No Longer Rubbish!- by Erik Cornelisse
When lockdown started, March last year, I started thinking what my legacy would be if and when we would come out the other end. Our daughter encouraged me to get this little story published, which I have told around Europe and in local schools and churches for many a year. A story of discovering that inside a stinking mess, something beautiful can be hidden away. That inside each person who is struggling, something to admire can be found. A story of a boy and his favourite teddy, a story of a teddy found at the dump, a story of loving … the unlovable!
After a difficult and painful journey, on the 21st February this year .. I became a bonafide, published children’s author. Copies of No Longer Rubbish! have now been used for Baptism classes in churches in Drax (indeed, I’d never heard of it either), Middlesbrough, Nottingham and other towns. We also produced a video version for ‘virtual assemblies’ with introductions by the lovely Janet Mottram. Schools in Hailsham, Gloucester, Coventry, Sydney (as in Australia!) and other places have already used this. Copies have been sent to a library in Romania (as a tool to teach English under Roma children) as well as India and State side. At Easter we donated copies for every resident at Bernhard Baron Home and Cottages and the feedback has been amazing. In July, a church in Danehill will use it for their Holiday club where I have been invited to do a book presentation and signing (it’s all still feeling rather strange).
Please pray for this little, true story to touch more lives than I could ever imagine or pray for.
Further details can be found here: https://no-longer-rubbish.company.site/