Writers Life | The Story Behind The Story

Today Hannah Currie is our guest talking about the story behind the story.

Twenty years ago, I went on my first short term mission trip to an orphanage in Thailand. Ten years ago, I wrote a novel based on it. This week, 15 May 2024, that story is being published. Talk about a journey!

But this story goes back further than that—to when I was just a kid, sitting in church listening to our international missionaries get up and tell their stories. Testimonies of what God was doing in countries around the world. Stories of weird and wonderful foods and toilets, of language difficulties and the strange (often hilarious but utterly mortifying) things they accidentally said, of churches meeting in huts or basements and God being there even in the moments that broke their hearts. Of the joy of baptizing those they’d walked alongside for years, maybe even decades, while praying and wondering if anything was ever going to change.

As I sat there listening as a ten-year-old, I felt God whisper into my heart that that would be me one day. That He had a plan for me which involved international missions too. He was calling me to the same life. A life which wouldn’t by any means be easy, and would likely break me and my heart over and over again, but in which I would work with Him to spread hope and His love across the world.

To say I was thrilled is an understatement. I couldn’t think of anything more exciting than spreading God’s hope for the rest of my life and did all I could from that day on to prepare for that. I read as many missionary biographies as I could get my hands on, studied a second language at school, went to Missions conferences, starting memorizing as much of the Bible as I could (in case, for some odd reason, I lost my Bible in the jungle or something and didn’t have it? Umm… it made sense as a kid!) and learning about the different cultures of the world.

And all along, I kept waiting until I was old enough to be a ‘real’ missionary.

So what happened to that dream and calling, you might be wondering, given I’m living in the suburbs of Australia instead of a bamboo hut in a jungle somewhere like I imagined as a ten-year-old? Well, first—thanks to health issues—it died, leaving me utterly devastated.

But then, in that way God so often does, He took that tiny vision I had and grew it. Bigger and greater than anything I could have planned.

Instead of sending me to one culture and place, He’s sending my words—those same words of hope and life I always dreamed of sharing—to the world through books. Connecting me with readers all over the world. Those who might never walk into a church but will happily read a novel.

Because of You came about because I wanted kids and teens like me to know that they didn’t have to wait until they were ‘old enough’ to be involved in what God is doing in the world. I wanted them to know that God has a plan and purpose for them today, right where they are. In their families, their schools, their communities.

It’s a missionary story—complete with weird and wonderful foods (and toilets), awkward language mishaps, bamboo huts, Bible memorization, and stories of lives changed—but it’s also a reminder to readers that everyone has a story. No matter where in the world they live.

It’s been humbling to hear from early readers how they’re connecting with Chloe’s story, being reminded of the passions God placed in their hearts, the times they’ve visited other countries, and the value of a person’s testimony (even—especially—those who’ve grown up in the church and have a ‘boring’ testimony). I love that God is using Chloe’s story, and my story, to bring hope and pray He continues to do so as, this week, Because of You heads out into the world.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sixteen-year-old Chloe Gabriels has dreamed of going on an overseas mission trip for as long as she can remember, so when the opportunity arises for her to go to Thailand with Teen Missions International she jumps at the chance. Working at an orphanage, learning new skills, experiencing a different culture, making lifelong friends—what better way could there be to spend her summer vacation?

Of course, the trip will have its challenges—living in close quarters with seventeen other teens out of their comfort zones has a way of doing that—but it will be worth it. She’ll finally be serving God in a practical way.

But while the orphans and their stories break her heart, it’s someone unexpected who has the biggest impact on Chloe’s summer and leaves her wondering if maybe there are just as many people who need her love back home as there are overseas. Connect with Hannah and learn more about the book, including where you can purchase copies, at www.HannahCurrie.com