Weddings, bookstores, and conversation

China (MNN) — This April, a Bibles for China team distributed Bibles, attended weddings, and talked to university students. Wendell Rovenstine of Bibles for China said the trip was just another example of how family-centered the ministry really is.

Take one couple who decided to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary by distributing Bibles. The team informed the church they’d be visiting ahead of time, and the church performed a special song for the couple on the day of their anniversary.

There was a brand new couple, too. The team got to attend a Christian wedding while visiting, and Rovenstine said it provided a new look at just how important God’s Word is to the local community.

“The wedding revolved around a Bible on a table,” he said. “They were talking about how the Bible is important, how people should be in God’s Word, and how the marriage should revolve around God’s Word and the Bible.”

The wedding was just one of the ways the team could see the power of Bible distribution. “I often ask people, ‘With over a billion people, do you think there will ever be an end to the need for Bibles in China?’” said Rovenstine. If this trip was any indication, the answer is, “Absolutely not.”

And it’s not just about people who are already believers. Rovenstine got a chance to sit with a local university student, give her the first Bible of her life, and show her the love of Christ one-on-one.

“The Bible is significant, and the Bible is needed,” said Rovenstine. “There are still places we can go where there’s still need for Bibles. We’ll keep doing whatever we can do to generate income, prayers, and individuals that sense what God is doing in China.”

But sometimes that can be a challenge. Even though Bibles are technically legal, they have to be printed with ISBN numbers, and since “Bibles in China are not on bookshelves anywhere, the only place anyone’s going to receive a Bible is in the registered church.”

That’s why Bibles for China needs your prayer and support to help supply those churches with the Bibles they need. “God gives the results,” said Rovenstine, “and we can pass those blessings on to China and the Chinese community so they can have His Word.”