Harvesting Hope

Book excerpt: A mother of four young children suddenly abandons them without a trace. No reassuring words are spoken to them by their father, who is bereft at the loss of his wife while he struggles to manage his crops. He asks his mother to take the children or they go to the orphanage. However, a new disruption in the form of a mail-order stepmother adds even more turmoil and emotional harm to their lives several years later. Written as a personal memoir, Mary Jo describes her path to finding forgiveness and peace through her strong faith in Jesus Christ. She poignantly describes the fortitude and courage it took to escape her difficult childhood, which eventually led her to becoming a mother herself, while maintaining a sense of strength and enduring hope.