International (MNN) — There are some sights and experiences no one should ever be forced to be exposed to. Yet thanks to violence in nations like Iraq and Syria, millions of refugees can say they’ve been through those horrific events.
And so have their children.
That’s where Bibles For The World wants to step in. In the past, they’ve focused on getting Bibles into India, Nepal, and China, but this new project will change all of that.
“As we have seen the violence there that ISIS has brought into these areas, into these people’s lives, the devastation, the destruction, our hearts have just been broken,” says John Pudaite, President of Bibles For The World. “A partner of ours has developed a small booklet that is biblically based that helps the children try to deal with and process what they have experienced even at their young age.”
It’s something that’s been on Pudaite’s heart since he first saw the victims of violence coming out of Syria and Iraq, and he believes reaching kids is the best way to bring news of the Prince of Peace to entire families.
(Photo Courtesy Bibles For The World)
“There’s a lot more suspicion and a lot more restrictions with adults, but the kids have provided a much more open door for all of us that are talking with them,” Pudaite says.
“During the day the parents are out trying to earn a little money or just dealing with their situation as refugees, trying to figure out where to go next, and the kids are often kept together in some type of daycare, often a church, some type of place where they’ll look after them through the day,” Pudaite says. That’s where partners are planning on distributing the booklets.
What makes this project especially unique is the massive network Bibles For The World has built for printing, shipping, and distributing the booklets. They have partners on the ground in Lebanon, Jordan, Greece, Turkey, Germany, and more, and they’re teaming up with organizations like Biblica to extend their reach as far as possible.
“Each of us through our respective networks will be getting this booklet out to as many kids as we can in the next three to six months,” Pudaite says. The books will be printed in Lebanon, which Pudaite says is centrally located in the refugee situation, and will be distributed from there.
They’ve also been in contact with a partner in Mosul who has been working with adults and children for several years. Pudaite is thrilled at the opportunity to work to supply their ministry with these new resources.
But there’s still room for another partner–you.
“Right now God has provided for us to be a part of this first print run, and as we hear the opportunities that exist and as we see ISIS being driven back from certain places, it’s going to open up more and more opportunities we feel for this booklet and for other outreaches,” Pudaite says.
Bibles For The World will need your prayer and support to continue to reach the kids and their families as more opportunities open up.
Great job