Snow Angels

Highlights

As a little girl growing up in Montana, I would race outside at the first light of snow to
make snow angels. It's a tradition I still cherish—if there were an
Olympic category for snow angels, I’d surely bring home the gold! Snow
is one of those everyday miracles, reminding us of heaven on earth.

(Pictures from Yellowstone Park.)

As we celebrate the most miraculous birth of all—Jesus—let’s remember
that we, too, are beloved creations, designed to reflect His light in
the world. This Christmas, I want you to know how much your presence
enriches the world. No two humans or snowflakes are truly alike. Your unique gifts, talents, and heart make you one of God’s precious wonders, just like each snowflake in a winter sky.

I'm a snow angel-making instructor as well. (Above: My granddaughter Hartlee making a snow angel.)

Happenings

The Bridge Book Faire was filled with excitement, especially from first-time authors eager to share their work. I was thrilled to attend with my daughter Arica and my granddaughter Hartlee. Although Redemptive Love: A Journey of Restoration after Abortion won’t officially release until January 19, 2025 in honor of Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, it was inspiring to see Arica engaging as a soon-to-be-published author.

I brought Hartlee a Bible for teens at the book faire. She was so excited to be there but was bummed that outside of the teen Bible there were no books for teens for sale. She still thinks she got the best book ever written though.

There was a lot of enthusiasm around offering abortion healing studies in churches. We connected with two remarkable young women seated near us. One, hairdresser and author of Faith, Hope, and Shear Love Diana Bautista, moved to Thailand nine years ago to rescue women from sex trafficking. She helps them rebuild their lives by teaching skills like hairstyling and sewing. I was heartbroken to hear her story of rescuing a 69-year-old woman from slavery—it was a sobering reminder of the unimaginable suffering these women endure. Diana runs freerainint.org. Free Rain International is a global faith-based organization that provides resources and initiatives to aid those enslaved, impoverished, and exploited.

I also met a clinician Kailey Housewright who attends Bridgeway Church and works with Free Rain International and once a year a team that travels to Thailand annually to provide counseling and psychological support for rescued women. She expressed great excitement about Redemptive Love and sees its potential to fill a real need within the church and among clinicians supporting these women.

One of my favorite moments came from a little girl who received a "Choose Zoe" bookmark featuring a picture of a baby—Hartlee, back when she was a baby. She later surprised me with a handmade purple card covered in stickers of things I love—like snowmen and butterflies. Later in the evening, she and her little sister brought us beautifully decorated sugar cookies: a lemon-flavored yellow star and a gray mouse design. Their sweet gestures of kindness and generosity truly touched my heart and reminded me of the joy of simple, thoughtful acts.

This year marked the third annual book fair hosted by Bridgeway Church, this year titled "The Bridge Christian Book Faire", led by my dear friend Karen Schafer and the Haven Writers Program at Bridgeway Church. This year included an inspiring author panel and an outdoor bonfire. Sharing Christ through creativity—whether in writing, art, photography, missionary, or non-profit work—is always a delight. We are, after all, created to create.

Horizons

Redemptive Love will be out next month! Order it on Amazon starting January 19, 2025.

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Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.