A cool interview opportunity and what to do with imperfect heroes

Plus: 2 ways to pray for the book's progress

Survey response:

Thank you for answering my survey! Each response (in person or through the Google Form) was so valuable and helpful. I’m grateful.

If you didn’t get a chance to do the survey last month, it’s still open! You can still check it out and share your thoughts.

One person responded about liking the prayer request that I shared in last month’s newsletter. It was for the readers of my upcoming historical fiction novel about Lottie Moon’s growing-up years. I loved sharing the prayer request with you, so I’ll do it again!

2 ways you can support me in prayer:

1 - I have two months until my editor will work on my manuscript and send me edits.

I’m trying to use this time wisely and keep making progress on the overall book project before I will receive edits on the first few chapters of my manuscript. (Wonky publishing info: My editor is editing only a few chapters at first to save me money in the long run. I’ll learn from her edits and then edit the rest myself before sending it all back to her. The more I edit myself, the less billable time she will need to edit!)

In these next two months, I’m working on developing my author website.

Please pray that my photographer friend and I can find a good time and place to take head shots for my website. I emailed the Library of Virginia, asking if we could take photos there because it’s become so meaningful to me in researching for this book.

Also, I’m working on writing a “reader magnet” as they say in the biz. It’s a separate, short story about Lottie Moon. The short story will be a gift to new email subscribers. But of course, you will get the opportunity to enjoy it first without having to re-subscribe.

I’m working on these things, but I also feel a restlessness because I want the book to be published next year — the 150th anniversary since Lottie Moon sailed to China in 1873. How cool is that?

2 - Pray that I’ll be wise, humble, and strong to face criticism when this book is published.

I was recently reminded that not everyone who reveres Lottie Moon knows that her family owned slaves. I hope and pray that these sensitive storylines will be edited and polished to be excellently presented so that as readers discover harsh realities, they would not repel from the truth but be carefully guided through it in my novel.

Lottie’s name is used every year to raise money for Southern Baptist missionaries to go and reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a wonderful legacy! It’s a legacy I wish to honor. But I cannot write an honest novel about Lottie Moon’s growing-up years without including important, yet uncomfortable aspects of her life.

The harsh reality is that Lottie directly benefited from the work of enslaved people. And yet, in God’s amazing grace, he used her to build his kingdom, save many Chinese for eternal life, and rally his church to engage in international mission. This mysterious tension is something that’s been on my mind recently.

What do we do when our heroes have done wrong? Can they still be our heroes?

I do not believe we should cover up or ignore the sins of leaders and heroes. As someone who’s sinned once or twice before, I know that when sin kept secret or hidden, it will only fester and get worse. Sin needs to be brought to the light — the Light of the world (John 8:12) who forgives and heals.

The sin of racism and chattel slavery in Lottie’s family and life should not be hidden or overlooked as her missionary story is told.

The fact that God used Lottie, an imperfect person who was completely surrendered to him, to accomplish his good purposes fills me with humility and hope that he could even use me to do his good work in the world. And as I walk with him on that path, he graciously shows me the sins that I hold onto and need to repent of.

Most of my research for my upcoming book is about Lottie’s childhood, not her missionary work. But I have read that later in Lottie’s life as a missionary in China, she eventually let go of her American preferences in the style of hair and clothing and adopted a more Chinese style of dress in order to build more relationships with them and share the gospel. This makes me wonder if, over the years as she walked with God, he may have been drawing her to repentance from the racism that she took with her to China. I have not thoroughly researched this and am totally speculating, but it appears that the less she conflated the American way with the biblical way, the more fruitful and pure her ministry became.

I interviewed an author I admire!

I was completely honored that Ethel Morgan Smith agreed to talk with me. She wrote one of the books that was a majorly helpful resource in researching about one of the schools Lottie attended 👇

I was nervous because I had some heavy questions for her about how race and slavery intersect with Lottie Moon’s story. I wanted to ask questions and listen to her answers in a humble, sensitive way because these things are hard. (Also, she’s much more educated and experienced than I am, so I prayed that I wouldn’t make a fool of myself!)

Our conversation was smooth and fruitful.

***SLIGHT MINI SPOILER ALERT*** Skip to the end of the vertical blue line if you’d prefer.

My main question for Ethel was about the students at Hollins Institute, where Lottie first went away to school. I read in another book that it was common in some for students to bring personal slaves to college with them in the antebellum South. Ethel’s book is the only resource I could find that definitively said that many of the early students at Hollins brought personal slaves with them. I found no research that Lottie specifically brought a slave to Hollins, but Ethel’s research makes it seem plausible, if not likely. Lottie was certainly wealthy enough to do this.

I thought Ethel’s evidence was very compelling. (Wonky research info: The part that convinced me was when she found a list of servants’ names at Hollins and noticed that many of them had the same last names as the early students. It was common for enslaved people to take on their owner’s last names.) Although, she wrote in her book that many people dismissed it — that people didn’t want to believe that students brought slaves to Hollins.

I wanted to talk with Ethel more about this because in my novel, one of the Moon family’s slaves (who I named Abby) accompanies Lottie to Hollins. It’s an important part of the story, but I just wasn’t confident about making the claim that Lottie likely brought a slave with her to school.

I wrote the storyline and then later cut it out. Reading From Whence Cometh My Help emboldened me to edit the storyline back into my book. After my conversation with Ethel, I feel more confident in keeping it there. Now I’m going to make my way through the bibliography she put together for her book, searching for more evidence. Hopefully, that will prepare me for any criticism that comes once mine is published.

****END OF SPOILER****

What do you think? Leave a comment or reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you!

Hope you have a jubilant day!