A providential mistake

We have great staff who look after all the orders coming in (via phone calls, online store and walk-ins) and they ensure each order is shipped out in a timely manner. However, occasionally a mistake is made and then we do our utmost to make sure we correct it to the best of our ability.

Last fall, one such mistake became a blessing in disguise—both for our customer as well as for us as a staff.

Lisa,* a French language teacher in a Christian school, had been introduced to GoodSeed resources by an enthusiastic friend. When she was given The Lamb to read to her four-year-old daughter, she did so several times, appreciating the simple and clear message the book contained. They especially connected with the explanation of the atoning lamb sacrifice and how it pictures Christ’s sacrifice for us. Lisa said, “It is written so clearly!”

It became her daughter’s habit to listen to the accompanying audiobook CD at bedtime, hearing the truths of the gospel simply expressed each night. More recently, Lisa and her daughter have begun to watch the Learn about the Bible video course on our website, where it’s available to view free of charge. Despite her tender age, Lisa feels that her daughter is understanding much of what she is seeing and is excited to know that she is grasping such profound, yet foundational knowledge at an early age.

Before Christmas, Lisa found herself scrolling through GoodSeed’s website and noticed that there were a number of translations, including a French translation of The Lamb—L’Agneau.

She became inspired to use L’Agneau with her French students, both as a way of increasing their abilities in conversational French as well as helping them learn the phrasing and vocabulary needed to share the gospel in French.

So it was that she placed an order for 20 copies of L’Agneau and waited for the books. Several days later, the shipment arrived at her doorstep, but inside were 20 English copies!

When she called our office, our staff member immediately realized her mistake and offered to ship a new case free of charge. However, Lisa hesitated to incur the extra expense and instead offered to see if she could sell the books to folks around her, while she waited for her French copies. She later said she felt the mistake was the Lord’s hand—a “providential” mistake.

She took the English copies of The Lamb and began showing them around to elementary teachers at her school. As her co-workers thumbed through the books, they immediately connected with the story. Every elementary teacher ended up buying a copy for their classrooms, as well as extras for Christmas gifts. When her high school ESL co-workers recognized the benefit for their students, they also bought several copies. As Lisa walked down the hall, she kept hearing words like, “That book! That book! It’s been great! I’ve been reading it with my kids!” Within two weeks, Lisa had sold every copy of “that book.”

With Lisa’s own students, she felt the book was effective in giving them a succinct gospel presentation using basic vocabulary that they could share with another French speaker. She used the French version of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus—L’Homme sur le chemin d’Emmaüs—to provide more information and bring their understanding of the gospel to a deeper level for her teenaged students.

With one successful year of teaching the French Lamb behind her, Lisa has a desire to more fully develop a unit using L’Agneau and L’Homme sur le chemin d’Emmaüs as textbooks for teaching the gospel in French—both for her own use and possibly for use by other like-minded teachers.

We are thankful that the Lord took a “providential mistake” and turned it into a blessing for so many.

(*Name changed as per GoodSeed policy.)