Two million people. Each person represents a story. Over the past two years, your prayers and gifts have helped us bring the Bible to those who have never heard it.
Through our partnership with Faith Comes By Hearing, more than two million people speaking 39 languages in 85 countries are now listening to God’s Word through Bible listening groups.
On average, half of those who participate in a listening group make a decision for Christ. This means your generosity has helped bring one million people to faith in Jesus. Thank you!
This month, I have asked Faith Comes By Hearing Director, Morgan Jackson, to share some of the ways God is changing lives through your gifts. You’ll be amazed at the supernatural stories of how God is using Proclaimers to change individuals, families, churches, and entire villages.
First, we’ll take you to the mountains of Peru, one of the most beautiful nations in South America. Despite the nation’s natural beauty, many native people live in remote mountain areas that have never heard the gospel in their language.
In areas accessible only by foot, missionaries are also taking Proclaimers in the languages of the villagers in the Amazon jungle. As they do, salvation is taking place, churches are forming, and villages are transformed.
Second, Morgan will share about God’s work in Nigeria. One in six Africans live in this nation. A century ago, few Christians existed in this land. Today, more than half of Nigeria’s 200 million people claim to be Christians. A tremendous revival has taken place in this nation!
Yet Nigeria is also a land of more than 500 languages, including many that have not received a translation of the Bible. Through your generosity, audio Bibles are reaching new people who are rejoicing at the words of Jesus in their heart language. As God’s Word is heard, even more people are coming to faith and the church is growing in strength.
Third, we’ll share stories from the Philippines, a nation of 7,641 islands and 175 languages. Many in the Philippines live in abject poverty, without hope and in need of help. Through audio Bible listening groups, churches are literally starting in garbage dumps, bringing joy to those who had previously only walked in darkness.
Fourth, Morgan will share the impact of your gifts in India, the world’s second most populated nation with 1.3 billion people. Despite a population that is considered only two percent Christian, Proclaimers are reaching vast numbers of people open to spiritual growth. We will tell you about them.
As the Indian people hear the words of Jesus in their own language, hearts are turned to faith in Christ. In some villages, the audio Bible is played over a village loudspeaker, allowing several thousand people to heard Scripture every morning as they prepare to work in the nearby fields!
Fifth, we’ll take you to the Bidi Bidi refugee camp in Uganda. Despite the dire situation of the 270,000 displaced by unrest, Jesus brings life! As people hear Scripture in their own language, they identify with His suffering and believe in Him for eternal life. This refugee camp now includes many new church congregations that meet to worship together and listen to God’s Word through audio Proclaimers.
We’ll also share a final program that provides a report of the people your gifts have reached over the past 24 months. You’ll see firsthand through stories and statistics some of the many ways God is multiplying your gifts to impact lives for eternity.
Further, we will also discuss the need for audio Bibles in China. Many Chinese people who live in rural areas would like to have an audio Bible. Faith Comes By Hearing works under the permission of the government representatives to support the provincial churches. We have a unique opportunity to legally provide audio Proclaimers to people who have asked for them.
The Time Is Now
We rejoice with you in the one million new believers and two million people in audio Bible listening groups your gifts have reached. However, 2.8 billion people have yet to hear the gospel. Each day, people die without Christ. We cannot wait. The time to help is now!
In each of our programs, we share the specific numbers of audio Proclaimers Faith Comes By Hearing needs in Peru, Nigeria, the Philippines, India, and in refugee camps. Right now, a generous donor of Faith Comes By Hearing is providing a matching gift for donations toward this outreach.
This means if you provide $500 for a Proclaimer, your gift will provide two Proclaimers. If you give a gift of $1,000, you will provide four Proclaimers.
If you would like to help today, there are four ways you can do so:
First, for a gift of $500 you will provide an Audio Proclaimer for a village or community that has never heard the Bible in their own language.Further, your gift of $500 will be matched, providing two audio Bibles to two villages or communities.
Second, for a gift of $30, you can provide a micro-SD card of the New Testament that people can insert into their mobile phone. It will instantly provide the whole New Testament in their heart language along with the Jesus Film. Your gift will also be doubled to provide two micro-SD cards.
Third, for a gift of $100, you can provide both a micro-SD card and a BibleStick to someone in a refugee camp or other location. BibleSticks are personal digital players that are battery-powered and come loaded with an audio Bible. These compact devices can be listened to by people that are desolate, hurting, and in need of the truth of God’s Word in their language. Your gift will also be doubled.
Fourth, for a gift of $1,000, you will provide seven important items: three micro-SD cards, three BibleSticks, and one Proclaimer will be donated on your behalf to those requesting God’s Word. Many lives will be impacted through your generous gift. This gift will also be doubled, reaching twice as many people. Further, your gift will also help us present the gospel on television internationally.
Imagine someone hearing God’s Word in their own language for the first time—and you are the one God used to provide it. You can change lives for eternity right now through your generous gift.
The enclosed card also allows the opportunity for you to choose which country will benefit from your gift. You can know your gift will help bring God’s Word to those in a specific country where you can pray for those who will hear Scripture.
We Are Praying for You
We realize those we reach are all part of God’s plan. You are a vital part of how God is at work to reach these people. Thank you for every prayer and every gift you provide to encourage our work and to partner with us in ministry.
Your generosity and partnership are crucial in helping us bring the gospel to people.Thank you for your gifts and prayers. Please know we are praying for you and your family as you seek to live for God and help reach others for Christ. I hope you will consider giving a generous gift right now as we work together to reach those who have yet to hear the gospel. Jesus told us to “go into all the world and preach the gospel.” Help us reach the unreached with Christ’s love today.
For those still waiting to hear,
John and Darlene Ankerberg