———
As Samuel concluded his address, Fannie swiped at more tears. She couldn’t help it. She was so proud of how hard he’d worked to regain his speech and how hard he’d studied. She was so in love with him she thought her heart might burst. And she was afraid. They were going back to Montana. Back to Fort Benton and its rowdy, stinking, mostly lawless streets. Fannie knew Samuel was right when he said that Fort Benton needed to hear about Jesus. She also knew there was no better person to talk about Jesus in that place than a man like her Samuel, a man willing to preach in a saloon. As for her … she was living in that place between what she knew and what she didn’t. The place where all she had was faith that God knew what was ahead and she could hang on to him.
People who’d known Fannie for years had been shocked to learn she was marrying a man intending to be a minister. “A most unsuitable match,” they called it. Foolish woman to think she was suited to such a life in such a place as Montana Territory. And in so many ways, they were right. She was unsuitable. But then, Hannah had always said that if the good Lord couldn’t use fools and foolishness, he wouldn’t get much done.
Fannie smiled as she contemplated all the “unsuitable” people God had used. The Bible was full of such people. And she was so glad, because finally, she had come to understand that God’s business was one of taking the most unsuitable and using them in spite of themselves. Of course, she still had moments when she felt overwhelmed by what the future held for them in Montana. Even with Mother there making a home for Josephine and “the girls,” even with the friendships of Lamar and Abe, things weren’t going to be easy. She would never be a perfect preacher’s wife. But with God’s help, she would be the best, most loving daughter and auntie and wife and helpmeet she could be.
Land sakes … it was going to be an adventure.
While working on this book, I’ve learned once again that God’s grace is never ending, his mercy never fails, and while he doesn’t spare us trials, he walks with us through the darkness, redeeming every broken thing and making it new. I received the joyous news that my garden of grandchildren will blossom in 2011 (adding another granddaughter and two grandsons), and then had to grieve over the news that I’ll have to wait until heaven to hold sweet Barrett in my arms. (I envision him waiting at the gate, holding onto his grandpa’s hand, ready to show me the way through the golden streets.) Whatever heaven is like, I know it includes joyous reunions, and the older I get, the more heavenly reunions I anticipate.
While working on this book, I’ve come to the end of myself yet again, and found Jesus waiting with outstretched arms, ready to carry me and mine until we had the strength to take up the journey on our own two feet once again. And so … I offer you another story forged in the fires of my own life.
My books aren’t always about the things I think I’m writing about. I learned late in this book that the “most unsuitable match” I was really writing about was the fact that we often don’t see ourselves as suitable to do or be what God seems to want us to do and be. I’ve been reminded that as we offer ourselves up to him, he can make us suitable “for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
I hope you are encouraged as you make the journey with Fannie and Samuel up “Old Misery” to Fort Benton. I hope you have a Lamar or a Hannah to help you along life’s way. May our adventures land us all at the throne of grace someday, where we can rejoice together in what God has done.
My deepest gratitude goes to editor Ann Parrish. Just when I have decided I should turn in my computer and promise never to attempt a novel again, Ann’s kind words convince me to keep trying. If you are blessed by this book, Ann and the Bethany House team get much of the credit.
As always, my beloved Daniel deserves thanks for the untold hours he had to fend for himself while his wife wrote and rewrote to meet the ever-looming deadline.
I can’t imagine the writing life without my writing friends, most notably the Kansas Eight and Chi Libris. Dear friends, you are such a blessing … and you challenge and teach me every day.
And readers, I wouldn’t have this writing life without you. Your willingness to “come and play” with me and my imaginary friends brings me endless joy and enables me to serve the Lord in ways I never dreamed possible. Thank you.
UNTIL HE COMES,
GRACE STEPHANIE WHITSON
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
APRIL 2011
A native of southern Illinois, Stephanie Grace Whitson has made a career out of playing with imaginary friends. It all started in an abandoned Nebraska pioneer cemetery on a corner of land near where the Whitson family lived in the 1990s. That cemetery provided not only a hands-on history lesson for Stephanie’s homeschooled children but also a topic of personal study. When she began writing scenes in the life of a pioneer woman, Stephanie had no idea it would become her first novel. Nor did she ever dream that God would place her books on bestseller lists, bless her with Christy Award nominations and other awards, and provide a writing career that now includes nearly two dozen published books and a busy speaking schedule.
In addition to keeping up with five grown children and several grandchildren, Stephanie enjoys motorcycle trips with her blended family and church friends and volunteering at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. She loves pioneer women’s history, Paris, Florence, and the Big Island, and is in graduate school pursuing a Master of Historical Studies degree. Learn more at www.stephaniewhitson.com and www.footnotesfromhistory.blogspot.com. Contact her at [email protected] or write to P.O. Box 6905, Lincoln, NE 68506.
For the person who chose this book for book club discussion: What made you want to read it? What made you suggest it to the group for discussion? Did it live up to your expectations? Why or why not? Why do you suppose works of historical fiction are so popular with readers? What appeals to you the most about these types of books?
The story is told from two points of view, Fannie Rousseau’s and Samuel Beck’s. How do you think the book might have been different if another character told part of the story?
Share a favorite passage with the group. Why did it resonate with you?
Talk about the time period in which the story is set. Is this a time period that you knew a lot about before you read this book? If so, did you learn anything new? If not, did you come away with a greater understanding of what this particular time and place in history was actually like? How well do you think the author conveyed the era?
Would you say that Fannie has experienced facets of 1 Corinthians 13 love in her life? If so, from whom? How did this person or these people manifest their love? Do you think Fannie feels differently about Eleanor at the end of the book? Would she say Eleanor loved her? What about Edith?
Can you think of a time in your life when you felt you were an “unsuitable match” for a task God placed before you? What did you learn from that experience? Do you think Fannie will be a good preacher’s wife?
In chapter 4, Fannie says, “I guess it’s time I grew into the life I’ve been handed.” What events help Fannie do that?
In chapter 7, Hannah says that “if the good Lord couldn’t use fools and foolishness, he wouldn’t get much done.” Can you think of a time when the Lord used a fool or foolishness to accomplish something grand?
If you were casting the film version of A Most Unsuitable Match, who would you have play the various roles? Where would you begin the film? Describe the setting. Where would you end it?
What is Fannie’s greatest flaw? Is it still a problem when the book closes? What is the greatest challenge she faces? In chapter 21, Lamar tells Sam that Fannie is “stronger than you think.” Do you agree?
Several kind people end up playing significant roles in Fannie’s life. Who is your favorite? Why?
What do you think will be your lasting impression of the book? What spiritual lesson will stay with you?
Books by
STEPHANIE GRACE WHITSON
*
A Most Unsuitable
Match
Sixteen Brides
A Claim of Her Own
Unbridled Dreams
Jacob’s List
A Hilltop in Tuscany
A Garden in Paris
PINE RIDGE PORTRAITS
Secrets on the Wind
Footprints on the Horizon
Watchers on the Hill
Secrets on the Wind (3 books in 1)
NONFICTION
How to Help a Grieving Friend
See complete list at:
www.stephaniewhitson.com
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
A Most Unsuitable Match Page 27