Umdoni Point - Pennington Beach, South Africa

Hello, friend!

I pray this letter finds you healthy and full of the joy of the Lord! Last month I shared with you that Bryan's dad was coming for a visit. We have enjoyed having him here so much! It's so great to spend time with family. 

The last week of April we spent in a few different places in South Africa while my husband, Bryan, rode the Sani2C mountain bike ride–a three-day stage race from the Drakensberg mountains along the eastern border of Lesotho down to the east coast of South Africa just south of Durban.

Me and the kids at Pennington Beach.

Papa, the kids, and I spent one day in Pennington Beach without Bryan as he was still riding. While I am not normally a beach gal, and the waves were a bit too aggressive for swimming, it was still a wonderful time! We enjoyed dipping in the water and relaxing in the sand and sun. 

My hubby, Bryan (Left), his dad, Daryl (Right), me (middle), and our kids, Matthias (right), and Bella (front), after Bryan finished the three-day Sani2C mountain bike ride.

After the race, we stayed a few extra days in Pennington Beach, enjoying the quiet beach town life. The kids begged to stay longer, but unfortunately, we had to return to real life. It was so nice to escape and unplug for a while, but there's nothing quite like returning to the comforts of home.

How do you escape and unplug? Are you looking for a fun read this summer when you get a chance to get away? I encourage you to check out my Lady Lits author highlight below!

In blog news, writing is underway for my spiritual warfare blog series. As always, if you have questions, ideas, comments, or resources, I welcome your feedback. You are welcome to respond to this email or email me directly at mari@marieygabroad.com. 

I look forward to hearing from you!

Linda writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids ages ten to fourteen. She has completed a middle-grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own experiences growing up with a deaf sister and is currently working on a women’s fiction series.

Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing passion for writing fiction. In May 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.

A wife, mother of three, and grandmother to eight, Linda regales the youngest grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe one day, those stories will be in picture books!

Where Linda can be found on the web:

www.lindasammaritan.com

www.facebook.com/lindasammaritan

www.twitter.com/LindaSammaritan

A Tale of Two Lindas

I was one of those kids who knew, absolutely knew, what she wanted to be when she grew up. A teacher. I was four years old. And I never changed my mind.

But I loved to read, to immerse myself in a great story, to “be there” in someone else’s adventure. And I liked making up my own stories—naming characters and planning out the answers to my “what-ifs.” What if a mermaid fell in love with a deep-sea diver? What if an Indian princess led her people to safety in the mountains?

God has been so good to allow me to fulfill both dreams. I look back and see how I was truly called by Him to teach. My years in the classroom contain so much joy and a sense of fulfillment when I realize not only did I challenge my students to aim high in academics, but I guided them toward a more mature faith in Christ.

While I indulged in writing magazine articles during the years I was a stay-at-home mom, teaching was my identity. However, after decades in the classroom, God began to grow a passion in me to write and gradually drew teaching to a close. With three books published, and I’m working on a new series now, I enjoy the best of both worlds. I get to make up stories just like I did in childhood, and I get to visit schools and teach students—about writing!

My writing endeavor has never been about making money, so I will not post ads on my website or in my email. However, I will occasionally share works that I feel may interest you or people you know.

I love that you're here, and I hope you'll be blessed through my blog writing as well as my fiction writing. If you know of someone working in missions or just beginning their journey, please feel free to share my web address, blog posts, and my books.