What begins as a 1,200-mile honeymoon road trip evolves into a 20-year, 30,000-mile missionary journey across three continents in the new memoir It's a Long Way to Florida, written by authors Brooke and Patricia Sadler. The book, released by the authors themselves, recounts how the couple's decision to follow divine guidance led them from a simple lakeside wedding in Michigan in 1957 to a life of service in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The narrative starts with a surprise wedding gift—a brand new red Falcon intended to carry the newlyweds to their dream honeymoon in St. Petersburg, Florida. However, a series of what the authors describe as divine interventions rerouted their path. Instead of Florida's beaches, the Sadlers embarked on an epic adventure of faith that spanned decades and took them across the globe. The memoir offers an honest and often humorous account of modern missionary life, detailing harrowing experiences such as a 12,000-mile overland family road trip from London to Sri Lanka through military checkpoints, surviving national food famines, and economic collapses.
Key stories include how Brooke Sadler smuggled truckloads of flour past five armed military checkpoints during a government-declared famine to feed starving church workers in Colombo. The book also describes the profound, decades-long friendship Brooke forged with a local Buddhist High Priest, which ultimately saved their mission school's land from government seizure. Perhaps most touching is the couple's decision to open their home to vulnerable children: after their young adopted daughter, Pami, asked a poignant question, the Sadlers eventually welcomed more than 80 orphaned children into their home and hearts.
"We never could have mapped out the life we lived," said co-author Brooke Sadler. "Every time we faced an impossible logistical problem or a dangerous crisis, the answer arrived in a way we never could have engineered. We wrote this book to remind readers that when God redirects your route, the detour is very often the destination."
Today, Brooke and Patricia Sadler are mostly retired and reside in Greeneville, Tennessee. They transformed a historic log cabin into Nolichucky Cabins, a mountain retreat and glass wedding chapel where they continue to serve their community. The memoir, published by the authors, is available for purchase online via major book retailers. It offers a practical template for living by faith and reminds readers that following where you are led can lead to a richer, more purposeful life than any planned itinerary.
