When Pam Bates' husband, Carl, was diagnosed with metastatic cancer on July 31, 2015, it quickly became obvious that he would be unable to harvest his crops. That September, more than three dozen farmers and helpers near their small community of Galva, Illinois, harvested 450 acres of corn in 10 hours. It was a beautiful picture of humanity: farmers helping a farmer who would’ve been the first in line to help any of them if he could.
Carl passed away on November 1, 2015, and for the first year Pam felt called by God to “tell his story.” She tried to ignore it, until finally she asked her twin sister, Paula Petty, “Do you think we could write a book about Carl’s life?” Paula had always dreamed of writing a book, so on the first anniversary of his death, their journey began.
They took book writing trips all around the world, with the highlight being Rome, Italy. It was amazing how many signs of God they experienced along the way. When Paula was struggling with who could be telling the story, she knew God was the one that inspired her. He gave her the idea to have Carl’s guardian angel “Gus” narrate his life story from beginning to end.
As the twins were going through the self-publishing process, the editing company in New York asked if they would consider getting a publisher instead. Soon they were connected with Morgan James Publishing, whose board voted unanimously to include their book among the 140 nonfiction books they publish each year.
After deciding to find a way to give back, they learned about OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois and its Heller Center for Kids with Cancer. It was a perfect fit—their services would have been so helpful to Carl and his family when he battled childhood cancer at age 11. The book is full of touching stories that will make you laugh, cry and help you learn to live life to the fullest—with peace and hope. To learn more or purchase the book, visit themostamazingharvest.com. PM
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