In Ukraine, One Girl Found Hope in Tragic Circumstances

This article was adapted from one originally posted by the American Bible Society.

Iaroslava lived a typical Ukrainian childhood. She wandered through the woods behind her home to pick berries and mushrooms. She used scrap materials to make dolls, handkerchiefs and aprons. And, during the winter months, she watched wild dogs play in the snow.

But as Iaroslava grew older, her childhood began to fall apart.

For most of her life, Iaroslava lived with her mother and grandfather in Borzna, a large town in northern Ukraine; she never knew her father, who abandoned her when she was an infant. To provide for her family, Iaroslava’s mother was forced to work increasingly long hours. This left Iaroslava under the care of her grandfather, who had gradually developed an addiction to alcohol.

For years, the family hung together by a thread—until Iaroslava’s mother grew ill. Unable to pay her medical bills, she fled Ukraine in search of a steady job and sent Iaroslava to Borzna Secondary Boarding School. The experience drastically altered Iaroslava’s life.

“So I often imagine this as just a dream, where I will eventually wake up and be with her.”

“My mom told me [she was leaving] a day before she left, which was unfair because I had no time to change her mind,” Iaroslava says. “So I often imagine this as just a dream, where I will eventually wake up and be with her.”

When she first arrived at the boarding school, Iaroslava relied on the support of her classmates—all orphans and abandoned children—to find hope. As time passed, she also became curious about God.

“She always wanted to know more about God and asked a lot of questions to everyone around her,” says Olha Serhiinko, Iaroslava’s school leader. “But in most cases, she didn’t receive answers.”

One Sunday, when her curiosity had piqued, Iaroslava visited a local church with her classmates. She learned “lots of interesting things”—and immediately began to dream of holding her own Bible. But when she finally received a copy from her local church, she struggled to comprehend the old church language printed inside. So she began to dream of holding a Bible she could read and understand.

Eventually, Iaroslava’s dream came true. In partnership with the Ukrainian Bible Society and generous donors, churches from around Borzna hosted an event at Iaroslava’s school to distribute children’s Bibles. Anxious to uncover the hope found in God’s Word, she immediately flipped open her Bible and began reading.

“When she saw us handing out children’s Bibles, she couldn’t contain her emotions.”

When the program ended, Iaroslava asked Serhiinko and representatives of the Ukrainian Bible Society to sign her Bible, leaving their mark on the book she once dreamt of holding.

“When she saw us handing out children’s Bibles, she couldn’t contain her emotions,” Serhiinko continues. “She started hugging and kissing it and proclaimed, ‘This is the best gift I have ever had!’

Now 11 years old and trying to make sense of her broken childhood, Iaroslava has made a life-changing discovery: even in the midst of abandonment, addiction and poverty, she has a father in heaven who will never leave her side.



Alone on the Streets of Uganda, One Boy Found Healing in God’s Word

This article was adapted from one originally posted by the American Bible Society.

Kiho*, a ten-year-old boy from eastern Uganda, sat speechless in a small classroom. Facilitators of a Bible-based trauma healing session—organized for young victims of disaster and abuse—smiled next to him. The facilitators could tell he had something to say. They just didn’t know how to reach him.

Eventually, Kiho burst into tears and began sharing his story.

More than a decade earlier, Kiho’s mother had conceived Kiho with another man while her husband served in the Ugandan military. When her husband returned from active duty, he vowed to stick with her—but only if she abandoned Kiho. She agreed.

With nowhere to go, Kiho moved in with his uncle. But life in his new home proved difficult. He wore the same clothes every day. He dropped out of school. And he rummaged through abandoned gardens, markets and homes in search of food.

After years of wandering through life with little guidance or care, Kiho arrived at the trauma healing course. Sessions like this one regularly take place in Uganda and throughout the Great Lakes Region of Africa, thanks to the support of generous donors.

For Kiho, fighting through his tears and sharing his story helped. But he needed to rely on God for healing. So, with children from the session gathered around him, a facilitator prayed for Kiho. The experience made a life-changing impact on his life.

“[Praying] set Kiho free,” one facilitator says. “He became so free he started participating in the class.

By reading God’s Word, Kiho learned to identify his pain, share his hurt, release his suffering and even forgive his mother for abandoning him. In a lament, he asked God for wisdom—and the strength to face the future. At the conclusion of the course, facilitators helped Kiho get his young life on track by re-enrolling him in primary school. They even gifted him a set of school supplies.

Even though he endured a childhood of turmoil and distress, Kiho has experienced freedom in God’s Word.

*Name has been changed



Scripture Soothes a Hurting Teenager’s Heart in Cambodia

This article was adapted from one originally posted by the American Bible Society.

Excited to have her own Bible, a 15-year-old learns more about God...

Doeun Chin Lan has experienced a lot of loss.

"My mother died when I was little," explains the 15-year-old. "I don't even remember her face. All my older siblings left me to work in Thailand. My father is very elderly and poor.…I want to see my whole family together again."

When the message of God's love came to the small village where Doeun lives, her heart finally began to heal.

"I am very happy that God loves me," she says. "Whether I am in the countryside, in the forest or anywhere, God still loves me."

Doeun says she enjoys hearing stories about God at church. "But sometimes I don't understand," she admits. "When I heard they were going to give out Bibles, I was very happy."

"My Bible is small and easy to carry around and the writing is easy to understand. I believe this Bible will help me know God better. My father can't read so I want to read to him so that he can also put his faith in God."

For many Cambodians, especially poor farmers living in rural areas, obtaining a Bible requires much sacrifice. It takes months to save money for a Bible. But thanks to generous donors, Doeun and others have Bibles of their very own!

Please pray for others like Doeun who still need to know about God and engage in His Word in Cambodia. Ask that Scriptures will be made available in different media so that the entire population, especially the youth, will understand and experience the love of God.



What Happens When a Village Gets the Bible in its Heart Language?

This article was originally posted by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

Though Christianity had been part of their culture for 100 years, there was no Bible in the Beembe language. It took 20 years of dedicated translation work for them to get a Beembe Bible – but when they did, they showed us how to party…

Imagine fumbling through a dense, tricky text in a second language. You can read it, but it’s hard. You understand in part, but you can't quite capture the meaning. This was the case for the Beembe people of Congo Brazzaville, who only had access to Bibles their second language: French.

Lost in translation

‘For me, the problem with the Bible in French was that I had trouble understanding certain concepts and words. So I didn’t read the Bible very often,’ 54-year-old farmer, Pierrette, explains.

Pierrette’s experience isn’t rare. For many people reading the Bible in a second language, the challenge of understanding is significant. But not only that, they’re not experiencing the message of the Bible in the words they can relate to; the words they use in their thoughts, their hearts.

A word in season

More than 1,000 people gathered for the ceremony to launch the first ever Beembe New Testament in early 2014. Elders banged drums and shook rattles. Young dance troupes performed energetic routines. People cheered.

Though Christianity has been part of the Beembe culture for 100 years, this was the first time the community had Scripture in their language. And the joy was palpable.

‘Now we have our own Beembe New Testament, I am very happy,’ Pierrette says.’ It will help us strengthen the faith of our children, who will discover a deeper relationship with God.’

Decades of dedication

Jacques Mberi is the man behind the Beembe Bible. He has spent decades poring over Hebrew and Greek, considering the best ways to convey the meaning of each verse  – especially when there’s not always a direct translation.

He smiled through tears as he said, ‘I am like Simeon, who waited years and years until he could see the Lord Jesus, and then once he did, he could die. I have worked hard to see this translation finished. It is my child, my pride and joy.’

Completing the task

Now the Beembe people have asked to have the Old Testament translated into their language and Jacques is already on the case.

But until then, we’re celebrating that this people group are now experiencing the New Testament in the language they most love and truly understand.

Find out more about funding similar projects around the world

62-year-old Mbambouloulu Evelyne clutched her Beembe New Testament and said, ‘I am delighted with this New Testament. It touches my soul. It allows me to feel closer to God, and I give thanks to God for this precious gift.’



A Day in the Life of a Bible Translator

This article was originally posted by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

Oldi Morava is translating the Old Testament into Albanian. We asked him about his average day.

A typical day

On a translation day, I’ll try to work from home and not open any emails. With translation, you need to be in the mood. If you are bombarded by requests for something else you’re not really in an environment where you can be very productive.

I start by reading through the passage that I’m going to translate in the original language. Then I begin writing the translation, one verse at a time.

If it’s not a simple translation — for example, there isn’t a direct equivalent for the Hebrew word in Albanian or the original Hebrew is unclear —  then I do more research. I spend a lot of time reading commentaries and look at the Hebrew context, as well as how other translators have handled the same verse in other languages.

It can be very repetitive, especially when you’re translating building instructions

After hours and hours of collecting all this information, I come to a conclusion. And then I move on to the next verse! Depending on the difficulty of the text, I translate between 12-20 verses a day. It can be very repetitive, especially when you’re translating building instructions.

Poetry is always fun to translate. Not only are you trying to understand Hebrew poetry – which is very compressed – you’re also trying to generate something in your language that can sound like poetry. Being faithful to the text and generating something poetic can be quite difficult but you get more satisfaction out of it.

An atypical day

I meet with my translation team for one week five times a year. We all live in different countries so we meet somewhere we can all travel to. We’re all working on different books.

We’ll go over our work, reading it aloud verse by verse and making suggestions. We tend to have very fiery interaction but we’re good at coming to an agreement in the end. I learn so much from hearing how my colleagues view the Bible.  

The other part of my job…

I’m also part of Bible Society’s International team, where I look after our partnership with Bible Societies in the West Balkans — Albania and Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Macedonia — and also with Congo Brazzaville. This involves working with budgets, selecting projects and seeing how those projects are doing.

I love visiting these Bible Societies. They’re often very small — perhaps five or ten people in one office. You encounter their passion and see what they are trying to do in their country, with very few resources and yet great ideas. Trying to help them is a very satisfying part of my job.

Oldi’s career path

1994-1999 High school

Majored in Business and Finance, with hopes of becoming a banker. Volunteered with Bible Society in Albania.

1999-2002 University

Studied BA in Applied Theology at Redcliffe College, England.

2003-2006 Work and ministry

Worked with local churches in London.

2007-2008 Language study

Received an invitation from the Albanian Bible Society to join the Old Testament translation team of new Albanian Bible translation. Studied MSt in Classical Hebrew at Oxford University.

2010 Translation begins

Working as part of a three-person team from across Christian traditions, books are assigned and translation begins.



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.

 



Lives changed through Bible literacy classes

This article was adapted from one originally published by British and Foreign Bible Society.

Our counterparts in Pakistan are working to bring the Bible to life for 7,000 women in 2016 by teaching them to read. Will you help?
It costs just S$40 to help teach a woman to read and give her a New Testament.

AratiArati* was a cotton picker in rural Pakistan. She worked long hours to earn around S$2 a day. She was being cheated out of payment but didn’t know it – she couldn’t read the scales that weighed her cotton.

But at our literacy class the Bible changed Arati’s life for good. As she read the Bible for the first time, she met Jesus, discovered His love, and learnt that her life mattered.

Arati said, ‘Jesus died for us and there’s no one in the world who has died and rose again. We appreciate this love.’

Now I am literate, I feel empowered.

Today Arati teaches young children in her village to read. And since learning to read she’s realised the cotton traders were cheating her and others out of their wages.

She said, ‘After studying I read the scale and I knew the actual weight of the cotton and now the men can’t cheat us. Now I am literate, I feel empowered.

Seven families in Arati’s village have become Christians since our literacy programme started.

‘There’s a big change in our village since the start of our literacy class’ Arati told us, ‘We are very happy and my family is very happy.’

Will you help more women like Arati learn to read?

Change for good

Arati is just one example of a life changed for good through the Bible. Through our literacy classes many women like Arati learn that their lives matter as God speaks to them through the Bible.

Just S$40 can help teach a Pakistani woman to read and give her a New Testament.

Your support could help teach Pakistani women to read and bring the Bible to life for them and their families. Will you join us in teaching more women like Arati to read?

*name changed



The Heart of a Sower

This article was first published in the June 2013 issue of Word@Work.

“...One who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.” - Proverbs 11:18b (ESV)

After an incredible encounter with God around the age of 15, Richard Woo was filled with passion and love for the Lord and aspired to share God’s love with others in a meaningful environment, sowing the seeds of salvation in their lives.

His first step of faith into full time ministry took place when he enrolled into Trinity Theological College (TTC), quitting his job in the banking industry in the process.

Richard’s compassion for the unfortunate led him to become a pastoral volunteer at Changi prison, where he ministered to inmates for 13 years. While Richard was still involved in the prison ministry, he felt the Lord leading him towards ministering to the sick in hospitals. He became the Chaplain of St Andrew’s community hospital and then St Luke’s community hospital, serving the patients and staff with joy and compassion.

Richard then joined The Bible Society of Singapore (BSS) and now heads the Social Concerns Ministry, collaborating with other partner organisations to show God’s love to people in our community.

The Work of a Sower

The Social Concerns Ministry of BSS is frequently looking for new ways to extend God’s love to others. It currently focuses on touching the lives of migrant workers, patients in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as inmates in prison. 

Richard gladly fosters relations and collaborates with many partner organisations to help bring the Word to those most in need of it. If any organisations require help in their ministry, Richard is happy to support them as well.

He has helped BSS collaborate with Prison Fellowship Singapore, printing 3000 copies of the Freedom on the Inside Bible in English and another 3000 in Mandarin for distribution. The hope of the gospel is spread amongst the prisoners.

BSS and the Asia Evangelistic Fellowship (AEF) are currently discussing plans to work together to produce Scripture resources such as pamphlets in Tamil, which AEF can distribute to the Tamil speaking foreign workers in Singapore.

Richard is involved in helping to distribute audio Bibles amongst people who are unable or find it difficult to read the Bible, thus meeting their spiritual needs. Some audio Bibles have been distributed to the elderly in All Saint’s Home and the Salvation Army, and responses have been very positive.

The Role of Volunteers

While BSS has been able to help meet some needs of people in the community, we are always looking for ways to do more. One of these ways is to bring in volunteers to help us reach people.

Richard’s life encapsulates what is needed in a volunteer: a heart of love, compassion and an attitude of service. It is appropriate that he looks after the volunteer groups at BSS, who “serve the Lord in different capacities and rendering their services according to their gifts.” These volunteers do the same work of full time ministry staff on their own time while not getting any monetary compensation, showing an impressive level of commitment and dedication.

There is a great need for volunteers in ministry to help us carry out God’s work today. The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-12 serves as an important reminder to us to be sowers of His Word so that we will be like the seed that falls onto good ground and bear much fruit. We ask that you prayerfully consider joining BSS as a volunteer to help us spread the light of the gospel to others.



The Bible in Laos: My New Weapon

This article was first published in the March 2013 issue of Word@Work.

In Laos where the purchase of the Bible remains a luxury for the 3.3% Christians, Scriptures are going to those in need – thanks to supporters of Bible Societies.

Life in the landlocked Republic of Laos is basic and under Communist rule. But its Christian population has more than doubled in the last 10 years to more than 200,000.

Thaungxay Sanyahak – a reserved man, expresses joy beyond human understanding in his circumstances as a Christian.

In 1988, Thaungxay married Chanda, a strong believer in Christ. He respected her Christian way of life and became a Christian. But he admits he did not take his new faith to heart.

Turning point

One day, a significant event caused him to encounter God.

Thaungxay recalled, “My boat capsized on the river during military training. I made it back to the river bank but all my belongings including my gun, machete and identity card disappeared.”

Soldiers who lose their weapons are severely punished, and would lose their jobs. Thaungxay was the sole breadwinner in his family.

He was distressed and confided in Chanda. She called her mother and they prayed.

“I had never really felt God as a tangible presence and found it very difficult to pray. Yet, I prayed with my wife and mother-in-law.”

Three days later, Thaungxay found his belongings lying on the riverbank, in perfect condition. This miracle led him to read his Bible and pray daily.

“The Bible became my new weapon,” Thaungxay exclaimed, believing that God is His protector.

Challenges to his faith

But life is not easy for Thaungxay Sanyahak, a soldier and Christian in Laos.

His family was ostracised in many villages. They finally found a village to settle in, and were encouraged by a visiting pastor. But the pastor’s kindness cost him his life – he was murdered on his way home. The family cried out to the Lord in despair and God sent the village chief who offered them a plot of land to build a house, along with a supportive community who gave them free bamboo for building.

Unfortunately, the house they built was burnt down and they lost all possessions. But the Lord provided a church that contributed money, clothing and other basic necessities.

As a Christian, Thaungxay is unlikely to be promoted in the army and his family members struggle to get by. Not all his children are able to attend school. His 14-year-old son is an ‘A’ student but had to withdraw from the state school as his father could not pay his fees.

Yet, Thaungxay is joyful in giving…

More blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)

Despite the challenges, his family does not lose heart but is renewed day by day as they put their hope in the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV).

Thaungxay seizes every opportunity to share his faith with others. Besides the two Bibles in the house belonging to his family, there are several New Testaments that he bought to give to friends.

 

Source: United Bible Socieities