Our Sisters … are having awkward conversations

I’ve been having some awkward conversations recently. My book, Our Sisters, is out, and people are beginning to read it. When they tell me they have bought a copy and have either finished it or are in the middle of it, I am delighted and excitedly thank them. Very often, though, they quickly add that they are finding it an upsetting read, and then I am not too sure how to respond. In a world full of bad news, I didn’t want to burden my readers with more needs. Of most pressing concern is whether the girls I spoke to are alright. I can confirm that they are each safe, but have lost friends and livelihoods, so sadly, their situations remain precarious.

At my in-person book launch in November, my friend Rosie interviewed me. She asked how I managed to find faith in God while meeting and interviewing the Pakistani Christian girls in the book who had endured so much abuse. She recognised that it can’t have been easy for me. Thankfully, Rosie had provided me with her questions in advance, and so I had been able to pray and reflect on my answer; I’m not sure I would have known what to say if she had sprung that question on me.

I remembered that in the middle of writing Our Sisters, I went to Spring Harvest, and God gave me a picture of fireflies. Though the darkness around us is profound, there are so many wonderful Christians shining their lights wherever they find themselves, just like fireflies. I wrote about this in a newsletter I sent out at the end of 2024, which you can find here. There’s a wonderful podcast hosted by Simon Guillebaud, which has helped me see even more fireflies, even though I know I am surrounded by them at the churches I go to.

Another image that has helped me recently is that of cathedral columns. I love Durham Cathedral, where I went to University. My matriculation ceremony at the start of my time there was held in the cathedral, and I remember sitting behind its immense columns (which meant I couldn’t see much!) and being awed by their size and age. They had remained there through wars and plagues, and like God, they were unmoved and steadfast. Over Christmas, my husband was admitted to hospital with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Everything happened so quickly, and I was so busy visiting the hospital each day and making alternative Christmas arrangements that I found it hard to pray. I didn’t have the words to express what was happening. Instead, I saw myself as leaning upon the cathedral columns and God giving me rest there. He knew what my family needed; I didn’t need to express it with words. Thankfully, my husband is making a remarkable recovery thanks to the prayers of many others.

I hope that these two images of fireflies and columns help you as you read Our Sisters. Take your time with it; there’s no need to rush, and I ask that you pray over it as you go. If you find yourself stirred to action, then there is a list of organisations at the back of the book that would benefit from your support. I also receive regular requests from pastors in Pakistan with specific needs; let me know if you’d like to support their churches, which serve incredibly vulnerable congregations. Of course, I continue to run Women Without Roofs – Nepal (which I wrote about in my book Come With Me to Kathmandu), and we currently need more sponsors for the women we help; it costs just £30 per month. I am finding all these needs a little overwhelming at the moment, and I’d appreciate your prayers for wisdom as I balance my responsibilities. You could also help me by recommending Our Sisters to others or writing a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Thankfully, many of the awkward conversations I have above turn to *enthusiasm* if people ask me whether I’m working on another book. Yes, I am, and this one is different because it’s for children. A wonderful man (whom I know reads this newsletter: Guten Tag!) graciously shared his story of escape from East Germany in the 1950s with me. What’s so incredible is that God speaks to his family throughout the story, and the ways He guides them align beautifully with the five C.S.s taught in the Alpha course. My current challenge is to explain the five C.S.s in a way children can understand. I’m grateful to a primary school teacher friend who is helping me with this.

If you know any teachers and parents who you think will be interested in a children’s book about how God guides and protects, please forward this newsletter to them. They can sign up for future updates below. Thank you so much; word of mouth is my most effective marketing tool as Christian authors don’t have big budgets.

The best podcast voice?

In November, I joined Greg Musselman (who has the perfect broadcasting voice; let me know if you agree) on his podcast at Voice of the Martyrs Canada to talk about Our Sisters. You can find it on Spotify or YouTube or elsewhere. Please listen and share where you can.

Thank you for journeying with me as I tell the stories of others and endeavour to point my readers to our loving God who has not abandoned us and still speaks.

anna