Never too late – publishing debut book at age 78

“I did it! It is never too late. My name is Koos van der Merwe and at age 78 I have just published my debut book, Share Jesus with Joy, and Sow the Gospel. A lifelong dream of mine has become a reality and I want to share this with the world.”

DEBUT BOOK

For twenty years Koos lived with the dream of publishing and distributing his book. Our process, from mentoring and rewriting to the published product, took just eight months. I am extremely proud of what Koos has achieved. It is testament to human resilience that we can achieve great things at any age.

WHO IS KOOS VAN DER MERWE?

Koos believes that hope gives meaning to people. And he trusts that his book Share Jesus with Joy and Sow the Gospel will give meaning to their hope.

Koos has lived in Alberton for most of his life. He worked as a teacher, trainer, personnel manager, and training consultant for 45 years. Koos has been a member of Gideons International in South Africa for more than three decades His passion is to give people hope and to lead people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

He qualified at the Goudstad Teacher Training College, Johannesburg Technical College, Rand University, Pretoria University, and UNISA.

OUR PROCESS

When Koos contacted me, we set up a coffee meeting at a nearby Mugg& Bean. It was August 2023 and Koos had the first draft of his book ready. The book is about a concept that has been his lifelong passion, and now it was time to get it into print.

The process of proofreading, organizing the manuscript and getting it print ready, took a couple of months but in April this year Koos held his very own book in his hands.

It was an exhilarating and inspiring journey to work with Koos, as he is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with people, both young and old.

TO HAVE A CLEAR IDEA

Koos had a clear idea of what he wanted to achieve with his book. He explains it as follows:

“The book is a practical, user-friendly, simple and easy-to-use method to Share Jesus with Joy and Sow the Gospel.  The book features a model to Share Jesus with Joy and Sow the Gospel to non-believers, Christians, old people, sick people, and children.

The program Share Jesus with and Joy Sow the Gospel is intended for Christians and churchgoers who would like to live out the faith by Sharing their love for Jesus with Joy with other people.”

In the interim Koos has already presented the program to 24 groups and delivered 22 information sessions. More than a thousand people heard and experienced the message.

A LAST WORD FROM KOOS

Without Anemari Jansen as my mentor, this would not have been possible,” says Koos.

For more information about the book and the program, and to make a booking with Koos, he can be contacted at the following:

Cell: 083 549 9682

Email: koos@sharejesus.org.za

Website: sharejesus.org.za