A few weeks ago, we attached a picture of the open door of the Bible Shop as it was in 2000 A.D. Step inside with me for a visit to the "Gospel Tract Centre." Do not be put off by the odd spelling of "Bibles" on our display window outside. It is spelled correctly in Afrikaans. Our shop is different from the very "Americanized" Bible bookshop in the mall about four blocks away. They must make money there, They are owned by a major Christian Publishing company and stock the very latest and the best available. That is where one would go to find all the latest and most beautiful Bibles, Christian greeting cards, gifts, novelties, devotional and picture books. Most are available in English or Afrikaans. Expect to pay a more! In our shop, you would find the outside walls displaying all our own publications, face out, starting with the English to your right as you browse. We were publishing over 400 different items representing among them all eleven of the official languages of the country and also those of a number others used in near by countries. These, with Bibles and hymnbooks in the same languages, reach around the entire perimeter of the shop. All African Christians seek to have a Bible and a hymn book in their own language, so we stocked those from the South African Bible Society. They have a beautiful warehouse and office building near the Johannesburg International Airport including a self service Bible shop where one can find Bibles from all over the world. We bought most South Africa's major languages, by the case at a time. Since the Bible Society does not deliver locally, we had a small van, used especially to collect our orders from them. Our grandson, Shannon Bright, lived with us and it was his job to make those trips, and since he was a graduate of Nebraska Christian College, and also was very computer wise, he also cared for our computers and sometimes served customers, both shoppers and those with photocopying or quick printing to be done. I did all our typesetting, no matter what the language was, all the printing, and usually assisted visitors.
The center islands displayed tracts, certificates, greeting cards, and a selection of Christian books, commentaries and reference books.
It was our main goal to serve, especially, our black clients, with all their church's printed needs as economically as possible and still keep the doors open. God blessed this, and we never ran into the red. It was a truly blessed "not for profit business," with Him as our Senior Partner.
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