Beaded Hope by Cathy Ligget

Four women end up together on a mission trip to South Africa. Each had their own selfish reason for being there.

They couldn't have been more different. Gabby had recently experienced a miscarriage, another miscarriage. She and her husband Tom knew that this was their last chance to have their own child. While Tom was agreeable to adoption Gabby had seen a a bad experience in her family and was adamantly opposed to the idea. When her church sponsored the mission trip, Gabby thought she could get away from her husband and her pain.

Cassandra was a successful news anchor who was getting past her prime. She knew the station was working in younger women. She needed a big story. She heard about the mission trip and talked the station manager into letting her go with her video camera. Perhaps she would get an expose, something notable.

Heidie had planned to go on the mission trip with her high school aged step-daughter Katie. But Katie has just found out she is pregnant. Perhaps the two can figure out what the future holds for them during the school break while they are in Africa.

Each of the women is transformed by those they meet in South Africa. They not only bond to each other but to the women they have traveled to help. Their lives have been changed forever.

Ligget's novel is a great read. It was rewarding to see how God worked in each of their lives. There is an interview with the author as well as a discussion guide at the back of the book. This would make a great choice for a reading group.

Inspired by a nonprofit organization by the same name, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this novel goes to support Beaded Hope. See more at their website, www.beadedhope.com.

Cathy Liggett knows whereof she writes. She went on a mission trip to South Africa and realized how quickly one could become attached to a person. She experienced the living conditions, some suffering from AIDS, and children being born HIV-positive. She even patterned a character in the novel after a women she met on her trip.

Tyndale House Publishers, 381 pages.