Finding Faith…When You Find Yourself in the Middle of Impossible

Some stories are just too good to be true.

Others are too tragic to even fathom.

But some stories . . . some stories are such an incredible mix of hard and raw and beautiful that they can only come from God.

And that would be the kind of story behind Jennifer Ebenhack’s newly-released memoir. A gripping, heart-breaking, hope-filled story of love and sacrifice that somehow miraculously swirls together on the sun-scorched sands of Haiti.

Hers is a story which shows the journey of an ordinary woman on the road from the impossible to the possible.

And for this reason, it is a story we all should read and know.

Most of us will never wake up and find ourselves on a dirt road in the middle of Haiti and not everyone will embark on that difficult and loving path toward adopting children. But who doesn’t know what it’s like to hit rock bottom? To stumble, struggle, and question how you ever got there in the first place?

In so many ways—in our different lives and different homes—we are all like Jennifer, a woman at the end of her rope. Choking, slipping, grasping, drowning. And when we’re in the middle of our impossible, we need to hear of those who have gone before.

And that’s what I loved and appreciated about Jennifer’s story: how it put my impossible into perspective.

You can picture her husband bravely facing invading criminals with nothing but pepper-spray and a baseball bat. You can hear the dogs barking their warning and grieve over her children’s scared and lonely cries. You can also feel the pain of a mother’s heart breaking over and over again with one disappointment after another.

But as Jennifer’s story unfolds, you will never doubt that God is with her every step of the way. You will see Him working, even when she can’t. You might well find yourself cheering for her and whispering, Don’t give up and don’t lose hope. Keep your faith, no matter what happens.

Although it may seem like too many hardships.

Too many defeats. Too many things gone wrong.

Impossible.

And yet, we hang on to this strange hope because we serve a God who works wonders far beyond anything we can imagine.

He is a God of miracles who specializes in the impossible.

My friend, are you looking for renewed hope and beautiful inspiration? If so, get ready to be deeply touched by Jennifer’s amazing story; not because she is such a heroic figure and wonderful person (although I’d say she is both) but because our God is an impossible God.

Yes, He really can move mountains.

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~ Lisa Jacobson, from the Foreword to In a Sun-Scorched Land: A memoir of adoption, faith, and the moving of Haiti’s mountains by Jennifer Ebenhack

Many of you will recognize Jennifer Ebenhack as a regular contributor here at Club31Women. She is also a dear sister and friend and I’ve been looking forward to sharing her story with you every since she first shared her many mouth-dropping challenges and adventures with me. So it gives me great pleasure to be able to announce the brand new release of her book, In A Sun-Scorched Land: A memoir of adoption, faith, and the moving of Haiti’s mountains!   ~ Lisa Jacobson

How Will This End?

March 6, 2006

Cape Haitian, Haiti

Jesus, help. It was the most eloquent prayer I could manage.

“Jen!” Jarod whispered. “I’m going to wake Sarah!”

Fear had been no stranger the past four years in Haiti, but this . . . this was terror. A gang of criminals had scaled the wall and dropped into our backyard. A thousand desperate thoughts flooded into my head. I’d professed faith for over two decades, but this night moved trust past theory, past churchy conversations.

I changed out of my pajamas while Jarod raced down the tiled stairs to our intern’s apartment. Moments later, Sarah scrambled up the stairs, followed by Jarod, who toted a five-gallon jug of gasoline he’d snatched from the porch.

Jarod padlocked and dead-bolted the metal door between the stairs and our entryway.

“What about the kids? Should I bring them to our room?” I was trembling, longing to gather and protect my brood—the five munchkins I’d been exasperated with only a few hours before.

“I don’t think we should.” Jarod kept his voice low. His steadiness surprised me. “Better for them to sleep and know nothing.”

Know what? I wondered. How will this end?

~ Excerpt from In A Sun-Scorched Land by Jennifer Ebenhack

You can read the rest by clicking the download below:

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In A Sun-Scorched Land

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Loyal Arts Media (September 12, 2015)
• Author: Jennifer Ebenhack

Jennifer Ebenhack knows what it is to be broken down by circumstances. She and her husband Jarod had no idea their decision to adopt twins from Haiti would turn into eight years of life in that literal sun-scorched land. While those years of ministry involved joys and sorrows, life-threatening dangers and divine interventions, none of those years included any progress on their children’s adoptions.

But God saw it all. The exhaustion, anxiety, and especially the disintegration of all human hope in the wake of the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake.

In a Sun-Scorched Land is a story of dead-ends turned to miracles; of desperation turned to peace. Though your story may differ, this is the story of all our lives: reaching the end of ourselves to find that God alone is our hope and the mover of mountains.

Now available for purchase in both paperback and in digital form:

 I hope you will be as blessed and encouraged as I am by Jennifer’s exciting and hope-filled testimony! 

In His grace,