Book 2

Acknowledgements and extra information about many of the stories in Book 2

Story 1 Carter crab finds a home
Incredibly, hermit crabs really do line up roughly in order of size as they wait for just the right size shell. Read more about the hermit crab here

Story 2 Dinosaur thief
Names have all been changed to protect the guilty!

Story 3 Angela changed her mind
Angela is now a mum and teacher in NSW. She was too young to remember this incident but Anita certainly remembers screaming when she saw their badly injured mum in hospital.

Story 4 Drowned book
Elijah trained as a doctor and lives in NSW with his wife and children.

Story 6 Ants in the garden
Stacey and Mel were the cutest little twins with big innocent blue eyes. No one would ever suspect them of doing anything wrong – and most people had no idea of the number of times this rascally pair tricked them. It’s a lot of fun being an identical twin! Stacey and Mel are young mothers themselves now and live in Wollongong.

Story 7 Dry Tank
Colin worked as a teacher in Vanuatu for many years. He says the story of the dry tank really showed him the power of God and His willingness to help His children.

Story 8 Vandals in the shed
Sofia still feels bad about what happened in the shed that day and truly sorry for the part she played in wrecking Ivy's skirt even though she didn't squirt the gel She was part of the group and felt she should have walked away. And she's still not owning up to her true identity!

Story 9 Chased by a rhino
Laura is a grandmother living in NSW, but she still remembers that scary run through the jungles of Nepal when she was a young tourist

Story 10 The untidy bench
Story based on https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/you-wont-believe-your-eyes-watching-this-mouse-tidy-up-a-mans-garden-shed-workbench/
Read more and watch a video here

Story 11 Brooklyn and the wombats
Story based on https://www.huffpost.com/archive/au/entry/brooklyn-the-dog-stuck-in-wombat-hole-rescued_n_8493574
Read about womabts here

Story 13 Forbidden ride
Jennifer was sore for months before she was able to walk properly without pain. She became a nurse and has now retired in New Zealand.

Story 14 Thick fog
George Mueller was an amazing man of faith. Read more of his experiences here

Story 15 The smashed car
Karla and Silas live in NSW and saw the impatient driver smash his way through the boom gate one New Year’s Eve. They couldn’t believe the damage he caused by his impatience.

Story 17 The mystery man
Rob became a hospital administrator and he and his wife have retired in NSW.

Story 18 Joshua the goat
Story based on https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/runaway-goat-wins-gold-medal-after-secretly-joining-half-marathon
Joshua is a Newfoundland goat who, in September 2024, accidentally ran part of a half-marathon, the T'Railway Trek in Conception Bay South, after escaping his home at a local pumpkin patch. After being reunited with his owner, Heidi Taylor, Joshua was awarded a medal for his participation and became a viral sensation. The event's mayor hopes Joshua can participate again, perhaps as a greeter.
Read more of Joshua and watch a video here

Story 19 The money that grew
Hattie’s story reminds us of the story of the widow who Jesus saw give ‘all that she had’. The stories of Hattie’s small gift and the widow’s mite have inspired others to give, and their example has helped to raise millions of dollars over the years.
Read more of the story here

Story 21 Watermelon in the desert
This story took place when the Down family were driving through Afghanistan in their car and homemade caravan many years ago before tourism became commonplace.

Story 23 The dirty pond
Krystal and Verity are both active in children’s ministries as they encourage their little ones to know Jesus.

Story 24 Stolen cigarettes
Conrad became a nurse and worked as an ambulance officer for a number of years. He has not touched cigarettes since – and his dad never knew he tried one!

Story 25 The muffled twang
Jackson worked with school groups as a camp instructor for a number of years and was loved by the boys he taught. He lives in Queensland and often takes club groups out abseiling as a volunteer instructor.

Story 26 Broken truck
Soren is a dad himself now and works in NSW. He says he learned his lesson and never scared Jason again.

Story 27 Mary's treasure
The story of Mary Jones is well known as the catalyst for the Bible Society whose aim is to make the Bible available to everyone. In 2024 alone they distributed 150 million Scriptures and over 2.6 billion in the 10 years before that. It sounds encouraging, but a recent report states that 100 million Christians around the world sill do not have access to a Bible.
Read more about Mary Jones and her Bible here

Story 28 Letter to Santa
Read more of Operation Christmas Child here