A major historical focus of the novel is the European Jewish children who were given refuge in Britain. What led you to focus on this specific aspect of WWII?
Children everywhere hold a special place in my heart. They are the most vulnerable, the least prepared physically or experientially to face war and the deprivation of home and family. Jewish children in WWII Europe had absolutely no recourse when their parents were taken away. The state did not support or help them. It was up to compassionate individuals and citizen-organized networks to step up to the plate, to assist and protect those in need.
In many cases the people of Britain did that—by taking in their own evacuees and by taking in children from overseas. Modest governmental financial assistance was available, though not everyone took advantage of that. Sadly, not all children were treated well, but all adults had the opportunity to do something generous, something naturally heroic for those children.
I very much wanted to show that while it can be difficult to peel back the reserves, the grief and fears and heartaches in our own adult lives in order to reach outward and embrace those in need, it is possible. Not only is the journey possible, but it is blessed . . . blessed as we sacrifice, and blessed as we embrace a different life and a new family. Stepping out of our comfort zones, shedding the shackles of all we’ve come to believe we need and must preserve, means simultaneously stepping into a freedom we didn’t know existed.
What can be done to help children affected by war, unrest, or other instabilities today?
Some of us have the health or finances or opportunity to engage in hands-on work with children in need in this country or around the world, either full-time or through shorter mission trips. Some of us are able to foster or adopt children into our families. Others can contribute resources—real estate or transportation or finances—to agencies, groups, churches, or individuals able to do the hands-on work.
There are numerous organizations working to help refugee children and children living in unstable situations. Partnering with them in one of the above ways is possible. These organizations include: Compassion International, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Remember Nhu, Hear the Cry, World Orphans, Run Ministries, and World Relief.
Soon I hope to post a page (listed on my website’s book page for Until We Find Home) that gives a more extensive list of organizations and resources that help refugees and families in need. A list of organizations geared specifically to helping those who are caught in slavery or human trafficking can be found on my website.
We can all pray for those who are displaced, abused, caught in slavery, living in poverty, or made vulnerable through threatening natural or moral conditions. We can join others in prayer at Pray for Them.
What led you to choose the title Until We Find Home?
My editor Stephanie Broene and the Tyndale team chose the title. We collaborated long and hard to find just the right words to capture the essence of this story. I believe the ever-wistful longing for home, the hope each character harbored—despite their loss—to find a place of family and belonging makes this title ideal.
What did you learn through writing this novel, and what lessons do you hope your readers take away?
I’ve learned in life and more fully in the writing of this story that letting go of fear, surrendering insecurity—which torments—to the Lord, is the path to freedom. I’ve learned, just as the Scripture says, that “perfect love casts out fear.” I hope recognition of the need to surrender, to let go of fear and to embrace the joy and freedom found in Christ, is what readers take away. I hope we all walk boldly into the future, whatever that future may call us to sacrifice or to embrace.
What are some future projects you’re working on?
I’m currently writing a WWII novel that begins in Warsaw, Poland—such a different wartime experience than that of any other occupied country. This story was inspired by two courageous people, some real-life events discovered through multiple research and news sources, and a Facebook message from a friend, all on separate occasions. It was as if the story was given to me piece by piece. From the very beginning it was a story I’ve felt compelled to write. Its working title is The Medallion, and it will release in 2019.
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