Guest Post with Elle Bee, author of Safe: Cara Hao's Tale

Today I welcome Elle Bee, the author of Safe: Cara and Hao's Tale. She brings with her a guest post. Welcome Elle. It's great to have you.

God’s Got It

We never look at the obstacles in front of us and think, “This day will be one to remember.” Most of the time, we are too tired, busy, and covered in someone else’s slobber to think that today’s choices will affect the rest of our lives.

The day Cara and Hao’s Tale became an idea, I was a nanny for a family of five children. My bills weren’t being paid, my family was far away, and Christmas was looming overhead. Christmas, the time of year people drop hundreds of dollars on gifts for loved ones. Not to mention, funding for a mission trip I had been planning was about to be cancelled.

I paced the hallway with the two year old and tried to calm her down for a nap. My mind was on overdrive, I had no idea how I would survive the month. I pleaded with God, I had always provided gifts for my niblings (nieces and nephews). I hated the thought of going home empty handed. Going home empty handed after leaving to “work” for two months.

Finally, I laid the two year old down and tip towed to the room of the three year old. She was quietly playing on her bed. Yes! I decided to take the opportunity and look once more at my (lack of) finances and see what I could come up with.

I opened my computer and began checking emails. That’s when the idea struck me, I quickly typed an email to the lady in charge of my coming mission trip. She had recently opened a safe house in Thailand, and I hoped there were children I could “sponsor.” I explained how wonderful it would be if we could let my niblings and the children in the safe house communicate via email, letters, and Skype. They could learn so much from each other and develop a wonderful friendship.

I knew the people in the safe house were religious refugees. I figured I could write their story down and give it to my niblings as a Christmas present. Afterwards, the friendship that blossomed could be a gift that kept giving.

As I said, I quickly (and half-heartedly) typed the email. I honestly wasn’t sure what would come out of it. I still felt overwhelmed. I was still stressing. And I could already hear someone crying upstairs. I left my computer worried I had just wasted valuable time and hurried up the stairs.

Over the course of several days I emailed back and forth about sponsoring two children. I learned their story, and was amazed with the wonders of God. I was overjoyed with the opportunity to write such a powerful story and I knew the kids would love it.

The day the beginning of Cara and Hao’s Tale was written down came only a few days before Christmas. Christmas morning came and went, with no gifts under the tree from me. The story was not finished. As sad as I was at not being able to stack items under the tree, I was able to show the kids I loved them in other ways and assure them I was working on something extra special.

Soon, we pulled the whole family into the living room to hear their story. The story I had written just for them! My sister did the honor of reading. I sat on the couch and listened with everyone else. I was nervous. What would everyone think?

When the story was done, the children applauded, and the few adults who had listened approached me about publishing. I laughed in their faces. Me? A published author? I wish!

To be honest, I loved the idea of publishing, it just sounded so…farfetched! A few months later, Cara and Hao’s tale hit a bestselling list on Amazon.

It’s amazing what moments of your “normal” life God is planning to use to inspire others. I can’t count the times people asked me to share how Cara and Hao’s Tale came to be. I can’t count the times I told people, “I had no money, was covered in drool, and wanted to give my family presents!”

Now, when I’m stuck and unsure of the future, I can look back and know, without a doubt, that God’s got it under control.

Safe: Cara and Hao’s Tale

By Elle Bee

Publisher: Elle Bee

Published: Sept 11, 2013

ASIN: B00F58LQVE

Amazon Synopsis:

Cara was picking flowers when the fire men came. Hao was fiddling with sticks. In the blink of an eye, their home was destroyed and their lives turned upside down. Their brother was arrested and their father was beaten within an inch of his life. Neither of them knew that being a Christian had such a cost. Words like "refugee" and "persecution" became part of, not only their vocabulary, but also their everyday life. 

Soon, all their family had to cling to was the reason everything was taken away: Jesus. Thankfully, they placed their eggs in the best basket and the miracles they begin to

 witness...we can't even imagine.

Join Cara and Hao on their miraculous journey as they flee to a new world, seeking to avoid the perils of religious persecution.

Book Links
Amazon  *  Goodreads

About the Author:

Elle Bee was born in San Antonio, Texas. At a young age she discovered her talent for writing and knew, one day, it would be her career. Soon, however, that desire was pushed aside as she entered high school, graduated, and moved on.

No matter where Elle Bee lived, everything transformed into a story before her eyes. Simple nights working at the coffee shop could easily be turned into grand adventures as well as a day working in the yard with children, and other "mundane" tasks. She was never without a good story.

In 2011, Elle Bee finally buckled down and started typing out and saving her stories. Although it wasn't until she took a trip across the world that she gathered the courage to share her writing with others. In 2013 she published her first work.