David Parks

This book was born out of a dream and a fourteen-year-old girl
embarking on a novel.

The Dream: This began with a conversation I had with a young
Iranian many years ago about what had happened to him over the
weekend. It was a dream that ultimately convicted him of sin and
also included enough about Jesus to make him want to come to me
to once again hear the gospel. At this point, I needed no particularly
insightful words. Just good news of grace to someone anxious to
jump into the forgiving arms of Jesus. I had many other
conversations with Iranians who desperately longed for freedom
from their oppressive government and were busily executing their
plans to find long-term visas to other countries. I eventually learned
to ask the question, “What is freedom?” as a way to have
conversations about the gospel. The central character of the book is
very (emphasize “VERY”) loosely based on the young man who had
the dream and the theme of freedom comes from the multitude of
conversations I had with Iranians, whose longing I learned to feel as
my own.

The fourteen-year-old: My oldest daughter, Corrie, has always been
both a reader and a writer. Even as young as six years old, she made
little booklets for her younger siblings with stick figure drawings on
8×11 sheets of paper, stapled in the middle. The Gummy Goat was a
family favorite. Later she would be inspired by The Chronicles of
Narnia, Harry Potter, and especially The Wingfeather Saga to the point
where she wanted to try her hand at writing a full length novel. She
called it The Evergreen and I loved it. I didn’t know a lot of high
school freshmen writing novels and she didn’t either, so it was kind
of a solo project. She wanted feedback and I was happy to give it,
but I was only going to critique it so much. After all, I’m her father
and I mainly just wanted her to enjoy it and keep writing. So I
eventually had the idea that it could be fun if I tried my hand at it as
well, mainly as a way to share the experience. I’ve been a teacher,
missionary, minister, tennis pro, and perhaps a few other things, but
I’d never written a novel. I was fairly sure, however, that she’d gotten
the storytelling from me and so I thought, “Why not give it a shot?”
I’ve been genuinely surprised how many vacation days I’ve been
more than willing to give up just to sit in a coffee shop and indulge
my creative side. I’ve also discovered that sometimes you can learn a
lot about yourself through your children. One more thing about her
and then I’ll move on. There is one random corner of the book – a
short scene, a couple of pages in length – that she wrote years ago.
It’s a good thing the older Corrie hasn’t asked me to take it out
because it’s staying. By the way, I’m writing this on her twentieth
birthday. Happy birthday, Corrie.

Speaking of my children, I hope you like the cover. If not, I
would keep that to yourself since my middle daughter, Anna, drew it! I’m amazed by her talent and if there was any way possible that I could insert a 5×8 portrait of her visualization of the opening lines in The Color Green by Rich Mullins, you would be unfolding it at this moment. Shoutout to my wife, Jenn, for coming up with the basic idea for the book cover. What an incredible honor and joy to be your husband! My two youngest are also a treasure to me. Auston is my tennis buddy. Julie is the smart, sweet, and laid back one you can’t help but to love. I’m so proud to be called
“father” to all four of my children. From the very beginning of this
work, it was my great hope that they would want to read it and be
encouraged by it as well. This should explain the dragon.
As I considered what I would write about, it was natural for me
to think back to our experiences overseas and interactions with
Iranians. I also saw an opportunity to illustrate how and why the
gospel has translated across cultures.

I love teaching missions, and I want others to love it as well. Not
just know it. Love it. As I’ve heard Andrew Peterson say multiple
times, “If you want someone to know the truth, tell them. If you
want someone to love the truth, tell them a story.” As you read this
book, I hope you learn to love Arman. I hope you learn to love the
Iranian people as well as I attempt to tell their recent history in a
Forrest Gump style of historical fiction. Most of all, I hope you
experience a greater appreciation for how Jesus has saved us from
our guilt, shame, and fear and has lavished his followers with the
unfathomable honor of being children of the Most High.