Today, I welcome Felica Bridges to the Mosaic. She’s adding a beautiful shade of red and lifeblood to the picture. Missions is never easy, but she’s learned (learning maybe?) to let go as her daughter follows the call. And it’s inspired books! So it’s really a win-win. CzechMate is available for purchase wherever fine books are sold, and the sequel is on the horizon. Let me get out of the way and let you hear Felicia’s heart.

I remember it so clearly. The pastor announced that he would lead a mission back to his native Czech Republic, the land he escaped at the height of the Cold War by sneaking across the Alps. The oldest of my four children had just turned twelve and had the heart of a missionary even then. We both knew God was calling us to go.

Many people questioned the wisdom of taking a twelve-year-old on an international mission trip. They wondered about safety and about whether it was a wise use of resources, especially when my husband was laid off a few weeks before we needed to commit to the trip. I had my own doubts when my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly and my mother-in-law was battling cancer. How would we raise the money for the trip? What if she passed away while we were gone? Was it fair to leave my husband with the other three children in the midst of everything he was going through?

But God confirmed His call on us and met all our needs.

I don’t know if that trip had any impact on the people we met in Prague, but the impact on my daughter and I continues to echo like ripples in a pond twelve years later.

For my daughter, the trip created a passion for missions and especially for the Czech and Romani people. It determined her field of study in college, International Studies, and her choice of study abroad location. It led to her completing a Master of Arts this month in Intercultural Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in preparation for a life on the mission field, wherever God may lead.

For me, I saw the trip through her eyes and looked for ways to quench her thirst for anything related to missions. It inspired the idea for a series of adventure novels set in various locations around the globe. The International Mission Force series was conceived, starting with a novel set in Prague, which releases this month. Already dozens have read CzechMate and so the ripples continue to spread, touching lives I will never meet in person.

When God leads and we take those first frightening, tentative steps to follow, we have no idea how God may use our obedience. When we say “Yes” to God with no limitations, despite any obstacles, God will do more than we can ask or imagine. Above all, I hope the trip Megan and I took to Prague and my first novel, CzechMate, illustrate this amazing truth.

Felicia Bridges’ nomadic childhood as an Army BRAT created a passion for missions and travel which energizes her writing. The International Mission Force Series, featuring teenage missionaries around the world, begins with CzechMate, available now. Book two, BoliviaKnight will release in December 2016.

Her blog, www.AdventuresThatInspireAction.wordpress.com, focuses on living on mission wherever life’s adventure leads.

Felicia has a B.A. in Psychology/Human Resources Development from North Carolina State University. Her ten years experience as an HR Manager provides for interesting stories and as a Dale Carnegie Course graduate, she is equally comfortable speaking to a stranger or an auditorium full of people.

Catch up with Felicia’s adventures at:

www.AdventuresThatInspireAction.Wordpress.com

Facebook: Felicia Bowen Bridges – Writer

Twitter: @fbridges272

Pinterest: Felicia Bridges

Instagram: fbridges2

Email: feliciabowenbridges@gmail.com