Stepping Stones
Sara L. Foust
Five years ago, I had no clue what God had
planned for the next phase in my life. I had just turned 30 with three
beautiful little girls when I felt an overwhelming call to become a foster
parent. It was terrifying. My husband and I completed the training and soon
enough we had our first placement, then our second, and then our third. Little
did we know at that time our third placement would result in our fourth when
her biological half-brother was born. In September 2014, with four children in
our home, God impressed upon us to pull our eldest two children from public
school and begin homeschooling. I had a lot of support from friends and family,
thankfully, because I had no idea what I was doing.
When we brought our newborn son home from
the NICU on August 31, 2015, I quickly realized working full-time as a medical
transcriptionist from home was no longer going to work. There simply weren’t
enough hours in the day or enough coffee in the world to keep my exhausted eyes
open. We began to earnestly pray for God to show us what career I should take.
It was crystal clear this was the opportunity I’d been longing for my whole
life. It was time to write. Not just tinker with the craft. Really write.
It was an amazing and scary time all at
once. We went from two full-time incomes to one, cutting our income literally
in half, with a new baby and a new mortgage. But God worked out all the
details.
By August 2016, our adoption was final and
we had a new son and daughter. What a blessed day that was! In the coming
months I finished up my first manuscript and, with a lot of prayer, found a
publisher who liked my work. In November 2017, Callum’s Compass released. Though we (almost desperately at times)
needed the money, I again had an overwhelming sense that God was pressing me to
something different. You see, in October I had prayed and cried and prayed
about attending a mission trip to the Philippines. And no matter how I tried to
talk myself and God out of it, the burden to go would not leave me. I called my
friend and mission trip coordinator and told her I would be joining them in
April 2018. So the money we had really been waiting for to help with bills, God
impressed upon me to donate 100% of sales profits to the mission trip. I’m not
going to lie. At first I don’t think I was exactly a “joyful giver.” I was
scared. I was worried. But now five months after my debut’s release, I can
honestly say it’s been a joy to place the profits toward God’s plan for me on
this mission trip.
I can look back now and see how each of
the steps from foster parenting to homeschooling to writing full-time to
adoption have led to this mission trip. God was putting all the pieces in line
so that I could go without worrying about my children missing school, without
worrying about taking time off from work (for 2 weeks!), and providing extra
money toward the finances needed to go. I am so thankful that I followed His
leading, even though at times I didn’t know why He was pushing us toward one
direction or another. “And we know that all things work together for good to
them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 KJV. I am
reminded every day that God’s plans are not without reason. That His gentle
nudgings are not without purpose. He knows what He’s doing, and all we have to
do is trust Him enough to follow blindly no matter where the stepping stones
lead.
Tag line: Facing betrayal, wild animals, meth-addled
drug makers, and their own fears, can Kat and Ryan discover the golden treasure
and God’s love?
Publisher: Mantle Rock Publishing
How to reach me:
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Author
Bio:
Sara writes Inspirational Romantic Suspense from a mini-farm in East
Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and their five homeschooled
children. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the
University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and
Tennessee Mountain Writers. Her debut novel Callum's Compass won second place in Deep River Books' 2017
Writer's Contest. She also has a story, “Leap of Faith,” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your
Comfort Zone. Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the
beauty of nature. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping,
and spending time outdoors with her family. To learn more about her and her
work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit www.saralfoust.com.
Medium bio:
Sara writes Inspirational Romantic Suspense from
a mini-farm in East Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and their five
homeschooled children. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of
Tennessee and is a member of ACFW and Tennessee Mountain Writers. Callum's Compass won second place
in Deep River Books' 2017 Writer's Contest. Sara also has a story, “Leap
of Faith,” in Chicken Soup for the Soul:
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. Gain access to a FREE digital scrapbook
detailing some real-life places from Callum’s
Compass by signing up for her newsletter: www.saralfoust.com.
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