Sharon Edwards is an award-winning author, former editor, and speaker. Born and raised in a Christian family in India, she emigrated to the US as a newly wed excited about starting a family with her husband in a new country. But within a few days of her arrival, she became a victim of domestic violence.

In this episode, Sharon recounts how God protected her and provided for her as she went through the ordeal of domestic violence and divorce. Her story highlights the important role churches and individual believers can play in the lives of immigrants who find themselves battling difficult situations. Sharon and I also discuss the fallouts of incorrectly discerning God’s will. But God’s grace can cover our mistakes. The good news for believers is that our failures or bad decisions cannot thwart God’s purpose for our lives. 

The 10th anniversary edition of her book, Pioneer Boulevard, a collection of short stories based on various themes of immigration, launches on December 8th. I hope you check it out and buy a copy.

Takeaways from this episode:

1. Sometimes, we can find ourselves physically alone in a place. Or, we may think we are fighting a problem all by ourselves. But we can remember that as believers, we are never alone. God is always with us, His Spirit lives in us.
   
2. Sharon’s story is the perfect example of how divine appointments work in a believer’s life. God puts people in our path at the right time to help us or to accomplish His purpose for us through them.
   
3. Marital counseling should not be seen as a taboo but as an important and necessary tool to strengthen marriages. We can prayerfully ask God to lead us to a trusted Christian counselor who can help us deal with problems in our marriage and give us a godly perspective on our situation.
   

(This episode is audio only)

Sharon Arpana Edwards is an Indian-born author and speaker. Her middle name, Arpana, means “she who is surrendered to God” in Sanskrit. Sharon’s first book, Pioneer Boulevard, a collection of stories set in LA’s Indian community, was published in 2013. The tenth anniversary edition releases on December 8.

She has also authored an award-winning 100-day devotional titled The Blessing of Melchizedek, and a book of poetry titled There Once Was a Man Who Suffered: The Book of Job in Limericks. Sharon holds MAs in both English and Creative Writing.

Since migrating from Mumbai in 1999, Sharon has worked at two churches, two publishing companies, at a credit union, and as a proofreader at Warner Bros., Burbank. Her interests include prayer, worship, Bible study, writing, and speaking. She enjoys discussing the different ways God communicates with us, and she is always happy to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ. Sharon is based in Los Angeles and can be reached at sharonarpana.com.

Sharon mentions Hope Chapel in the interview. If you’re looking for a church in Southern California, please check it out here.

Mabel is an author, speaker, and Bible teacher. An immigrant from India who has lived in seven cities across the U.S. in fourteen years, Mabel navigates between cultures, feeling at home everywhere and nowhere. In her award-winning book, Far from Home: Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth, Mabel draws from her personal experience as an immigrant and examines the lives of biblical heroes to shed light on how we can find purpose and joy as sojourners on earth.

Learn more Mabel here.

Buy Mabel’s book, Far from Home: Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth, on Amazon.

Buy Mabel’s book from her publisher, End Game Press.

Download the tip sheet, Love Your Immigrant Neighbor : 5 Action Steps, here.