In January of 2006, my wife and I were visiting a ministry partner who was in his 93rd year of life. Still active, this man had a real heart for those living in his community. As he shared with us about how his heart ached for his neighbors, tears were streaming down his face. There was no church nearby, and he knew that most of his neighbors had never heard the gospel before.
On his own initiative, he purchased a quantity of small children’s books that described the gospel message. Going door to door, he passed out over 100 booklets. He explained to each person that this booklet would help them understand “what Christmas and Easter were all about.” The books were well received. Not one was refused.
I left this man’s home with the vision...a vision to create a booklet tailor-made for such an outreach. So, taking the children’s book, The Lamb, I adapted it for a broader audience using material from By this Name. Then, Beth Wiens translated it into EasyEnglish, using the criteria and software provided by Wycliffe Associates UK.
The 80-page, fully-illustrated booklet, What are Christmas and Easter all about?, is now available. It is suitable for adults, teenagers or children, and is also very useful with those who are learning English. Thus far, we have seen a tremendous response from individuals and churches alike. We know of several people who have come to a saving faith in Christ through the use of the book.
In the first month, we've sold almost 13,000 of them. Some churches are distributing them to their entire communities or neighborhoods. Some individuals are using them as mini-Bible studies with unbelieving family and friends. To see ideas of how you can use them, click here (small PDF file).
What Next?
- We often hear stories of how peoples' lives are being changed through the use of our materials. If you'd like, here are some of those stories.
- To learn more about the book that this man inspired, check out What are Christmas and Easter all about?.
