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The Esther Paradigm (A Contemporary Christian Romance) Page 23


  Isa, whom my wife called Jesus. I didn’t know how, but I knew that fact more than I ever knew anything in my whole life.

  “Karim Al-Amir, follow Me.”

  Author’s Note

  While this story is purely fiction, a lot of truth and research went into it. The 10/40 window, the geographical region between ten and forty degrees north latitude, is a major space of land where those unreached by the Gospel reside. Many of these people have never even heard of the name Jesus before. There are missionaries working in countries in this area where Christianity and evangelism are illegal. They do so through friendship and working to meet the physical needs of the people. I’d highly encourage you to support these missionaries through prayer. If you’d like to learn more about these missionaries and ways you can help, check out http://afmonline.org/missionaries/.

  I learned a lot about the Muslim faith while researching this story. Two books that helped me understand some of the trials and exciting things happening among believers and nonbelievers alike are Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where It’s Not Safe to Believe and Dreams and Visions: Is God Awakening the Muslim World? Both written by Tom Doyle. Another great resource I found were these Bible studies written specifically for sharing your faith with Muslims. They have subjects ranging from Jesus in the Qur’an to showing how the Bible is true. If you’re interested in learning more, check out http://leavesoflifeministry.com/.

  Lastly, I just want to say that I understand this story may have been difficult to read for some of you. With the political climate in which we live, I recognize the sensitivity of the subject. But remember, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Love has the power to cast out all fear. So let that love grow. Cultivate it until it takes up residence in your heart and is felt by all around you. We are all brothers and sisters, created by a powerful God and ransomed by a loving Savior. “Love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

  Thank You Readers!

  I sincerely hope you enjoyed this story. I’d be forever grateful if you’d leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads—just a sentence or two. http://amzn.to/2iTVV3j You can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sarahmonzonwrites . I’d love to hear from you!

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  Twelve days. That’s all Lucy Nel has left before her foster daughter, Abby, goes back to live with her biological mother. Twelve days to make this the best, most memorable Christmas of Abby’s young life. Lucy plans to provide a snowman for each day—no easy feat with Florida’s unseasonable temperatures. When an attractive new coworker nursing a wounded heart offers to help Lucy, she reluctantly accepts his generosity, determined not to let his friendship sway her from giving Abby her undivided affection.

  Can twelve days of snowmen turn into a lifetime of love?