The Waterproof Bible arrived and my children were enthralled. My son said he would have taken off with it and kept it for himself were it not pink. ;) (We received this one.) It looks like a regular Bible. I don't think I'd recognize it as special or different or waterproof at first glance.
We don't camp. Outdoor swim/pool season isn't upon us yet. So, I took the Waterproof Bible to the obvious place: the bathtub. I had to take my reading glasses along as I can't read tiny print without some magnification, now.
When I finally got time to soak in the tub, I settled in and opened the Bible. I didn't worry about wet fingers turning pages. I dribbled water on it gently. Bardin&Marsee sent a couple of waterproof bookmarks with the Bible and I submerged them. Impressive. They held up with no signs of having been dunked. I was hooked.
My teen with autism wanted a turn. She has become more independent in bathing and showering but still needs to be monitored and I drew her a bath and left the door slightly ajar so I could keep an eye on her. The idea of completely submerging God's Word goes against everything in me, but my daughter has no such qualms, and I could see through the crack in the door her lift the Bible above her head and then push it completely under water. I heard the gurgle of the water as it went under. She baptized it. Yes, she did. And it survived.
A novelty for her? Yes. But much more.
She's 'captive' (not literally) in the bathtub. Her attention is captive, anyway, with no big distractions. After she dunked the Bible, I gave her a verse to look up and read to me, walked her through how to find the chapter and the verse. I gave her the obvious, John 3:16, and we talked about what it means.
She read a little in it. I wish we'd have been given a more modern translation and may order one for her, as having a bathtub friendly version is really attractive to me for a child with autism who finds reading challenging. The novelty of reading in the tub and not worrying about ruining the pages, the tactile input from the water (and epsom salts) all provide a setting for learning we had not been able to explore before.
Through the bathroom door, I asked her if she could think of reasons people might need a waterproof Bible. Yes, I always take opportunities to perspective-take with my child on the autism spectrum. We created a list out loud. Swimmers. Campers. People in the rain. People who work outdoors. Water slide lovers. Water park lovers. For every boy and girl who like to take baths and showers. It is safe in the snow or at the ice skating arena in a bag that contains wet or damp items.
My Waterproof Bible was moved to the edge of my bathroom sink and in a moment of stupidity while getting ready for church the next day while picking up a flat iron, I accidentally knocked the Bible into the sink topped with an entire cup of coffee (with cream and sugar). I experienced a moment of panic as I wondered if it would survive my morning moment of liquid goodness. I rinsed it off, wiped it down, we were good to go.
My high schooler found a favorite verse to underline. She wanted to test smudge-ability. Waterproof Bible passed that test. I took it to church and wrote notes in the margins during a sermon from Psalms. Thumbs up.
We have been impressed by the toughness of the Waterproof Bible. It can go from the kitchen table to the baseball gear bag without concerns that we'll spill milk on it or tear it up with equipment. The pages are tough for the kid who is rough and tumble, too.
If you are looking for a durable Bible for any reason, I recommend the Waterproof Bible. We think it's great!
