of her books. Her eldest son teaches on the Big Island of Hawaii, and she has made trips with him to lava tubes and Mauna Kea’s volcano; she values his insights on the natural sciences and on godly scholarship.

With her Seattle son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, she shares an interest in people and music and journeys of discovery, especially on the Olympic Peninsula. She relies on them for a reality check of plot problems.

Her daughter, who lives in Virginia, is a competent resource in matters of sewing, baking, and midwifery. The two cats who have chosen to grace her daughter’s apartment have sufficient character to appear in stories from time to time and often take part in book discussions.

At home, her husband, a pilot and aircraft mechanic, provides valuable input for the aviation elements in her books, entry to the fascinating New Jersey Pine Barrens, and a strong, supporting shoulder. Although she likes traveling to research her novels, she thinks that the best part of every journey is coming home.

Gloria's website: http://www.gloriarepp.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GloriaReppBooks

Mother Otter carrying baby otter.seattletimes.nwsource.com 

My Thoughts

Julie hasn't much of a choice as to where she is to spend her summer. Her dad said she could go stay with her Uncle Nate on a Canadian Island or go to a summer camp for girls which was chosen by her step-mom but is really more like a boot camp for bad girls. So it looks like she will be staying at her Uncle's. From what she has been told the island is still inhabited with Indians and Uncle Nate is really into Indian Artifacts. So it might not be so bad after all.  Besides her Uncle has a daughter her age.

Things are not what she had expected.  Uncle Nate stays in his office working.  Her Aunt is always worried or upset about something and their teen daughter turns out to be just plain evil.  But she does like their dog and she can tell he likes her.

Totem Pole

Things are very mysterious in this house and on this island and she plans on finding out what is really going on because it is just too weird.

Will she be able to survive the summer on the island or will her dad end up taking her to the summer camp.

I liked that Julie was felt God leading her while reading scripture and she even claimed the scriptures and asked God to lead her in difficult situations.

I highly recommend this book and not just for children  ages 9-12, I recommend it for ages 9 and up.

   I rated this book a 5 out of 5

Disclosure
I received a free copy of this book from the author for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas! Day 4

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.


AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

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Why I Decorate for Christmas

By Elizabeth Goldsmith Musser

An old cassette tape of Christmas carols—received in a package twenty years ago when we had first arrived in France as missionaries—fills our den with delightful piano music as I place one more ornament on the already over-laden Christmas tree.  This one is a little white wooden rabbit with pink ears that move back and forth.  It actually doesn’t look much like a Christmas ornament, but I bought it for our baby Andrew when my husband Paul was in seminary, and I was working for less than minimum wage in the library.  This ornament was literally all I could afford.

As I hang it on the tree today, I get goose bumps and then a rush of warmth.  And that’s why I decorate for Christmas.  Not to impress but to remember.  I remember those lean, lean years, and God’s faithful provision for us.

There are the cross-stitched ornaments I made our first year in Montpellier—for the boys (for by now we had two sons) and Paul and me.  How I ever had time to do that, I don’t know.  I remember our puny little tree—the kind they sold in France back then—in a pot so that it could be replanted later.  We perched that tiny tree on a small table out of baby Christopher’s reach.  I guess I watered it too much, because about halfway through December, it started smelling and then stinking, and it rotted there on Christmas Day!

I smile with these memories.

I look at the other ornaments on the tree.  Many were purchased—one for each boy—when we attended conferences around Europe, and that makes me smile too.  Getting to travel on a missionary’s budget to exotic places!  There are the waxed red bear and red baby carriage from Wales, the brightly painted clay sun and moon from Portugal, the blue and white porcelain windmill and wooden shoes from Holland, the hand-blown glass Snoopys sitting on gondolas from Venice, and the delicately decorated eggs from Prague.

Other ornaments include the little pinkish shiny ball ornament with Paul’s name written in glitter—I think he made it when he was about six , and the little red velvet bows, bought at Michael’s after Christmas one year for a dollar.  They bring a unifying theme to the tree.  I say this, smiling, because our tree is, and has always been throughout the years, a hodge-podge of our life.  And I like it that way.  I don’t think I could ever have a ‘theme’ tree.  Mine is a ‘memory’ tree.

The music plays softly in the background and I smile through tears, remembering God’s incredible faithfulness to call and keep us here in France for so many years.  Heart-breakingly hard years, overwhelmingly joyful years—the same years, the same amazing God, our keeper.

Before we left for the mission field, I memorized Psalm 121 in English and in French, and over the years I have held on tight to those last beautiful words of the psalm:  The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (NASB)

Of course He will.  He is God with us.

We decorate to remember Christmases past, our lives, our legacy, and mostly, for those of us who have embraced Christ, we decorate to honor and praise Him for coming to us—Emmanuel!  We make our homes ready to receive the Christ Child, with soft music and candles burning and the sweet flickering of angel wings on an over-laden evergreen.

***

ELIZABETH GOLDSMITH MUSSER, an Atlanta native and the bestselling author of The Swan House, is a novelist who writes what she calls ‘entertainment with a soul.’  For over twenty years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions work with International Teams.  They presently live near Lyon, France. The Mussers have two sons and a daughter-in-law. The Sweetest Thing (Bethany House, 2011) is Elizabeth’s eighth novel. To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, and to find discussion questions as well as photos of sites mentioned in the stories, please visit www.elizabethmusser.com and her Facebook Fan Page. www.elizabethmusser.com