The Bible repeatedly compares the Christian life to being "aliens and strangers" on earth whose "citizenship is in heaven," but many of us struggle to keep Christ at the center of our identity. While most of us understand this metaphor on an intellectual level, our immigrant sisters and brothers in Christ have often experienced viscerally this sense of displacement and thus have a great deal to teach the whole of the church about how to keep our identity in Christ primary. Mabel Ninan's beautifully written Far from Home serves as a guide to rediscovering our core identity in Christ. It's a message the church desperately needs. --Matthew Soerens, US director of church mobilization and advocacy, World Relief, and coauthor of Welcoming the Stranger and Seeking Refuge
Mabel gives us her vibrant, challenging, and uplifting personal journey as an immigrant in a foreign land. This book will enlighten the Christian of their personal identity in Christ and show that our true home resides with our Father in heaven. This book is a great companion for someone who seeks to love their immigrant friends well and challenges us to hold on to our differences loosely while uniting around our oneness in Christ. --Dr. Bryan Loritts, author of Insider/Outsider
"I am an immigrant." Mabel Ninan begins Far from Home with this simple yet profound declaration. Chapter by chapter, Ninan reveals a part of her heart by sharing her personal story as an immigrant transplanted into American culture. Rooted in Scripture, Ninan invites readers to explore our "core identity which pulls us closer and keeps our attention on Jesus, His people, and His kingdom." Her gentle voice resonates deeply with wandering hearts that are desperate for belonging and welcomes readers into a community that stretches across nations. In this world divided by labels, ever-changing opinions, and a belief that truth is relative, Ninan offers the hope of belonging, unity that celebrates diversity, and love that remains rooted in God's infallible and unchanging truth as revealed through the Bible. After savoring the last chapter in Far from Home, Ninan's opening declaration becomes a watchword for fellow believers committed to living for and loving like Jesus. "I am an immigrant." With a heart ready to serve, eager to connect through genuine fellowship, and willing to see the world as a citizen of heaven, this reader responded, "Me too!" --Xochitl Dixon, writer for Our Daily Bread and author of Different Like Me and Waiting for God
By sensitively sharing her heart about her identity struggles as an immigrant, Mabel does more than draw out our empathy. She sets us up to understand our own immigrant status as Christians on this planet. As her introduction suggests, the book indeed helps readers "lean into your identity as a citizen of heaven." Come away from this amazing work with your priorities in their proper place, knowing more assuredly than ever that heaven is your real home. --Dr. Sharon Norris Elliott, Founder/CEO AuthorizeMe Literary Agency, Life That Matters Ministries, and Milk & Honey Life Retreats
Far from Home is for every person who's longed to put down roots. Through the author's immigrant journey, we learn to make our home with God wherever we happen to live. Far from Home refreshes my soul and encourages me to look heavenward and embrace my true identity in Christ. --Monica Schmelter, host of Christian Television Network's Bridges and coauthor of the Messy to Meaningful books
I remember the first time I met Mabel. Her warm smile, twinkling eyes, and sing-song accent stole my heart (maybe because I, too, have an accent in English). And then I got a taste of her writing, her faith, and her heart. Once I learned that she, too, had crisscrossed the world before making a home in the US, there was no going back; she was one I would be honored to call friend. As Christ followers, we are all sojourners longing for our heavenly home. Whether you have experienced long-term global exposure or never left your home state, you will enjoy and grow from Mabel's candid description of her intentional-yet-unexpected cultural journey, her heart through it, and most of all, the God behind her spiritual depth. Let Mabel guide you to and from India and America as well as deep into Scripture alongside those who walked as immigrants before us. As you do, I suspect you will embark on your own journey deep into your own heart and faith. Jesus has become everything to her, and she humbly models how He can become everything to us too. --Stephanie Rousselle, founder of Gospel Spice Ministries and host of the podcast Gospel Spice
Being myself an immigrant to the US, far from family and the familiar, and having resided in several strange abodes, I found Far from Home riddled with "me too" moments. The sincerity and simplicity of Mabel Ninan's nostalgic stories soothed like the warm hug of a loved one. My eyes brimmed with tears from laughter, empathy, and the sheer satisfaction that comes from being understood by a sister who has walked a mile in my nomadic shoes. I absolutely applaud the captivating clarity with which Mabel parallels her earthly migrant status with our spiritual one as Christians simultaneously "homeless on earth" and "homesick for heaven." Of the many insightful nuggets this eloquently penned debut delivers, Mabel Ninan's poignant, profound answer to the question of where home actually is will forever ring true: "intimate fellowship with God is home." How comforting to know I need never again feel homeless, as the gentlest whisper to my heavenly Father opens home's doors. An inspiring read, especially to those far away from home, and those experiencing homelessness physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Additionally, a timely yet timeless reminder to the body of the Christ, that our Lord was Himself an immigrant and expects us to demonstrate His love to any around us who find themselves far from home. --Ifueko Fex Ogbomo, prize-winning poet and storyteller, Nigerian immigrant, and author of Yellow Eyes Gone White!
Beautifully transparent, Mabel Ninan shares her personal insight from a unique experience of immigration. Yet the revelation of her modern history is also a reflection of biblical history when God moves. Inside the stories of uprooted people, we discover the heart of God. This book is a beautiful reminder of our citizenship in His kingdom. --Christine Abraham, founder and executive director, Bible Café Ministries
In Far from Home, Mabel Ninan uses her own story as a foreigner in many unfamiliar places to remind all of us who feel "stuck between two worlds" that our citizenship and identity are not ultimately rooted in a place but in a person. Saturated with biblical truth, I was encouraged, convicted, and reminded through her longing for home that I, too, am longing for home. As we seek a city that is to come, we will all feel homesick, but Mabel reminds us that God is at work in us and through us wherever we are. --Gary Anderson; lead pastor, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship, Mountain View, CA
