I had no idea what the Lord was going to do in the beginning of all this. I was down in Australia helping with a church plant where my pastor Terry Martins had an amazing cover on his Bible. I thought it was beautiful, so some other team members and I went and covered our Bibles in the same way. When I came back to the states I wanted to cover some new Bibles as gifts for some friends, and that is really where all this began.

The NKJ Wide Margin Bible had been discontinued but I desired to cover one and give it as a gift for a very dear friend. I was fortunate to find one of the remaining hard backs, purchased it, then simply asked Jesus how to make it leather bound. He gave an idea, and with much prayer I tried it and it worked beautifully. From there the Lord brought Bibles that were in pieces and needing to be restored. Prayerfully I used the same technique that He gave me to turn a hard back into leather bound, to restore wonderfully used old Bibles.

Since then there have been many trials and errors but God gave me grace through the people whose Bibles had complications. I am incredibly thankful for every one of these people. They showed me grace, understanding, and love through it all. As the Lord continued to bless and lead this ministry, He took it from the desire to make gifts for family and friends to a much larger ministry that has been able to reach more people than I had ever dreamed of.

Through the years Jesus has provided amazing modifications to better the outcome of the finished product. Now a brand new Bible or an older loved falling-apart Bible can be preserved in a beautiful, sturdy and lasting way. Hence this ministry is called "Preserve the Word". He has continued to give ideas and thoughts for new styles and more gifts to offer, like hand-made leather journals and purses.

In April of 2008 I married Graham Wathen who is my E320 (Ephesians 3:20)! He helped me at various times in the past with the work in this ministry and since we have gotten married, we have been doing it together full-time. It has been a blessing to see how He has perfectly fit us together in this. It was difficult to be newlyweds and partners in a full-time budding business, but as we took that step of faith and continue to take them, He is faithful to meet us and bless us. Through us being together, He has taken this ministry to a whole new level, being able to help and bless many more people than I could have ever imagined.

We now have four beautiful kids who we are homeschooling as they are our first ministry as a couple. We are thankful that we can work together and from home so that we may raise them in and by the grace of our Lord.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and to visit our site. Whether you ever get a Bible recovered or rebound by us or not, we pray that we would be a blessing to you and that The Lord would grow you in His love.

In Him,

Sam & Graham Wathen