The crushing pain of seven years of unanswered prayer for a child. A miraculous adoption story, followed by unforeseen challenges and heartbreak.
Barbara Bras begins her memoir by sharing God's answer to her prayers and the difficult times that followed. Although God does not provide an easy fix, the intricacies of God's plans reveal themselves to her, and she relives her life in a new light.
Bras then recounts the stories of her grandfather Arshag and her grandmother Gulle, survivors of the atrocities of Armenia in 1915. Arshag, sent to South America for his protection, returns as a soldier of the Armenian Legion to fight for his country. Gulle is the only member of her family to survive the death march into the desert. Through God's grace they find each other, marry and move to America in 1921. Bras is their first grandchild.
The final section of the memoir follows Bras as she marries and moves to Hawaii, only to return as a single mother to teach school in a small town. It is there she finally realizes that God has provided her with protection and direction. Bras discovers that once we truly surrender our will to God, His plan always produces blessings beyond our wildest dreams!
EXCERPT - STORY ONE
This was a supernatural experience, how could God answer so quickly? I had so many questions all at once. Was this boy waiting for us these last five and half months? Did God know all along he would be ours? Is this the reason why we couldn’t have a baby of our own? As I hung up the phone I had to sit down at the desk. My mind was going so fast and my heart was bursting with the joy I felt now in my heart. Suddenly the anticipation, the rush to get home and get the process started was almost overwhelming as I raced the two hours home.
When God moves, he moves! Social Services was going to court on February 14, less than two weeks away. Everything would need to be completed before then to present to the birth father. We each went through doctor evaluations to prove we were infertile, and we had to be interviewed by the social worker and obtain letters of reference. We didn’t care how much trouble it was because it was all a blur with the excitement of this baby boy!
A few days before the court date the social worker called and said we were approved as foster parents and if we would like them she had two pictures of the baby. My husband went to her office to get them and he didn’t come home for the longest time. When he finally walked in I couldn’t wait to see the pictures, but I was also wondering where he had been. When I saw his face I knew he was feeling the same kind of joy I was. “I was driving around kind of in a daze looking at the pictures. I can’t believe I have a son.” He related this slowly, as if he still couldn’t believe it. I have never forgotten those pictures, they were my first look at the child I couldn’t even imagine for 7 years. The three of us talked names for hours. We finally decided on Raphael Antonio. Raphael was my father-in-law’s middle name, but when we found out Raphael means “God has healed” that settled it. As Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Before I had even seen this boy I felt that God had healed my heart.
EXCERPT - STORY TWO
The company stumbled on, and the smells and the dust and the heat made Gulle walk as if she was in a trance. Suddenly Gulle realized she wasn’t next to her mother. She had been walking beside her and now she didn’t know where she was. If people fell the soldiers came and made sure they were dead and then threw them off to the side of the road. She panicked, thinking her mother and sister had been thrown in the ditch and she had missed it. As she looked for her mother she saw on the road up ahead of her in the mist her father. Yes, she saw her father with his large mustache and his Fez as he dressed for market day! She saw him and then her brothers behind him coming toward her waving. They were coming to take her home! Frantically now she looked around for her mother in the group, but she couldn’t see her nearby. At last she saw her walking quite a ways behind her.
Gulle slowed down and waited for her mother to catch up to her, all the while trying not to be noticed by the soldiers. Her mother was still holding Mary and looking down at the ground. She didn’t see Gulle. As soon as she was walking beside her she whispered, “Mama, don’t worry, I saw them. I saw Father and all my brothers! They are on their way Mama, they are coming for us and soon we will be home. Look can’t you see them?” Her mother now lifted her head and stared ahead at the road and the dust. “Gulle,” she barely whispered, her mouth white with thirst, ”If you fall or if they put you in the ditch act like you’re dead, and try to lie under someone else so maybe you’ll escape.” As Gulle started to answer her that she didn’t care if she died, her mother fell to the ground still holding Mary and she didn’t move anymore. She wouldn’t get up. Gulle pulled on her trying to get her to stand up. She started screaming, “Mama! Mama! Please someone help!” When her mother didn’t respond Gulle fell to the ground and tried to get her own tears to wake her mother up. An older man came and pulled Gulle away, telling her it was for her own good, but she was still screaming at her mother, “Get up.” She saw the soldiers come to throw her mother and sister in the ditch and then she couldn’t see anything.
EXCERPT - STORY THREE
There was a knock on our door the next day and we met Will and Tom, our new next door neighbors from California. Will was darker and stockier and had more of a crew cut then his friend, who was blond, but also had shorter hair. They had also come to work on the rigs and like Mark and Danny they smoked pot and seemed to have a lot of it. They started spending a lot of time at our place and one day when both Mark and Danny were at work Tom came to the door.
“Hey, why aren’t you at work?” I asked as I opened the door. “Aw, I wasn’t feeling great, mind if I come in?” and he did as he was saying it. He came at me quickly and I was too shocked to do anything at first other than push him away hard with both hands. “What are you doing?” I blurted out the words, too shocked to scream.
“Aw, come on you know you want it” he grabbed me again and this time I pushed him harder. My back was at the door and I opened it, “Get out or I will start screaming.” But instead I went out the door and down the few steps, thinking somehow I was safer outside the trailer rather than in it. To my surprise he suddenly pushed past me on the steps and left. I ran back into the trailer and locked the door, shaking so much I swore I heard my teeth chattering. That evening when Mark and Danny returned I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want them to think I had instigated the whole thing. As things turned out I didn’t have to worry. A few days later they disappeared without saying anything to us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In February 2015, Barbara Bras left a long career in the corporate world to pursue her dream of serving God. Unsure of exactly how to do so, she knew that her first step required sharing the amazing way God blessed her throughout her life. Frustrated with inadequate past attempts to share her life-story, Barbara sought a writing method unencumbered by the obstacles previously encountered.
In March 2015, she attended one of Tom Bird's Writing Seminars and experienced a life-changing event. As she wrote continuously during the three-day seminar, the story of her son's miraculous adoption and the challenging years that followed spilled onto the pages, ultimately leading her to rediscover her very existence. Following her grandparents' remarkable survival and immigration to the US leads Bras to tell the rest of her story, concluding with her search for purpose and true love.
During the months that followed the completion of her memoir, Barbara realized her life's new purpose. Captured by St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Barbara now views her writing as a tribute first to the God who comforts and strengthens all of us in hardships and trials, and second as her mission to encourage others. Her first novel, scheduled for release in early 2016, seeks to inspire and encourage.
"A gentle book of beautiful thoughts and inspiration." ~AR
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A Life Rediscovered
"Miracles don’t come with guarantees, but Barbara’s engaging memoir demonstrates that God’s plan is amazingly greater than what we envision for ourselves. Her candor and emotional vulnerability will especially touch readers who have struggled with unanswered prayer, and who hasn’t? Every reader will connect with her powerful story!” ~Best Selling Author and Literary Shaman Tom Bird
“From the very first page, Barbara Bras grabs your attention and captivates your heart. She takes you on a beautiful journey through the experiences of her life and those of her ancestors to illustrate the power in letting go and trusting in God’s omniscience. This book will open your eyes and your spirit to see life and its challenges from a much higher and broader perspective. Emotionally compelling, powerful, and inspiring.” ~Alex Bratty, Best-Selling Author of From Chaos to Clarity: Getting Unstuck & Creating a Life You Love
“Barbara has been a leader, mentor, and counselor to many people in a number of organizations, all of whom admire and respect her. Her warmth, humor, personal experiences and wise insight into human behavior form the basis for this and her ability to relate to and understand others.”
~Susan Lueger, Ph.D., Executive Advisor and former CHRO
“Barbara’s authenticity, caring and passion shine through the moment you meet her. God has a plan and we are blessed, He provided us Barbara’s humanity and spirit.” ~ Kory Kogon,Global Productivity Practice Leader, FranklinCovey | Corporate
"A wonderful, and beautifully written story of faith, love and family, and the power of believing in and trusting that God has a plan for each of us."
~Gary Recchion, President, Recchion and Associates, Career and Executive Coach
“Barbara Bras has woven a very touching and deeply moving story of her Armenian background, the trials and tribulations of raising an adopted child, and life as a single mom. Beautifully written, this poetic narrative, with its unexpected twists and turns is a compelling argument for the benefits and rewards of a life of trust in God.” ~ Walter Sava, Ph.D. Community Leader
“Giving us hope, strength and resilience is the essence of Barbara’s message. She reminds us that life is a journey and we need to learn from each stop along the way. This message applies both professionally and personally. Plus - her book should be on everyone’s bookshelf and it makes a wonderful gift.”
~ Marsha Petrie Sue, MBA, Professional Speaker, Executive Coach, Best Selling Author
“Many Human Resource professionals are referred to me when they desire to relocate to the Phoenix area, and that is how I met Barbara Bras over 15 years ago. There was something special about her; something a Recruiter’s gut can feel, but can’t quite explain. I do believe in divine intervention. Barbara was the perfect solution for our client, it was the perfect situation for her family, but best of all, my husband and I were blessed with very dear friends.”
~ Kathleen Duffy Ybarra, President Duffy Group, Inc.
