Telling our own stories

Telling our own stories

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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about stories.  I read an excellent book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, by Donald  Miller.  In his book, Miller reports being approached by movie producers who wanted to write a story about his life.  But in writing that story, they realized that his character is not very sellable for a movie.  They begin to make him a “better character”, by giving him conflict, good looks, and worthwhile struggles in life.  Through this process, Miller decided that if the movie producers can edit his character to make a better movie, why can’t he edit himself to make a better story out of his life?

Click here to purchase Donald Miller’s book from Biblio.com or from IndieBound
(a portion of your purchase goes directly to BiblioWorks when you buy from Biblio.com)

Would you like to see a movie that’s all about a guy who works hard his whole life to buy a big yacht for himself?  Or would you prefer a movie where someone learns to reconnect with loved ones, appreciate life, be happy, and give of themselves to others?  The first movie may be fun to watch for the night, but I bet you’ll remember the second movie more.  The second one will make an impact on you, and you may even reflect on it for days afterwards.

We all have this choice every day.  There are so many ways that we can help in the world, and make better stories out of our lives.  Whether that’s working at a local soup kitchen, tutoring children, or donating to causes that we believe in.

Elmer’s story

Elmer is a 1st grader and lives in Yamparaez, where BiblioWorks opened a library in 2008.  He loves math, animals, and especially dinosaurs.  At a recent book fair, he said that he loved books so much that he wanted to buy all of them!

Education is one of the causes that I choose to believe in.    The work that BiblioWorks does in Bolivia is so unique; we are the only nonprofit organization building libraries in Bolivia!  In our libraries, children are given the opportunity to read books, books that could change their lives.  Just like my experience in reading Donald Miller’s book, these children could read a book that helps them see life in a new way, and maybe even create a better story out of their own lives.  And maybe in that better “story”, they choose to go to college and become leaders in their society…all because someone gave them a book!
HELP US BUY BOOKS AND CHANGE LIVES!  We are working hard to open our 8th library in Tomina, but we can’t do it without you.  Please believe that your small act can create a better story for others; your donation to BiblioWorks can make a difference for children just like Elmer.
To learn more about our efforts in Bolivia, please watch our BiblioWorks movie, it’s about 6 minutes long and worth every moment.

Thank you for your time!

Megan Sherar
President of BiblioWorks
Biblio Charitable Works, Inc.
PO Box 1211
Asheville, NC 28802
msherar@biblioworks.org