The Book Blunder and a Silver Lining

“Blessings and Blunders: A Journey of Learning in Rwanda” – Part 4

You’d think by week two we’d be pros at printing, but Africa has a way of keeping you humble—and creative.

We finally received the first copies of our books this week, and the results were mixed. The smaller school books? Absolute perfection. Crisp, clear, and exactly as we envisioned. But our main title, “Part of God’s Plan”, arrived with a surprise: faint white circles scattered across most photos and streaks throughout the print. Imagine a beautiful message blurred by what looked like ghostly thumbprints.

Turns out the printer used a dirty machine. And instead of catching the issue early, he printed the full first run of 150 books. Needless to say, we couldn’t sell them as-is.

But here's the twist: this isn’t just about bad printing—it’s about cultural negotiation. In Rwanda, if you reject a product, the vendor will likely sell it anyway to recoup losses. And since our name is on the cover, that could damage our reputation.

So, we proposed a solution: buy the flawed batch at a discounted rate and sell them ourselves as “seconds.” This way, people who couldn’t afford the full-price version could still access the book. If the printer refuses, he’ll need to destroy the defective copies in front of us—something we hope to avoid.

This workaround might just be a hidden blessing. More readers reached. More conversations sparked. More hearts reminded that every child is valuable, regardless of ability.

And yes—some of these books will be available when we return home. If you’re interested, contact us at livingchannel@gmail.com. The school books are great for teaching English to Kinyarwanda speakers and vice versa. And “Part of God’s Plan”? It’s a heartfelt resource for teaching inclusion, worth every smudge.

Stay tuned for Post 5: “Dolls, Laughter, and Hair Debates”, where our sewing co-op stitches joy—and a bit of comic relief—into every seam.