Reading stories is an important activity we incorporate during speech therapy to increase our student’s vocabulary, improve their comprehension, and teach them social skills. Last 2017, I wanted to create a simple storybook that could help my students, so I did but only in my head. I wasn’t seriously considering on self-publishing. Then I remembered my sister could draw (haha) so I asked her to illustrate for me just for fun. She did, but she didn’t get the chance to finish it.
Fast forward a year later, I saw one of my schoolmates on Facebook doing illustration works. I randomly messaged her to ask if she was interested in working with me on a project. To my surprise, she was!
This was an entry in my prayer journal before we actually met.
(I save my prayer journal as draft messages in my email because I don’t like writing them on notebooks, and also because my penmanship is really bad!haha)
And I guess you could say the rest is history! It’s been almost a year since I self-published When My Friend Wins. By God’s grace, we’ve sold about 3,600 copies. It doesn’t sound a lot, but to have come this far and to have done it without any publisher is something I never would have thought was possible. To have been given this opportunity to help 3,600 families by providing a material parents can use to teach their children empathy—this is more than what I have prayed for!
Truly, no dream is too big nor insignificant when placed in the capable hands of our Almighty Father.
One thing I’ve learned in all this is:
When God plants a desire in your heart, allow Him to evaluate, correct, and align your motives with His purpose. It may take time but once refined, He will surely provide you the courage and the capability to set out what He has called you to do. The goal you want to accomplish will slowly transform into something deeper, something grander. It grows into a passion of wanting to be used by the Refiner. I guess that’s always the case when you surrender your desires to God.
I’ll say it again: All this is one hundred percent all God. Thank You!
Here are some reviews from happy parents 🙂
For those who’d like to get a copy, you can order through the FB page https://www.facebook.com/GailAndPablo/ or my IG account https://www.instagram.com/robynchuar/ .
Do watch out for my next storybook! It’s coming out real soon!!!
Robyn Rodriguez 