Seeking the Lost

Apologies to subscribers to Write for a Reason who have already heard this story! We have a new young rescue cat called Terence. The rescue centre advised us not to let him outside for at least two weeks, until he had bonded with us, or he wouldn’t come back as he wouldn’t consider it home. Isn’t he cute! He was found abandoned in an empty building; a neighbour was feeding him through the letter box.

When two weeks had passed he seemed settled, but the second time he went out he was away so long I thought we had lost him. I went round the garden and up and down the road, shaking the biscuit box calling ‘Terence’ (sorry, neighbours!) and eventually we got him home. Phew! In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd leaves the 99 grazing safely on the hillside and goes to look for the lost sheep. How happy the shepherd was to have found his lost sheep! I felt a bit like that when I finally got Terence back.

The Lord doesn’t want any of his little ones to be lost. (Matthew 18:10-14) That’s the reason Dernier exists: to help at least some of them find the way home.

Lacking Funds?

Christmas is a great opportunity to reach out with Christian books, which might not be so easily accepted any other time of year . . . but when you already have so many other expenses, the opportunity can be lost. If you have been thinking that you’d love to give your Brownie pack a copy each of The Birthday Shoes, offer your youth club members a copy each of The City Kid, or send a pack of books to a children’s home in Africa, but can’t afford to buy that many books yourself, could you:

• Ask your prayer group/homegroup to pitch in; maybe if you split the cost it would be achievable?
• Raise money at an event: what about a mulled wine evening with an auction of promises?
• I know a Sunday School teacher who asked church members to sponsor a book each and pray for the child who would receive the gift – she had an amazing response.

If you can’t get the funds together but have a need, please contact me – there may be a way we can help. Our mission is to get our books into as many young people’s hands as possible. If you can afford to pay for the books full price, that’s great—it will help us to produce more, but if not, we’d hate a missed opportunity. 🙂

Do you have a local Christian bookshop?

Most Christian bookshops stock our books, but they sell a huge range of other books and gifts, advent calendars, cards, daily Bible reading notes, CDS, DVDs . . . all to encourage and inspire! This bookshop is the CLC bookshop in Coventry. Doesn’t it just make you want to go shopping? 🙂

Do support Christian bookshops, they do a great job. Thanks to Eddie Olliffe for the photo.

Interview

Clive Lewis, author of The City Kid, was interviewed for the latest trade magazine, Together. This is a great opportunity to showcase the book to retailers; we are grateful to all in the trade who support us.

The main aim of this particular book is evangelism. Would your church teens like to give a copy each to a friend for Christmas? Great to get them involved in reaching out to their peers. One reviewer wrote:

“I was thoroughly drawn in by the story . . . John’s redemption in particular was sensitively handled and felt entirely believable, rather than skidding sideways into the story and breaking the spell.”

According to recent reports, an estimated 1 in 12 to 1 in 15 young people self harm. By the age of 13, at least 50% of girls are significantly unhappy with their appearance, suicide rates are rising alarmingly among young men, and knife/gun crime are at their highest levels ever (another lad was stabbed to death recently near us – yet another appalling tragedy) . . . but 75% of Christians first came to know the Lord when they were young. We must do what we can while we can; there is a fight for the lives of our young people. We can’t guarantee any of our books will change anyone’s life, but we just don’t know what the Lord might do, and we can’t sit about doing nothing. Read more about The City Kid here.

Second BBG in Croatian

This arrived in the post a week or two ago when Eleanor and I were struggling with a virus; it really cheered us up! It’s the second in the Beech Bank Girls series to be translated and printed in Croatian. 🙂 So exciting to know that girls for whom English is not their first language will be able to enjoy these books. Please pray that many girls will read and be inspired. Please also pray for Michelle, who is undertaking the Greek translation project. She needs a Greek proof-reader – if you have any contacts, please let us know!

Please Help!

Facebook is a good way to get known, but I need your help! Would you be kind enough to go over to our fb page, ‘like’, comment on and share the ‘books for Christmas’ posts I am putting up every day? Every interaction means the post is seen by more people . . . thank you so much. They look like this:

Need a Speaker?

I gave a talk at a local church’s ‘Tuesday Fellowship’ a couple of weeks ago. It was lovely to talk to the older generation about our books and share the Dernier vision. I spend a lot of time at the computer, so it’s a treat for me to see real faces :-). If you would like me to talk to your group, please ask!

Church Library

From an email: “I came to your stall at the CRE exhibition in Maidstone last month, and think of you as quite a discovery. My 13 year-old granddaughter read through all four books about the Beech Bank Girls in the half term week that she stayed with me; she was riveted.”

Rosemary bought several of our books for her church library – she says, “I didn’t want preachy books, or Moral Stories, but I did want books that would introduce, or deepen, our young people’s understanding of God, and of His place in their lives, whilst at the same time telling a good strong story.”

Thank you for getting in touch, Rosemary, and thanks to all who pray – more books have found a good home! Thrilling to think that over the years many children might read these books. Do you have a church library?

Books for Prisoners’ Children

A further 100 copies of Beech Bank Girls, Christmas is Coming, are making their way to prisoners’ children via the Angel Tree arm of the Prison Fellowship. We sent 150 last month, but they have already gone and have requested more! Thank you to all who prayed – don’t stop! If you would like to buy a copy of this fab book for a vulnerable girl you know, please visit your local Christian bookshop or here on our website. We would be delighted to help you!

I think that’s all the news for now. By the grace of God, and thanks to your support, more books are going out than ever, but there is still much to be done. Please keep praying for us and for all the children who read our books – and don’t forget to buy some!

Thank you. 🙂

Janet

P.S. I nearly forgot to say, A Pennyworth of Peppermints is now back in stock. 🙂

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