Two Testaments
Authors: Elizabeth Musser
Tags: #Elizabeth Musser, #Secrets of the Cross, #Two Testaments, #Two Crosses, #France, #Algeria, #Swan House
TWO TESTAMENTS
Published by David C Cook
4050 Lee Vance View
Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.
David C Cook Distribution Canada
55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5
David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications
Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England
The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.
All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, resold,
or distributed by or through any print or electronic medium without written
permission from the publisher. This ebook is licensed solely for the personal
and noncommercial use of the original authorized purchaser, subject to the
terms of use under which it was purchased. Please do not participate in or
encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This story is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.
LCCN 2012930189
ISBN 978-0-7814-0499-0
eISBN 978-0-7814-0840-0
© 1997, 2012 Elizabeth Musser
The author is represented by MacGregor Literary.
First edition published by Victor Books in 1997
© Elizabeth Musser, ISBN 1-56476-610-1.
The Team: Don Pape, LB Norton, Amy Konyndyk, Jack Campbell, Karen Athen
Cover Design: Nick Lee
Cover Photos: Shutterstock
Second Edition 2012
This book is dedicated to my husband, Paul Alan Musser.
If I spend the rest of my life writing stories about people who keep
loving each other in the midst of life’s challenges, I will never be
able to create a story as beautiful as the one I have lived and am
living with you. You are my favorite example of this Scripture verse
in my life: “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly
beyond all we ask or expect …” Two are better than one, and
my life is filled up to overflowing because of you. Je t’aime.
Contents
Opening Scenes from Two Destinies
Acknowledgments
This new edition
: Once again I want to thank Don Pape and the staff at David C Cook for making this dream a reality—getting
Two Crosses
and
Two Testaments
back in print. I am blessed indeed to get to revisit these novels and remember how I was inspired by the people and places in the Midi of France and in that beautiful country across the ocean, Algeria. And I am equally blessed to get to improve the book with the help of my dear editor and friend, LB Norton. We’ve both learned a lot in the past fifteen years, and it is one of God’s precious hugs to have gotten to work together again on this project.
Merci
, LB!
The first edition:
I think I was born with a love for God and a love for writing. Through no merit of my own, they became the central passions of my life. But often the Lord had to pull me gently away from my stubborn ideas of how to put these “passions” into practice and redirect me into a “much better way,” His way. I offer to Him all my praise and thanksgiving for allowing me to serve Him through missions and through writing. The words in this book are mine, but the timing of so many details and ideas are His. I blame Him for none of the faults, but I thank Him for anything in this book that touches a heart and brings a soul closer to the One who is indeed the God of the impossible.
I especially thank the Lord for all the people He has put in my life throughout the years:
To my mother, Barbara Goldsmith; you are a great “publicity agent.” As with all you do in life, your enthusiasm and fervor for my books have made a big difference. You never cease to amaze me. Many thanks.
To my father, Jere Goldsmith; my brothers, Glenn and Jere; my sister-in-law, Mary; and my grandmom, Allene, thank you for your advice, your encouragement, your support of my work, and coming to the book signings. What would I do without family?
To Jill Briscoe, who believed in me many years ago and published my first article, thank you for your continuing advice. You are an inspiration and role model to me.
To Maurice Delacoux, Lili Botella, Eliane Martinez, Josy Rivière, Ian Campbell, Muriel Butcher, Marc Roche, Annette Manzano, Mme Hernandez, and many others here in France who took the time to help me understand what life was like in Algeria during the war, I am deeply indebted to you.
To Maryvonne and Bernard Millerand, who have been my real-life
boulangers
and have given me advice about bread and Senegal,
Merci beaucoup
.
To my friends in the Protestant Church of La Pompignane in Montpellier, France; this place feels like home because of you. Your stories, your fresh faith, and the changes God has wrought in your lives have inspired me to write of others whose lives have been changed. Thank you for being so very real. We have been through a lot together, and you still love me.
To Laura McDaniel, Kim Huhman, and Margaret DeBorde, the “Atlanta fan club” and my dear friends from so far back, you read my first poems when I was a child and you have encouraged me along throughout my life. Thank you for your prayers, your letters, your insights, and for all the times you made me laugh. You are priceless to me.
To Dave Horton, my friend and editor, you have once again walked with me through this exhilarating process of producing a book.
Merci pour tout.
To LoraBeth Norton, Greg Clouse, and the other folks at Chariot Victor, thank you for all your hard work.
To Trudy Owens, my dear friend, teammate, and patient proofreader; you are a godly woman who listens to the Lord. He always seems to give you just the right words to encourage me.
To Cathy Carmeni, my talented “pre-editor”; your insights have been invaluable, your friendship enriching, your faith a joy to watch as it blossoms.
To Christine Montgomery and Cathy Carmeni, my prayer partners; you have watched the dream become a reality during those blessed Monday-afternoon prayer sessions.
Je vous embrasse très fort.
To my teammates, Howard and Trudy Owens and Odette Beauregard, who have been cheerleaders, babysitters, soul mates, and family away from home,
Je vous embrasse avec tout mon coeur
.
To all our prayer partners around the world, who have prayed me through some very difficult months of illness; God has used you mightily in my life. Thank you.
To Andrew and Christopher, my sons; what would I do without you? Thank you for loving me just as I am, for helping me so much, and for never running out of snuggles and kisses for Mommy.
To Paul, my husband and partner in everything, what more can I say? You are very patient, very giving, and very wise, and I love you very much.
Maps
Glossary
Algerian War for Independence from France
—conflict that took place in Algeria from 1954–1962.
Casbah
—the old part of Algiers, named for the Turkish-built sixteenth-century fortress that dominated the quarter. It was also the headquarters for the FLN.
centre aéré
—a recreational child-care center.
FLN
—Front de Libération Nationale (National Liberation Front), socialist political party in Algeria. It was organized on November 1, 1954, from a merger of small political groups that sought independence for Algeria from France.
harki
—an Algerian soldier who remained loyal to the French army and therefore fought against his fellow Algerians.
OAS
—Organisation de l’Armée Secrète (Organization of the Secret Army), a French far-right nationalist militant and underground organization during the Algerian War whose goal was to prevent Algeria’s independence.
pied-noir
—a European living in Algeria.
1
March 1962