Joan Waste and her Bible (Part 1)

Dear Boys and Girls,

In the city of Derby their lived a blind girl by the name of Joan Waste. Joan and her family were very poor. In order to make some money to buy food and clothes she knitted strong woollen socks which she sold on the Market days.

Joan's mother was dead, and she lived with her father who was a rope-maker. Although she could not see, she still managed to help her daddy with his work but when he died, also, she went to live with her brother.

Joan began to go to church and there, she heard the Bible, God's own Word, being read. How thrilled she was with all she heard and she began to look forward all week to Sunday when she would once more hear about the most wonderful person who had now come into her life, Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As Joan sat hour after hour knitting her never-ending pile of socks the needles seemed to be “click-clacking” even faster than usual, for she had begun to think of a very exciting plan. “Why should I not buy a copy of the Good News Book myself?” she thought; “I can't read it for myself, but surely I could find someone who could read it for me, and as they read it, they too will come to know about the Lord Jesus.” And so, each week, more and more pairs of socks were taken to the Market and sold, and each week, some of the money was taken and was put aside in a little box.

At last, the day came when Joan had enough to buy her very own Bible. How happy she was as she carried her precious book under her arm; but what next? She had her Bible, but who was going to read it for her? “The best man of all to read it to me,” thought Joan, “would be Master John Pemerton, the parish clerk, but poor Mr. Pemerton is in jail for not paying his debts.” However, she was not discouraged, because her brother told her that even people in jail could still have visitors to come and see them, and so, on two days of every week, two strange visitors would visit Master Pemerton in jail. One of the visitors was the poor blind girl, Joan Waste, and the other was some other girl or boy who could be persuaded to lead her along the dark narrow streets to the jail. In my next letter I'll tell you what happened in the jail.