Fabulous Friday Post-Mindy Obenhaus

Today I welcome 
Mindy Obenhaus,
a gracious lady who loves her family and is willing to follow God's will. 

Enter to win Mindy's August 2013 release,

The Doctor's Family Reunion
Scroll to the end of the post to see how to enter.

I didn't know the story your are about to read when I saw Mindy at the ACFW conference. We just never know when others might be experiencing something that is demonstrating the power of God. Thank God, He has brought Mindy's story to our attention today. You will be blessed. I asked Mindy to share with us the journey God has led her on for her writing career. Of course she graciously agreed, ever willing to share how God has blessed. Here is what she said:

Seeing It Is All Good

Many writers will tell you that they’ve always been avid readers. Many will tell you they’ve been writing forever. I cannot say that. However, I’ve always had a love of story.

As a child, I would contrive these amazing adventures in my head. Even into adulthood, I made up stories that would play through my mind like a movie.

When my mother moved in with us, she brought boxes and boxes of romance novels. I started to read and suddenly found myself with a voracious appetite for romance. I began to wonder, “Could I write my stories?”

The only way I’d find out was to try.

I completed my first novel in seven months. Then I joined a writer’s group and discovered what I really had was a bad first draft. Still, I had written an entire book. That gave me the impetus to press on and learn my craft.

That was over eight years ago. During that time, God called me to write for Him, Mom moved out, and our two-and-a-half year old granddaughter moved in. Two years later, when she was finally reunited with her Navy mama, I thought I’d have all the writing time in the world. But life rarely goes according to plan.

On September 4, 2011, wildfires broke out near our family ranch. Propelled by thirty mile per hour winds, the smoke and flames engulfed us. We lost over a hundred acres of timberland, but our homes were spared.

A week later, my husband fell while surveying the damage. We rushed him to the emergency room where the doctor informed us, “His back is broken. We fear it’s pressing on his spinal cord, so we’re going to CareFlight him to Houston. And, by the way, there’s a mass on his kidney.”

This was ten days before ACFW Conference. I would likely miss. In that hospital room, I prayed, “God, if You don’t want me to go, I’m okay with that.”

Well, my husband didn’t need surgery, but he had to wear a brace for the next several weeks. Excellent news. However, he still couldn’t dress, shower, or even get out of bed on his own.

Yet he was convinced that I would go to conference.

Five days before I was supposed to leave, he told me to go shopping for a banquet dress. I said, “I don’t know that I’m going to conference.” His response? “Yes, you are.”

Two days before my long-scheduled departure, this stubborn man willed himself out of bed. Fantastic. But what about the kids? How would they get to school? Band practice?

You know what my man did? He called our friends and asked for help.

I did make it to conference that year and pitched a story to Melissa Endlich from Love Inspired Books. The Doctor’s Family Reunion released earlier this month. J

I think that was my best conference ever.

When I returned, we learned that the mass on my husband’s kidney was cancer. The kidney was removed, and though his recovery was littered with complications, God’s hand never left us.

Romans 8:28 tells us that “all things work together for good.” If my husband hadn’t broken his back, they wouldn’t have found the kidney cancer. Without those complications after surgery, he would have gone home with a pulmonary embolism.

Today, my husband is cancer-free, and embarrassingly proud of his author wife. I achieved my dream, though when I started my journey, I never imagined how long it would take. But a God-given dream is about the journey, not the destination. In His time, dreams really do come true.

Mindy Obenhaus always dreamed of being a wife and mother. Yet as her youngest of five children started kindergarten, a new dream emerged—to write stories of true love that would glorify God. When she’s not penning her latest romance, she likes cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time with her grandkids. 

Learn more about her at 

www.mindyobenhaus.com, 

www.facebook.com/authormindyobenhaus, or 

https://twitter.com/MindyObenhaus. 

The Doctor's Family Reunion: Family means everything to Dr. Trent Lockridge. Growing up without a father, he always yearned for a family of his own. One long-ago summer in Ouray, Colorado, he thought  he might build a future with beautiful Blakely Daniels. But when he abruptly fled town, he broke her heart and left behind more than memories. Years later, Trent is shocked—and overjoyed—to learn he's a father. He'd like to earn back Blakely's love and trust— but it won't be easy. And the clock is ticking. He's got only a few weeks to prove that, this time, he's here to stay…forever.

To enter the contest for an autographed copy of 

Mindy Obenhaus's book: "The Doctor's Family Reunion":

leave a comment (and email address)

and become a follower of this site if you aren't already.

Winner announced on my facebook page.

Thank you, Mindy, for Joining us This Weekend!

Friend, wasn't it wonderful to read how God's showed His presence in the events happening in Mindy's family? Let's see here are a few she mentioned: 

Her mother moved in, bringing good books.
Her granddaughter needed care.
Fires rampaged her area leaving them only with their house
Her husband is injured. 
Husband's cancer discovered and treated
Husband's complications lead to finding other problems and treatment
Husband fully supports Mindy
God blessed by giving her this published book.

How has God blessed you in a time of trial?