Recent Insta-shots + Giveaway Winner

Today makes up for all the relentless rain recently because it's gorgeous and warm out. My friend Jo and I took advantage by going on a walk and then sipping coffee outside Costa. With the sun on my back and an iced latte in my hand I almost felt like I was back in California. (Not quite Florida, because it would've been humid.) Yesterday I also managed to take a walk when it wasn't raining. With today as an exception, it's still been mostly cold here, but my Instagram shots show that Spring's sneaking its way in anyway.

And now it's time to announce the giveaway winner of The Hiding Place. Since not many entered, I put everyone's names on slips of paper and Kurt did the honors of pulling one from a bowl. So congrats Malisa, you're our winner! :-) Do comment below with your e-mail address so I can contact you.

I hope you all are having a great Monday!
Michaela Rae

My First Giveaway!

A couple of days ago I made a Books Worth Reading board on Pinterest. It got me thinking about how/why some of my favorite books have affected my life. I started to see a funny pattern among them. First, the majority are biographies, and secondly, it's almost always a story of how someone endures extreme hardship and lives to tell of God's goodness, even in suffering. I suppose these books speak the loudest to me. I'm so encouraged by stories of God's faithfulness and the perseverance of saints. They help put things in perspective - I realize how blessed I am and I'm also challenged to be courageous and faithful in my own life.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, is one such story and perhaps my favorite book of all. I'm sure my mom read it to me first when I was young, but I've since read it at least five times. I now revere Corrie and her sister Betsie as heroes of mine.

The story of The Hiding Place begins in Holland at the start of WWII. The Ten Boom family runs a watch and watch repair shop out of their home but soon find themselves in a new type of business - the business of hiding Jews. Corrie and her family quickly become the center of the anti-Nazi underground as they hide Jews in a secret room in their home. Eventually however, they're betrayed and sent to Hitler's concentration camps. Corrie writes about how she and her sister, Betsie, find a new type of hiding place for themselves and the Jews in the camps. A hiding place where God is their refuge and strength. 

Today, I've decided to give this book to one reader. :-) I hope it will bless your life as much as it has mine. And if you've already read/own it, it could make for a great gift. The copy in the picture is my own, but I'll be sending you a new one.  

How to enter (US and UK readers only, please):

1. Follow me via GFC or Bloglovin'. Follow buttons are on the right side bar. -->

2. Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite book is and why. Please include your e-mail address so I can contact you. 

For extra entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter and leave an additional comment to let me know.

2. "Like" MichaelaRae on Facebook and leave an additional comment to let me know.

I'll announce the winner on May 30th! Winner announced here.

Have a lovely day,

Michaela Rae

This post is linked up at Try New Adventures Thursday. Link your weekly adventures up!