God’s Word: A Drop of Water in Dry Land

This article was adapted from materials from the Iranian Bible Society in Diaspora.

"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground..." – Isaiah 44:3a

Generally speaking, in the northern hemisphere July’s climate is very hot! Especially if you are in the Middle East. The heat might attract tourists but it scatters the locals. In some parts, the fields are so dry that one would wonder if there has ever been a drop of rain!

Yet, this summer in Turkey, while serving among Iranian refugees, I witnessed a different dry land; a land that has gone through many challenges and trauma; a land that has tasted the pain of homelessness, and the fear of hopelessness; a land that cannot imagine a brighter future in its horizon; a dry land that is thirsty; thirsty for the Word of God.

While their tomorrow is uncertain, in their pursuit of finding an answer, many of them meet the Lord of Hope! The God whose Words are hope-giving, purpose-defining, and thirst-satisfying for the dry lands of our hearts. 

aspire-persia-sep-2016-nt-distributionWhile visiting numerous Iranian refugee Churches in Turkey, I heard the same request over, and over again: “we need more Enjil!” As a drop of water in this dry land, the Iranian Bible Society started a movement of distributing free New Testaments in Turkey. Several thousands of NTs were distributed among Iranian Churches in Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara, Eskishehir, and Denizli. It made a difference, yet the difference between the demands and our limited supplies is as deep as the Grand Canyon! We need a lot of hands to close the gap.

aspire-persia-sep-2016-nt-recipientsBeloved friends, there are many who cannot afford to purchase a New Testament, yet long to have their very own copy. Would you please consider joining the Bible Society in prayer and partnership to make the Word of God more available worldwide?

“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” – Proverbs 22:9

Join us in praying for Iranian Christians:

  • Remembering the victims of terrorist attack 15 years ago on this September 11th.
  • School-aged children of Iran who are about to start another school year. May the Lord continue opening the eyes and hearts of Iranian students with the Light of His Word!
  • Safety of Christians who live inside Iran.
  • God’s provision for the safe delivery of Farsi Bibles in some restricted nations.
  • More New Testaments and Scripture portion to be made available for distribution.

 


The long journey of the Bunong New Testament

Story by Bonnie Lepelaar, Bible Society in Cambodia. This article was first published by United Bible Societies.

Tot Nhernh, 93, vividly remembers the panic he and his family felt as the bombs started falling on their village in north-east Cambodia. It was the 1970s and the Vietnam war was spilling into the region as members of the Viet Cong crossed the border to hide.

With their village totally destroyed and desperate to escape the continued US bombing in their region, Mr Nhernh and his family, along with many others, crossed the border into Vietnam. Not only were they traumatised by the destruction they had witnessed, they were also deeply worried that in their haste to leave they hadn’t had time to make offerings to appease the spirits.

Mr Nhernh is a member of the Bunong tribe, which, like all the hill tribes in Cambodia, is traditionally animist, regularly sacrificing livestock to the spirits. Although they were relieved to have escaped the bombs, and were trying to rebuild their lives in Vietnam, they felt overwhelmed with grief and fear.

But then some Vietnamese people began to visit these desperate refugees. They offered them help and friendship, and also shared some good news: God loved them and had released them from all bondage through his son, Jesus. Mr Nhernh recalls how he felt all his fear falling away, replaced by a peace and freedom he had never experienced. He was among several Bunong refugees to become Christians, learning much about their new faith during their time in exile.

Return home

When the war ended, he could not wait to return home and share the Gospel. He and the other new Bunong Christians planted small churches in Bunong villages, and also evangelised other hill tribes, including the Krung and Tampuan. They, too, had lived in fear and obligation to make costly sacrifices to the spirits, and were overjoyed to hear about the freedom and peace they could have in Jesus.

Although work to translate the Scriptures into Bunong had begun in Vietnam in the 1960s, the work had been disrupted by the war and the manuscripts lost. Some small portions of Scripture in Bunong were published before the war but these were only available in Roman script – understandable to the Bunong in Vietnam but not to those in Cambodia, who use Khmer script.

So Mr Nhernh and other Bunong evangelists in Cambodia were sharing the Gospel by simply telling people the story of Jesus. Later, people began writing out the few Bunong Scripture booklets that were available into Khmer script so that these could be shared more widely with Cambodian Bunong people.

The two decades of communist rule that followed the war were very difficult for the Church in Cambodia, particularly for ethnic minorities like the Bunong. But Christianity grew steadily, and today, around 10% of Cambodia’s Bunong people are Christians. (Around 75% of the Bunong in Vietnam are Christians.)

50 years after the first attempt

This May, around 50 years after the first attempt to translate the Scriptures into Bunong was stopped by war, the Bunong people of Cambodia and Vietnam will finally receive the very first New Testament in their language. Undertaken by Vietnam Parntership, the Bible Society in Cambodia and SIL, it will be printed in both Khmer and Roman scripts.

Are Bunong Christians looking forward to getting the first New Testament in their language? The look of delight on the face of 93-year-old Tot Nhernh when he thinks about holding it in his hands says it all!


Children Refugees Continue to Learn, Thanks to SAT-7 KIDS

This article was written by The Bible Society of Singapore.

In environments where education seems almost impossible for many children in the Middle East, SAT-7 KIDS breaks through physical boundaries and makes learning possible through satellite television.

As the first and only Arabic Christian channel exclusively for the children of the Middle East and North Africa, SAT-7 KIDS shares God’s Word and Christian values with children using entertainment, culture and knowledge. They aim to make the gospel meaningful to a generation that needs to feel God’s love, especially as they mature and take their place in a society where the future is so uncertain.

In December 2015, our team from The Bible Society of Singapore was blessed with the opportunity to visit the headquarters of SAT-7 Lebanon in Beirut. We were encouraged to hear how they were impacting many lives in difficult circumstances. We were particularly excited to know that our contribution to the programme Madrasati, also known as My School, has been helping children refugees to learn.  

The idea first started when war erupted in the Middle East, which resulted in a refugee crisis. To address one of their needs, SAT-7 KIDS decided to provide education to children refugees through the television. Almost every family in the Middle East owns a satellite dish and these satellite dishes can be found in refugee camps as well. It was the best means possible to reach out to people.  

“We thought that we needed a change in this generation and this change can be spiritual through SAT-7 KIDS; it can also be through My School by giving them basic education,” said Andrea Elmounayer, Broadcast Manager of SAT-7. “How can the children read the Bible if they don’t know how to read?”

Andrea shared a story of how a Syrian refugee family is learning together by watching My School. The testimony was sent by the mother.

“It is a sacred time for my kids when My School airs and no one is allowed to visit us – not the neighbours or the family – no one is allowed to call us either.”

Only their uncle and his children can visit so that they can watch the programme together. Her kids force them all to sit and watch and learn, and they forbid anyone to talk or move. They sit as if in a classroom and learn from the teachers in the episodes. Then, they would write down what they learn. They even got their mother, an illiterate, a work book. The kids said to their mother, “Here is your workbook. You must learn to read and write – go ahead now and start writing.”

My School is not only teaching the children but also educating adults who are illiterate. They are looking into widening the syllabus in their programmes as well as cater to the learning needs of a larger age group.

They asked us to keep their work in prayer as they make God’s love visible in the Arab world. The contribution we made has run out and they are not able to produce new episodes. They are currently re-running past episodes.


Bible ministry in Syria continues amidst war

This article was originally written by United Bible Societies.

Nearly five years into the conflict in Syria, which has killed or displaced half the population, staff members of the Bible Society there are continuing their ministry to provide Scriptures for all who need them.

“The thirst for Scriptures among Christians here has only increased with all the unrest,” notes the Society’s director, who, along with other staff members, has stayed on despite the dangers. “The past five years have been very traumatic for Syrians in general, and for Syrian Christians in particular. Every family has a sad story. With this loss of hope, people are turning to God’s Word for comfort and encouragement.”

While nearly 4 million Syrians have fled their country, another 7.6 million have been internally displaced, leaving their bombed and besieged towns and villages to shelter in safer areas. Many are living in overcrowded houses and apartments with friends or family members, or with others who have opened their homes to them.

Demand Increased Tenfold

Amidst this immense trauma and upheaval, the team has received far more requests for Scriptures than ever before. In 2010, the year before the conflict began, the Bible Society distributed just under 15,000 Scriptures. By 2014, the demand had increased tenfold, and nearly 159,000 Scriptures were distributed across Syria that year.

The distribution takes place through its two Bible bookshops in Aleppo and Damascus, and through partner bookshops, churches, monasteries and volunteers. Incredibly, the Damascus Bible bookshop has remained open throughout the conflict, while the one in Aleppo only shut for two days when the nearby fighting became particularly intense. A rocket hit the second floor of the building in which the bookshop is housed, but it didn’t explode and there were no casualties or damage to the Scriptures.

Although life in Aleppo has become very difficult, most Bible Society staff based there have remained, risking sniper attacks as they make their way to work and carrying out their duties to the rattle of gunfire just down the street. They welcome many visitors to the bookshop each day, including a steady flow of young people who are being offered free Scriptures through a joint project between the Bible Society and local churches.

Risky Journeys

Transporting Scriptures around the country is a challenging task, especially to Christians in the more remote areas. But the Bible Society uses all means available – buses, trucks, church volunteers – to ensure that those who need Scriptures receive them. Staff members themselves often make risky journeys to encourage Christians and deliver Scriptures to them, sometimes getting caught in battle zones.

The Bible Society has also begun to equip churches to offer Bible-based trauma healing to the many Christian families who need it. Late last year a group of church representatives spent a week in a remote monastery in Lebanon learning from a Middle Eastern trauma healing expert and sharing their own experiences of trauma.

“Some of the participants were from Aleppo, which was being besieged at that time,” one staff member recalls. “They were so worried about their families and kept phoning them in the breaks.”

Please pray for Christians in Syria, for the churches and for the Bible Society as it works to make God’s Word available in the midst of war and trauma.