This month, we celebrate Christmas, the wonderful fact that, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16).
I was deeply touched by a recent story regarding one of the audio Bibles you helped supply to Uganda. After praying God would touch the hearts of the children using the audio Bible in a listening group in school, the teacher played Matthew 3 which includes, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
What happened afterwards surprised the teacher. Every single child in the group asked to receive Jesus that day!
When I hear stories like this, it reminds me how powerful your work is as a missionary with us. We may not be able to travel to Uganda, but God is using our prayers and gifts to bring Christ to these children.
If all our work was for this one group of children, it would be worth it, yet God has blessed in far greater ways.
In our work with Faith Comes By Hearing, we now offer the audio Bible online in 1,380 languages understood by more than 6 billion people from every nation of the world.
With your help, we’ve personally helped over 4,600,000 new people join an audio Bible listening group. An estimated 2,300,000 new believers have come from this partnership!
We praise the Lord for these amazing miracles, yet much work remains. Some statistics note 2.8 billion people have yet to hear the gospel. Could you imagine never hearing the gospel or not having the Bible in your language?
As we’ve continued bringing audio Bibles to the unreached, it’s clear many more have yet to hear the gospel. The research shows 70 percent of people live in oral communities, and 50 percent cannot read at a functional level. How will they hear the good news? The answer is through audio Bibles.
In the next few weeks we will share what we have learned about how to best help those without God’s Word as we have worked with Faith Comes By Hearing Senior Vice President Morgan Jackson. In our first interview, we’ll discuss the eight nations of South Asia that include about one fourth of the world’s population.
With a staggering 1.9 billion people, South Asia includes the world’s largest population of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Zoroastrians, along with 35 million Christians. Of the 650 languages spoken in these nations, most have not heard the gospel or had the Bible translated into their language. We’ll discuss the tremendous needs and opportunities to reach this densely-populated region.
In our second program, we will take you to West Africa, home of 17 countries and 367 million people. These nations represent over 500 language groups, with many still in need of Bible translation or audio Bibles. You’ll see how Jesus is changing lives, along with innovative ways you can serve as a missionary to those in this area from your own home.
In program three, we’ll focus on ways God’s Word is changing young lives in schools among unreached people. This will include the nations of Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Kenya. Many young people in these nations have never heard the Bible, yet are dramatically transformed as they experience an audio Proclaimer in their own language.
In program four, we’ll take you to Southeast Asia, a region of 11 countries with over 655 million people. Facing poverty, human trafficking, and limited opportunities, audio Bibles are changing hearts and local communities. We’ll even share one story of a single audio Proclaimer that changed the lives of nearly 100,000 people!
In program five, we’ll discuss 11 island nations in Southeast Asia with more than 25,000 islands, including Indonesia, Bali, and Malaysia. This area of 276 million people represents 448 languages, including many without a translation of the Bible. Yet God is at work! You’ll hear amazing accounts of how your partnership brings new life to the most remote locations of the world.
In program six, we’ll focus on Latin America. In addition to Spanish and Portuguese, these nations include numerous native languages and unreached people groups who have yet to hear the gospel. Children are especially vulnerable and mistreated in some of these communities, leaving tremendous needs and high levels of illiteracy. Local believers are working with Faith Comes By Hearing to bring God’s Word to these young lives to transform the next generation for eternity.
In program seven, we will discuss North Africa and the Middle East. These 20 nations include 578 million people who speak at least 435 languages. Throughout the Middle East, over 90 percent of the population is Muslim. They have heard about Jesus because of the Qur’an, but have never heard the gospel message. Audio Bibles are bringing His story to these spiritual seekers, offering new life in some of our world’s most persecuted areas.
Make an Eternal Impact
Last year we provided Proclaimers for these nations, and the groups we started are all growing and pleading for more. They are also fighting the coronavirus. Will you help me provide more audio Bibles for them?
God has provided some wonderful donors this year who have promised to match any gifts given for any of the audio Bible devices that we offer on TV.
This means that first, if you give a gift of $500 for one audio Proclaimer, your gift will be matched by a generous donor and you will actually provide two audio Proclaimers, which on average will win 90 people to Christ and disciple 180 people.
If you give a gift of $1,000 your gift will be matched, and you will provide four audio Proclaimers. And because of your help, God will use each Proclaimer you provide to lead, on average, 180 people to Christ and disciple 360 people. Many times, a single Proclaimer will reach thousands of people!
If you give a gift of $2,000 your gift will be matched, and you will provide eight audio Bibles, which will lead 360 people to Christ and disciple 720 Christians.
Then second, gifts of $30 are very important. Why? Because your gift will be matched, thus providing two micro-SD cards for people. A micro-SD card can be inserted into any cell phone, even if it is not connected to the internet, and it will immediately allow people to hear the whole New Testament in their language and watch the Jesus Film.
For a gift of $60, your gift will be matched, and you can provide four Micro-SD Cards.
Then third, for a gift of $100, your gift will be matched, and you can provide two micro-SD cards and two BibleSticks. For a gift of $200 you can provide four Micro-SD cards and four BibleSticks. BibleSticks are personal digital players that are battery-powered and come loaded with an audio Bible and earphones.
And fourth, for a gift of $1,000, your gift will be matched, and you can provide 14 important items including six micro-SD cards, six BibleSticks and two audio Proclaimers. Further, your gift will also help us present the gospel on TV in cities overseas.
And fifth, for a gift of $5,000, you can fund the audio recording of one entire chapter of the New Testament in one of the 4,000 languages where right now no audio Bible exists at all. Further, your gift will be matched with the goal of recording one, two or three brand new language Bibles where right now none exist.
If you wish you may call us at 1-800-805-3030 24 hours a day to give your gift. Or you may give at our website, jashow.org, where we have a secure place for you to give. And when we receive your gift, we will send you a receipt and a personal thank you.
What does God think about your gifts to those who have yet to hear the gospel? In Matthew 25:40, Jesus taught, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
In addition, just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He left His followers these words, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Today, we continue to pursue bringing His message to those who have yet to hear His love. We appreciate your work with us to bring Christ to those who have yet to hear.
With love and warmest Christmas greetings,
John and Darlene