By Sara L Foust

This past fall, my husband of 14 years and I separated. My children and I started looking for and found a new church filled with beautiful music, wonderful preaching, and the most amazing people.

I was, like I’m sure most single moms do, fretting over the upcoming Christmas holiday. A friend from church asked me if she could help with gifts for my five children. It is very hard for me to accept help from others, but something a lady told me once stuck with me: “If you say no to help, you steal someone’s blessing.” I didn’t want to do that! So I said yes and I prayed that God would guide her not to be too extravagant and to help me graciously accept the help.

A few weeks later, on a rainy, cold Sunday, she said, “Come to my car after church. I have gifts for you.” She and her husband proceeded to fill—literally fill—the back of my SUV with gifts. Then she handed me a card. My eyes filled with tears and I knew I couldn’t read the card then and there, or I would totally lose it.

Once I got home, I bowed my head to thank God for the generosity He sent through my friend, and I opened the card. Turns out, the entire church had felt a calling to help us. They’d donated money and my friend and another woman had shopped together. I couldn’t stop the tears that flowed down my cheeks. Our new church family, the ones we’d known less than two months, had done something amazing for us.

On Christmas morning, my children’s faces were filled with such joy. They couldn’t believe people we barely knew had blessed us in such a wonderful way, and they were quick to run up to them and thank them the following Sunday morning. Somehow, the women who shopped purchased perfect gifts without any sort of list. And the best gift for me—for all of us—was feeling the love of these Godly people.

Click to tweet: Small Acts of Kindness. One church shows tangible love at Christmas for a single mom and her children. #kindnessmatters #compassion


Sara L. Foust is a multi-published, award-winning author who writes Inspirational Romantic Suspense from the beauty of East Tennessee, where she lives with her five homeschooled children. To learn more about her, please visit www.saralfoust.com.


Rarity Mountain

On the surface, SIMON FINCUFF and FERN STRONGBOW have nothing in common. Simon has served his sentence, but his past conviction still haunts him. Fern is a veterinarian and grew up on an off-the-grid homestead. The one thing they share? Each has a dark secret they would do almost anything to protect.

When their current careers are yanked away, they are left scrambling to pick up the pieces. A reality television show falls into their paths, offering a life-changing opportunity that tests their resolve and their faith.

These two unlikely partners must battle to survive for thirty days in the untouched wilderness of Rarity Mountain with only a handful of survival items and a director who is out for drama, no matter the cost. With their lives and their carefully guarded skeletons on the line, they will discover how far they are willing to go to win the million-dollar prize for Survival Tennessee.

Buy Links: Amazon

Author

  • Jennifer Hallmark

    Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction with a twist. Her website and newsletter focus on her books, love of the South, and favorite fiction. She creates stories with unforgettable characters—her stories are a little eerie and otherworldly but with a positive turn. Jessie’s Hope, her first novel, was a Selah Award nominee for First Novel. Her latest novel, Smoking Flax, will be released on January 16th, 2024. When she isn’t babysitting, gardening, or exploring the beautiful state of Alabama, you can find her at her desk penning fiction or studying the craft of writing. She also loves reading and streaming fantasy, supernatural stories, and detective fiction from the Golden Age or her favorite subject—time travel.