International (MNN) — If you've already pulled some books for a garage sale this summer, look them over again before selling. Any Christian literature in those piles could be sent to believers in need.
Christian Resources International has been sending Christian books and Bibles around the world for years and sees the fruits of their labor. "We receive daily letters from people in other countries saying 'thank you' for sending a Bible to them because they would never have an opportunity to read it for themselves," says CRI's Connie McCallum.
Since anyone from around the world in need of Bibles, devotionals, theological books, and Christian literature can request materials from CRI, CRI receives letters from all over. McCallum says one letter recently arrived from a man living in a country north of Ethiopia.
"He sent us a 'thank you' yesterday, telling us how much [the CRI gift] impacted his life and how it has changed his family because he received that."
Stories of change are heard time and time again. In fact, the CRI Web site has a whole list of thank you notes posted from various people who have seen lives change as a result of getting a Bible for the first time, or from a pastor receiving his first theological text.
CRI sends many books through their Bare Your Bookshelf program, in which donors can send books directly to believers in need across the globe. But CRI also sends large shipments of books through their Great Crate program. The next Great Crate is headed to the Philippines, where CRI is still helping churches and believers replace lost materials from the destruction of 2009's Typhoon Ketsana.
The more books and Bibles CRI sends out, the more opportunities there will be for Christians worldwide to grow in their faith and spread the Gospel. Just one Bible for a pastor can impact a whole congregation.
"If you really want to be blessed and you are looking to get rid of an extra Bible that you have laying around your house, Bare Your Bookshelf is a great way to do that," says McCallum. "It's always good to give, and when you're giving the gift of life, it's just such a blessing."
So instead of selling those old books this summer, participate in Bare Your Bookshelf. If you have any summer Christian conferences to attend, consider putting out a book donation box and sending the books directly to CRI with a bit of shipping money for the Great Crate. Click here to contact CRI and change lives with the Truth of the Lord.
