Where Is That Book You Were Given? The Great Controversy

Steps to Life’s Bible Worker, Hayley Phillips, each week spends a day or so right in the centre of Melbourne’s CBD sharing timely message books. She is often accompanied by a colleague who helps her transport the quantity of books she needs to meet the demand for them. We thank Francis Branagan and Mark Mason for being this regular support for Hayley.

Each time Hayley sets up her stand for the books, by the time she is packing up, between 300 to 400 books have been accepted by passers-by who are willing to take a copy of what is on offer for that day.

Hayley’s report on highlights for the last few weeks follows.

I am pleased to provide an update on the Bible Worker activities we are doing in the city.

We have been going into the city on Wednesdays and setting up a book stand on the corner of Swanston and and Latrobe Streets, Melbourne. This is outside the State Library of Victoria.

Each day we are blessed to see new people that we haven’t met before, even though we are in the same location each week. The library area is a great location to engage with people, there are grass areas and park benches where people come to relax and enjoy the sun. I find that people in this relaxed setting welcome a friendly face and a smile, and more often than not, are willing to find out about the books we are handing out and happy to receive a copy for themselves.

We have followed up with the prayer group we visited last month. (See our previous News Flash where Hayley told about the invitation to her, Mark and Francis, to join some other Christian folks in their weekly prayer groups in a building in the CBD of Melbourne) . The building they meet in has meeting rooms plus hotel rooms and apartments. We made contact with the manager and found that many rooms don’t have the traditional Bible available in the room. So, the manager has taken our Steps to Christ books to place in each room as they believe this will help people find Jesus. When the books are taken by guests, they are replenished from the stock of Steps to Christ I am able to provide.

We had a man come to the table and say “I had been given this book (The Great Controversy) two years ago and I left it in my shed. The other week I found it in the shed and thought I will never read it. So, I put it on the recycle bin and went inside the house. When I got inside the house my wife said, “Where is that book you were given, The Great Controversy?” The man said, “ I had just put it on the bin to go out” My wife said, “Go get the book, I have just seen an advert on TV about The Great Controversy and we need to read that book.” “So, we are currently reading the book and finding it amazing”.

The man then sincerely thanked us for having the faith to hand out the books.

We don’t know who gave The Great Controversy to this man. It goes to show we are all servants planting seeds to bring people to God.

I would like to thank everyone who has been praying for us and supporting us. We are giving out between 150 – 200 copies of The Great Controversy plus approximately 150 of other titles each week.

As we are giving out between 300 – 400 books each week we need between $800 to $1,000 per week in donations to keep supplying the needed books.

We greatly appreciate your support in continuing this ministry, placing books in the hands of the people who are seeking truth.

Thanks, and God Bless.

Hayley Phillips.

Please keep Hayley in your prayers and thoughts.

The couple in the photo holding up The Great Controversy next to the book table, were walking by and wanted a copy for themselves. They asked Hayley to take their picture with The Great Controversy book. Hayley has not seen them before or since. Every book taken will have a story about it that we may never learn. Please also pray that the books handed out will be read and then shared.

If you are able to help provide some of the funds Steps to Life uses to purchase the books that Hayley needs on a weekly basis, please phone Cherryl at Steps to Life on 03 9739 4093 or 0411 481 930 or send her an email with your phone number, asking her to phone you.