Thursday 4 June 2015

COMING SOON. . .


One of the many types of writing I do is rewriting/editing. The past few months I have been doing this for Vivien Wilson.
Vivien is a tough, courageous, generous-hearted lady who, before this, worked for World Vision in Africa amid war, famine and disaster, including the Rwanda genocide. In Rwanda she worked amid piles of rotting, fetid corpses. Her initial book, A Full Life, which I also helped rearrange and edit, covered the African adventures.
Her latest book, soon to be published, Called to the Centre, details her founding of Teen Challenge Centralia. As with the first book, I have found it a faith-builder, an inspiration and some plain hard work.
The biggest challenge for me is to retain Vivien’s voice, yet edit out any actual mistakes. I’ve left in the jargon, the slang, and tried to keep her ‘turn of phrase’ while hopefully bringing it to publication standard.

Called to the Centre sparkles with miracles. You’ll wonder why you haven’t heard of some of the healings, even the returnings from death.
It could be a daunting scene. Imagine the dramatic beauty of the brilliant blue skies and the red rocky outcrops, the lavender ranges curling in the distance. But here and there, in Alice Springs or the Aboriginal communities in the area, are petrol sniffers, glue sniffers, drinkers, sniffing or drinking themselves towards premature death. Some are in wheelchairs from the side effects of what they inhale or drink. Some give up and hang themselves.
Amid this depressing situation a handful of workers, some Christians (including Vivien), take practical help and words of life to the hurting. This extends to anyone who crosses her path or who knocks at her door at all hours of the day and night. She is confronted with situations beyond her medical expertise (she is a nurse with experience in many countries) but “I did what I always do and prayed for them,” she says. And they are often healed.  In the midst of all these miracles (often the result of Vivien’s prayers), are never ending deaths, suicides, frustrations. But Vivien has carried on, battling discouragement, resisting tempting offers of exciting work overseas, never giving up. Her love for these people shines through.
She has every reason to face discouragement. One of the people given up for dead was taken off life support. To everyone’s surprise, he was soon healed, not dead! “You’d think it would have caused a revival,” Vivien says, “but it didn’t. Even in Jesus’ time, many were healed and some followed Him but many walked away.” 

I found quite moving Vivien’s love for the needy, her perseverance against all odds, her unquenchable faith. 

I expect this book will be out within a few months.

Who will like it?  Anyone who enjoyed her first book, A Full Life. Anyone interested in the Aboriginal people. Anyone interested in Central Australia. And of course, anyone who enjoys missionary stories or is keen to have a challenge and inspiration to his/her faith. I enjoyed this book even more than its prequel.

Thank you, Vivien!

 

 

 

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this soon to be published book Jeanette. Such a huge need in this region. I will check out her first book although it might be a confronting read.

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  2. That sounds like a must read and very inspiring story, thank you for sharing Jeanette.

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  3. Thanks, Mimi. I'm just doing a final check now on the formatted text. Vivien is a brave lady!

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  4. What an inspiring life. When was the book published?

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  5. 2015. Jenny, I just discovered all these comments now! Sorry for the lengthy delay. Thanks for commenting too.

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