I had a plan, but plans are often derailed by the unexpected. Bruce, who is producing my book, told me Faith’s Mystery would be released Fall 2022. Unforeseen circumstances has delayed the book release date to Spring 2023. Therefore, I am slowing the release of The Making of a Book to once a week on Sundays.
Photo by Matias North on Unsplash
THE MAKING OF A BOOK
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PART 30 A MISSIONARY EXPERIENCE
Pastor Wade, the subject of Engulfed in Fire, had one of the most interesting stories in my book. He survived the turmoil in Honduras by joining a gang and became its recruiter. Through his efforts their gang became the largest in Honduras. He attended a Christian youth camp to recruit members for his gang. His mission failed when they recruited him. He later moved to New Orleans and started a bilingual church to serve the Hispanic community.
My husband was off on the day Pastor Wade scheduled me to make a presentation about Finding Faith in the City Care Forgot at Iglesia VIDA. He welcomed the offer of Rod having a special service for the children.
I helped Rod set things up for his service and then found a seat on the front row in the sanctuary. After the announcements, Pastor Wade introduced me to the congregation and handed me the microphone.
“Wait for the translation,” he said.
For the next ten minutes, I had a taste of what it’s like to speak in a foreign land as everything I said was translated into Spanish. Many of the congregation members were from Honduras, so I shared how a woman from Honduras started my writing career and read an excerpt from Pastor Wades story.
After the service, I stood by my display in the foyer. Some children were showing Squiggy, Rod’s diver that lives in a water filled two-liter bottle, to their father. Rod used Squiggy to teach the children a simple message about obedience. He controlled Squiggy by applying slight pressure to the bottle. The pressure caused the diver to sink to the bottom of the bottle. When he released the pressure, the diver rose to the top. Rod manipulated the diver to either obey or disobey him. After the service Rod showed the children how to control the diver, and they were entertaining their father. Their father looked at me and said, “That is so cool.”
Dalyz was surprised that I remembered her name. When I visited the church to interview Pastor Wade, she had translated the service for me. She bought a book when she learned I had included her in Pastor Wade’s story.
While I chatted with Dalyz, a young man who attended the University of New Orleans read the back of a promotional card with comments people had made about the book. He was impressed by the atheist statement “The personal approach of telling stories about the effect of faith in people’s lives paid off. It’s a fluid read that strikes a chord. I would not be surprised if this book goes into multiple printings.”
“Did an atheist really say that?”
“Yes,” I replied. “His story is the last chapter in the book.”
“You should come to UNO.”
“I’d love to. Do you know someone who could invite me?”
While he thought about it, Dalyz paid for his book, which had been a common occurrence since I started selling the book.
I sold the last book to a young woman who spoke broken English. She had recently come to America and friends had chided her for not learning the language. “I’m going to use your book to learn how to read English,” she said.
My husband pointed to his wrist as a sign he was ready to go. He doesn’t wear a watch, but I knew what he meant. He had promised our son that he would help him put up a fence, and it was getting late. I cleared the table of my promotional materials and packed the remaining unsold books. While my husband and son worked on the fence, I spent the rest of the day playing with my grandchildren. The end of a perfect day.
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT SUNDAY…
Faith's Mystery 