From Worry to Wonder

Seeing God's Goodness in Life's Rearview Mirror

Non-Fiction - Memoir
253 Pages
Reviewed on 02/19/2025
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Living in a small town in Wisconsin, Amy Hagerup is a wife to Mark and a proud mom to five and their spouses. She cherishes her role as Nana to fourteen treasured grandchildren and is intentional about pouring into their lives to leave a lasting legacy of faith.

Amy’s greatest passion is helping people take the next step in their walk with God. Her journey has taken her across the world, serving as a missionary in Ethiopia and Ghana, as well as working as a collegiate minister at Penn State. She has always loved teaching, speaking at conferences and retreats, embracing her role as a pastor’s wife, and writing. Today, she continues serving the Lord through her penned stories, as well as leading women’s Bible studies and helping with Children’s Church at her local church.

Alongside her love for ministry and writing, Amy also runs a thriving health and wellness business with Shaklee, earning her the nickname "The Vitamin Shepherd."

To those who know her best, Amy is a woman who loves Jesus wholeheartedly, cherishes her family and friends deeply, and strives to honor God in every choice she makes.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Alma Boucher for Readers' Favorite

From Worry to Wonder is a memoir by Amy Hagerup, who experienced the goodness of God throughout her life’s journey. It is a heartfelt and inspiring narrative highlighting Amy’s struggles and feelings of isolation. Amy recounts real-life experiences and illustrates how she discovered peace and purpose. Each anecdote is set in a different location, and, with each move to a new town, Amy faces different challenges. Amy consistently sought the Lord's assistance with her challenges and relied on Him for direction. Amy shows the reader that God enables us to transform our worries into wonder and to view our life situations in a new light. We possess all that we need to lead a life free from worry and filled with God's goodness.

Worry to Wonder by Amy Hagerup kept me completely engaged, flipping through the pages as fast as I could. Every chapter had a unique lesson, with a Bible verse at the end reinforcing that message. It also contained a promise we could cling to. Amy consistently refused to let her worries control her feelings and always maintained faith that God would take care of her. The memoir was expertly written, and I was captivated from beginning to end. The engaging writing style allowed me to immerse myself in Amy's challenges and triumphs. It was difficult to put it down. I eagerly anticipated learning more about Amy’s life and how God assisted her through each challenge. Certain sections captivated me so profoundly that I read them a second time.

Richard Prause

From Worry to Wonder is a touching memoir that depicts the life of Amy Hagerup, a dedicated Christian, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Amy explores noteworthy moments throughout her childhood, adulthood, marriage, family life, and spiritual walk with God. She candidly touches on her battles with loneliness, abandonment by her father, financial challenges, family struggles, and profound experiences as a missionary wife in Africa. She demonstrates how God, in his omnipotent wisdom, shaped each obstacle in her life for his (and her) greater good. Even when Amy could not immediately sense his presence, her incredible testimony reveals he was always present with her. She explores each tribulation through God's perspective, helping readers reshape their perception of and their relationship with him.

From Worry to Wonder is a well-written, engaging, and expressive memoir that explores themes like anxiety, resilience, hope, grace, and faith. Amy Hagerup’s journey is raw and authentic, reflecting on moments of deep inner vulnerability and hardships. Her candor about her struggles and how she grew closer to God is uplifting and reassuring. Each chapter will draw you deeper into her prolific life experiences and make you smile, laugh, share in her sadness, and contemplate your own walk with God. Through her earthly travels and life experiences, Amy does an excellent job of reminding readers that God’s love is not calculated by our ability to experience a tribulation-free life but through his lasting grace and devotion toward us. Amy's memoir beautifully exemplifies how God’s compassion will strengthen us despite every challenge hurled in our direction. Worry to Wonder is a powerful reminder to trust in God's expected outcome, not our own.

Pikasho Deka

Amy Hagerup is a successful entrepreneur and author with decades of experience in missionary work. In From Worry to Wonder, Amy shares her life story -- from her childhood in Georgia and South Carolina to her years spent in different countries in Africa as a missionary. When Amy was just a child, she and her family were abandoned by her father, leading her mother to assume sole responsibility for her children. Despite their modest upbringing, her mother always ensured her children grew up knowing God's love. After graduating from Columbia Bible College, Amy married Mark and began her lifelong journey as a missionary. Over the next few decades, she undergoes many extraordinary events, including a house arrest in Ghana with her young son, her daughter's illness, adoption issues, reuniting with her estranged father, and more.

From Worry to Wonder is a tell-all memoir that shows how our faith in God helps us navigate significant trials and tribulations, allowing life to surprise us in the most wonderful ways, even in times of adversity. Using a non-linear narrative, Amy Hagerup provides an unflinching account of her life, revealing the ways God's love helped her overcome the many challenges life threw in her and her family's way. Amy's stories about her experiences in Ethiopia and Ghana as a missionary for SIM International (SIM) are truly extraordinary. They demonstrate the resilient power of the human spirit and faith. These stories are emotionally resonant and provide a glimpse into the human condition in ways that leave you with a lot to think about. If you enjoy inspiring human interest stories, this memoir will be right up your alley!