What happens when a planned 1,200-mile honeymoon road trip turns into a 20-year, 30,000-mile missionary journey across three continents? In their new memoir, It's a Long Way to Florida, authors Brooke and Patricia Sadler share the story of how saying 'yes' to God redefined their lives, their family, and their understanding of purpose.
The book begins in 1957 with a lakeside wedding in Michigan and a brand new red Falcon intended to carry the newlyweds to their dream honeymoon in St. Petersburg, Florida. However, divine interventions quickly altered their path. Instead of the sandy beaches of the Sunshine State, the Sadlers found themselves embarking on an epic adventure of faith that spanned decades and took them across the globe to Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
It's a Long Way to Florida is an honest, gritty, and often humorous account of modern missionary life. From navigating a harrowing 12,000-mile overland family road trip from London to Sri Lanka through military checkpoints, to surviving national food famines and economic collapses, the Sadlers' story proves that the greatest rewards often lie within the most inconvenient detours.
Readers will encounter extraordinary accounts of faith in action, including how Brooke managed to illegally smuggle truckloads of flour past five armed military checkpoints during a government-declared famine to feed starving church workers in Colombo. The book also details the profound, decades-long friendship Brooke forged with a local Buddhist High Priest, which ultimately saved their mission school's land from government seizure. Additionally, the couple opened their doors to the world's most vulnerable, nursing abandoned and malnourished infants back to health. Through a legacy started by a poignant question from their young adopted daughter, Pami, the Sadlers ultimately welcomed more than 80 orphaned children into their home over the years.
'We never could have mapped out the life we lived,' says co-author Brooke Sadler. 'Every time we faced an impossible logistical problem or a dangerous crisis, the answer arrived in a way we never could have engineered. We wrote this book to remind readers that when God redirects your route, the detour is very often the destination.'
Today, having returned to the United States, Brooke and Pat reside in Greeneville, Tennessee. They transformed a historic log cabin into Nolichucky Cabins, a mountain retreat and glass wedding chapel where they continue to serve their community and watch their expansive, global family flourish.
It's a Long Way to Florida is published by Brooke & Patricia Sadler and is available for purchase online via major book retailers.
