When we write material for publication, we have a target audience in mind. We write for people who are new to English. We write for people who have had little or no exposure to the Bible. That is why we use a reduced vocabulary set and a simplified grammar. However, from time to time, we are pleasantly surprised that other people find the books helpful as well. Here is a note we received from a woman in Canada.

“I did not grow up in a Christian family, so when I came to know Christ as an adult 4 years ago, I did not know where or how to start studying the Bible. Recently, I bought the Travel Guide to the Bible because it was being sold at our church. As soon as I started reading, I knew that this was what I had been looking for 4 years ago. I was so excited that I had found what I felt was the best resource every new Christian should have.”

We were to find out later that, not only had she found it helpful for herself, she was so confident that the book would help other people, she bought sixty copies of the book to donate to her church. She wanted every new believer in their church to be able to have the book to “put them on the right track from the beginning.”

Not all surprises are welcomed ones. This one certainly was.