Tea with Elephants - (Suitcase Sisters) by Robin Jones Gunn

About the Book

When longtime friends Fern and Lily get the chance to fulfill their dream of going on safari in Kenya, they welcome the break from their complicated worlds back home. But the journey will provide more than a change of scenery; it just might give them a new perspective on the lives they'll return to.

Book Synopsis

Ever since they met as teenagers volunteering at a conference center in Costa Rica 20 years ago, Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden have shared a close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a reality. It's the trip of a lifetime--but life sure isn't what they thought it would be back when they were young.

Along with their suitcases, each woman brings along emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. Yet the people they meet and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts--but only if they surrender to the lessons God wants to teach them in this unexpected land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.

Pack your bags and get ready for adventure as Robin Jones Gunn invites you on a safari of the heart in this vulnerable exploration of how to move forward in faith even when the future is uncertain.

From the Back Cover

"If you want to travel fast, go alone. If you want to travel far, go together."
African proverb

Ever since Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden met as teenagers volunteering at a conference center in Costa Rica twenty years ago, they have shared a close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a reality. It's the trip of a lifetime--but life sure isn't what they thought it would be back when they were young.

Along with their suitcases, both women bring emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. The two best friends slowly open up to each other about the challenges waiting for them back home. Soon they discover that the people they meet and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts--but only if they listen to the gentle lessons God is teaching them in this land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.

Get ready for an unforgettable adventure on a safari of the heart in this vulnerable exploration of how to move forward in faith even when the future is uncertain.


"Only a well-seasoned traveler like Robin could pen such a lovely tale of two kindred spirits exploring a beautiful slice of Africa. My only complaint: now I want to go to Kenya too!"--Melody Carlson, recipient of a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, author of Just for the Summer and A Royal Christmas

About the Author

Robin Jones Gunn is the bestselling and award-winning author of more than 100 books, including the Sisterchicks series and the Christy Miller series for teen girls. Her books have sold more than 6 million copies. Robin and her husband have two grown children and four grandchildren and live in southern California, where she co-hosts the Women Worth Knowing podcast. The details in this novel come from Robin's trips to Africa, where she strolled through a tea field, slept in a treetop hotel on Mount Kenya, and went on safari with her Kenyan friend who makes delicious masala chai tea. Learn more at RobinGunn.com.