Lost but Not Forgotten: Iva Magdalena Butler: a Story of Redemption

By Valerie Hunsberger

This is a story of loss, heartache and deep emotional trials for Iva Magdalena Butler, a girl who grew up in the days of the Great Depression. Lost to her family for a time, she was never forgotten. Just as her family sought her for years, God was also seeking her and never forgot her. This story of redemption is a powerful testimonial to Gods redeeming love in Ivas life and for all the lost of this world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512746716

Valerie Hunsberger

Valerie Hunsberger graduated from Central Michigan University with a B.S. degree in Education, majoring in English. As an educator, she taught high school and middle school for fifteen years. She is now retired and enjoys her life as a wife, mother of four grown children, and grandmother to fourteen grandchildren. She and her husband, Bill, reside in the countryside of Jackson, Michigan, with their golden retriever, Shiloh, and tuxedo cat, Sebastian. They enjoy traveling, biking, hiking in national parks, and spending time with their family. Valerie has a passion for women’s ministries and has been leading women’s Bible studies for several years. She enjoys writing as a creative outlet and blogs to encourage others in their walk with God. In her heartfelt expression of faith, she has also written articles for an online “Ladies Who Lead” magazine, and Bible studies for groups of women desiring to go deeper into the Word of God. Having felt the call of God to write her mother’s life story of redemption, Valerie has written the book, Lost but Not Forgotten, with the hope that others will also seek redemption from a God who loves them, pursues them, and has not forgotten them, no matter how lost they may feel.

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Copyright © 2016 Valerie Hunsberger.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4672-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4673-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-4671-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016910343

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/28/2016

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter 1 A Child’s Loss

Chapter 2 The Separation

Chapter 3 Without a Home

Chapter 4 Glimmers of Hope

Chapter 5 A New Home

Chapter 6 Starting Over

Chapter 7 The Planting of Seed

Chapter 8 Abandoned

Chapter 9 A New Hope

Chapter 10 Reunited

Chapter 11 The Winds of Change

Chapter 12 A New Beginning

Chapter 13 New Joy

Chapter 14 New Life

Chapter 15 A Place to Grow

Chapter 16 Her Darkest Hours

Chapter 17 The Foundation of Many Generations

Chapter 18 Seasons of Change

Chapter 19 The Winter Winds

Epilogue

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my dear mother, whom I have loved from my earliest memories. I have always looked up to her as an example of Christian faith and service to God. Through the years, she loved me sacrificially and has always understood my heart. I will always remember her as one of my very best friends.

Image01DorothyValerieFirstBirthday.jpg

Dorothy Fraker and Valerie,

First Birthday.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Foreword

Dear Friend,

I am so thrilled for you, knowing the lovely and powerful journey you are about to take through the life story of Iva Magdalena Butler. I was blessed to read this story while it was still in early draft form and had no idea what I was in for. I can tell you I had to put it down a few times, not sure I could go on after the first few chapters. I had to catch my breath and gather my emotions; it is powerful.

Iva’s story, told through her loving daughter’s heart and pen, left me breathless, anguishing, and desperate for God to step in. I found myself wanting to cry out, Just make it stop! My heart was aching for Iva, and all the while I was relating so personally to the feeling of being abandoned and the desperation to just feel loved. It is an incredible story and journey.

Have you ever felt lost in your life, like you are alone and without love in the world? Do you desperately want a sense of security and stability? Let me assure you, like Iva, you may feel lost, but you are not forgotten. God sees you, loves you, seeks and adores you. He can take the grimmest circumstances in your life and heal, redeem, and even use them for your good and His glory! Iva’s story is a perfect illustration of exactly that.

Grab a cup of your favorite warm beverage and a comfy chair, as our new mutual friend, Valerie Hunsberger, the author of this beautiful story, takes you on a redemptive journey of God’s love.

It is no coincidence God has put this healing story in your hands. Only the two of you know why. But I pray God uses it mightily to meet you where you are and touch you with His perfect and redemptive love. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Michelle Cochran,

Author and Life Coach

Acknowledgments

First of all, I want to thank my Savior, Jesus Christ, who entrusted me with the writing of this story. Without His inspiration and help, I could have never completed this book. Every time I became discouraged and was ready to quit writing, the Lord sent encouragement my way. I could have never completed such an awesome project without the support and help of my loving husband and his expertise with technology. He tirelessly helped me in the editing of both text and photographs. His excitement and enthusiasm as I came near the finish line were invaluable.

Much credit is due Joetta Thren, a dear friend of my mother’s, who journaled many of the details of my mother’s childhood story as she listened to and recorded Mom recounting them.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without my mother’s willingness to talk about the past, even though at times it was painful to do so. More than once she was brought to tears as we talked. I was grateful that there were stories that made us laugh as well.

I want to thank Tracy Collier for being willing to read through my manuscript and offer editing advice and writing tips, as well as for giving me tremendous encouragement. She truly was the wind beneath my wings.

The best gift I have had in this entire process is the gift of my friend and personal coach, Michelle Cochran. She has always believed in me and would never let me give up. Her encouragement, knowledge, coaching, and example as an author herself have been invaluable to me. I am quite sure I would never have finished the project without her help.

I am also thankful for my entire family’s support and encouragement around the writing and publishing of this work. Knowing that having this story in print will be valued by my family for generations to come has driven me to complete it. This has been a journey I shall never forget.

Prologue

A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this.

(Psalm 22:30–31 NKJ)

I always knew when my mother was going to tell me another part of the story—not just any story, but her story. She would get a pained, faraway look in her eyes as though she were looking into another place and time. Her voice would start to tremble, and sometimes her eyes would become misty. The story did not unfold in order, but in random parts that over time fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. I never quite knew what triggered any telling of the story at all, but I believe it had something to do with wanting me to know how blessed I was—that life could be much worse than it was, should I ever think it was treating me unfairly. Other times, I think it resulted from my curiosity about her childhood and the questions I would ask.

I always knew I would hear the telling and retelling of certain parts of the story when we visited my aunt Jo, my mother’s sister. Aunt Jo’s voice would begin to tremble even more than my mom’s, and the story would always end in