CHOSEN ONES, NEW RELEASE!

After a two-year wait, Book Three, CHOSEN ONES, in the Born for India trilogy is finally out!

CHOSEN ONES arrived on my doorstep last night. I have 30 signed copies in hand if you would like to purchase directly from me. It will take roughly three weeks for the book to get entrenched in the online system.

A couple in crisis.
A child taken captive.

Life in Chennai, India, is complicated. While Maggie and Gavin Munsfield adjust to a new baby, missionary friends, Dan and Yvonne Pratt, experience the heartbreak of infertility and miscarriage. When their lives intersect with a young girl caught up in the horrors of sex trafficking, each of them will receive a precious gift. But will they find it in their hearts to accept an outcome so different than what they expected and hoped for?

"Eileen Rife has highlighted what may be the worst human rights violation of the 21st century--human trafficking. As part of an organization that is working to stop child prostitution, I have seen countless real-life cases just as tragic as this story Eileen has told in her novel. Change the name, age, city, and country, and you have the story of millions of children who are trapped in a life of abuse. Eileen paints a tragic but true picture of a victim of forced prostitution, but also gives hope in telling of the dedicated men and women who risk their lives daily to rescue these children. I pray that all who read this book might be moved not just to tears, but to action. 'Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people' (Psalm 82:4)."
- Barbara Everett, Director, Destiny Rescue USA, Inc.

"Injustice. Prostitution. Sex trafficking. The brutal realities of 12.3 million people enslaved worldwide. In her new book, Chosen Ones, Eileen Rife provides a shocking portrait of a tragic and real life crime in order to bring hope and healing to those who suffer from sexual abuse."
- Dr. Tim Clinton, President of the nearly 50,000 member American Association of Christian Counselors

YOU JUST NEVER KNOW

I just returned from the post office. I stood behind a lady with two large boxes. In her communication with the clerk she mentioned that the boxes were a project put together by her women's church group. While the clerk worked, I asked the woman where she went to church.

When she told me, I said, "Do you know so and so?"

"Why, yes," she said, "He is my Sunday School teacher."

I proceeded to tell her how his wife and I grew up together in Tennessee.

She went on to talk with the clerk and somehow got onto chatting about Christian books. Turns out she used to work at LifeWay. Anyway, I told her I was a Christian author and that she might be interested in one of my cards, so she took one. After studying it a minute, she pointed and said, "Rife."

I said, "Chuck?" Because I often discover people in the community who have seen my husband in his counseling office.

She said, "No, Rachel. The one who went to India as a missionary. She came and spoke to our women's group several years ago."

"Oh, yes, she's my daughter." (My buttons popping one by one :).

The lady turned to me and said, "She's the reason I'm homeschooling my children today."

By now I'm tearing up.

She turns back to the clerk who is chatting on about Christian books. So after the lady leaves and I conduct my business, I hand a card to the clerk who lights up when she hears that the Born for India trilogy is based on my missionary daughter's love story.

You just never know who you're going to meet and how God will use that encounter.

AN ENCOUNTER AT PRIDE IN THE PARK

Had I not looked into her eyes, I would have thought she was the most hardened person on the planet. Muscular build. Dark, short-cropped, spiked hair. Multiple earrings. Black jeans, shirt, and vest. Tattoos snaking up her arm.

As I sat on a stone ledge, I pushed through intimidation and struck up a conversation with the teen girl beside me at a recent Pride in the Park festival celebrating homosexuality. My husband Chuck and I had shared a burden to reach out to this population of people with the love of Jesus. So, here we were, each of us capturing a glimpse into the world of the person beside us.

“I’m Eileen. What’s your name?” I said to the tall, dark girl.

She mumbled an answer. Another girl—smaller, with longer hair and splashes of color on her jeans and shirt—pressed close to the other side of her, gazing straight ahead. A live band played and sang on a stage several yards away. Couples lounged on the grass or in lawn chairs. Others strolled the sidewalk bordering the park.

“What brings you here today?” I dangled a toe in the conversation water.

She shrugged, but did not turn away. “I like to mingle.”

She was a teenager; I could understand her desire to be a part of a group.

“Where do you go to high school?” I ventured another question.

She rattled off a name, so I continued my pursuit.

“What year?”

“Senior,” she said, with a subtle spark in her eyes. Her friend remained cool, distant, and wary.

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Congratulations! What are your plans after graduation?”

Her shoulders began to relax. A bridge to this young gal’s heart was under construction. “Probably community college.”

“What are you interested in?” By now I was standing in front of her, feeling comfortable with our verbal exchange.

“Animals.”

“Ah, maybe you’ll be a vet.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Do you go to church anywhere?”

“Yeah.” She rattled off the name of a Baptist church in a nearby town and told me how she had been raised in that assembly of people.

Her openness propelled me on. “So, Susan (not her real name), what does your church think about you attending a Gay Pride festival?”

Another shrug. Then she looked me dead in the eye, a penetrating, almost questioning gaze that pierced me to the core. “I don’t think they care,” she stated matter-of-factly.

My heart dropped to my stomach and I felt sick. I was a Christian who attended a Baptist church. Conviction rippled through me. Who sat in the pew next to me that might feel the same way Susan did, but I had missed her or him, wrapped up in my own world, afraid to venture out?

With fresh resolve, I leaned in to Susan. Her brown puppy dog eyes melted my heart. “Well, Susan, I’m here to tell you that I care. I want you to know that Jesus loves you.” I reached to touch her hand just as the girl beside her tugged on her sleeve, breaking the spell of the moment.

Susan pushed away from the wall and started off with her friend. I knew our brief interchange was over, and I was sad. Caught up in conversation beside me, Chuck glanced over his shoulder and gestured me. “This is Mark (not his real name).”

I stepped over to enter into another exchange, wishing I could have spent more time with Susan, yet knowing that a spiritual seed was planted that prayerfully another Christian would water down the road.

CHOSEN ONES, Book Three in the Born for India trilogy

My third fiction baby is about to join his sibs to complete the triplet package! Ya-hoo!

After one more proof, CHOSEN ONES, Book Three in the Born for India trilogy, is off to the printer!

A couple's crisis.
A child taken captive.

While Maggie and Gavin adjust to a new baby, missionary friends, Dan and Yvonne Pratt, experience the sorrow of infertility and miscarriage. In another part of India, a young girl is caught up in sex trafficking. God has a gift for each of them, but will they find it in their hearts to accept His chosen ones?

Bonus features:

* Facts About Human Trafficking
* Discussion Questions
* Helpful Resources
* Information about Dealing with Miscarriage
* Information about Dealing with Sexual Abuse

Nature Knows Best

It's winter and along with this season come flu and colds. Here's a homemade prevention to use when you feel a sniffle coming on or a bug sneaking up . . .

INTERNAL SALT CLEANSE

First thing in the morning, drink a quart of lukewarm water with 2 tsps. of sea salt stirred in. (It only works with sea salt). It's rare, but some folks need 3 tsps. of sea salt. It's easier if you drink a half a glass at a time. Drink in one sitting.

Go back to bed, lie on your right side. In an hour, you'll know what to do!

Great way to cleanse your system naturally when you feel like you're getting sick, or when you are stopped up and can't go! :)

The entire process takes about two hours. Hour in bed. Hour for system to cleanse. So do this little regimen when you can be at home.


NATURAL FACIAL MOISTURIZER

Dampen your face. Dab a few drops of almond oil, apricot oil, grapeseed oil, or vitamin E oil on your face. Also a nice moisturizer to use over your entire body. Great for normal or dry skin, especially during the winter months.

Inexpensive way to achieve glowing, velvety skin!

The Light of the World

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." John 1:1-4

Happy Birthday, Jesus, the Light of the World!

The Power of a Cover

A few months before RESTORED HEARTS was released, a woman approached me anxious to know when the book would be ready. I told her the manuscript was in the hands of my editor and would prayerfully be available soon.

The woman's son was grief-stricken and angry over his father's homosexual lifestyle. This mom was concerned that her ex-husband's behavior would destroy any hopes for a relationship between her son and his dad.

When RESTORED HEARTS came out, she bought a copy, read it, then passed it along to her son. I told her I would pray for healing and restoration in her family. The son made it to chapter three, but could go no further. He closed the book and laid it aside. The reality of what many homosexuals encounter was too difficult for him to swallow.

That was a year and a half ago. Even though I had not received any updates on this particular situation, I continued to pray as the Lord brought this family to mind.

A couple months ago, the woman approached me again, this time with a spark of hope in her eyes. She told me that her son was sitting on a park bench when a butterfly landed on his backpack. He did a double-take when he realized the insect was the exact same species as the one on the RESTORED HEARTS book cover. "Perhaps I need to go back and finish reading that book," he thought.

His mother reported that he did finish the book and told her he had changed his attitude toward his dad. He now wanted to seek healing and restoration for their relationship.

Sometimes, it's the small things--like a butterfly on a book cover revisited at a park bench--that God can use to make all the difference in the world.