Audio Scripture speaks the language of children

India (MNN) — Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM) recently visited children’s homes in India to give some much-needed joy.

ASM’s JP Sundararajan explains that the need to minister to traumatized children has always been great. Last summer, ASM kicked off a sort of “trial run” with Wildlife Storytellers: stuffed animals with dramatized audio Bibles.

“I had a feeling that it would be amazing in terms of the response, and that exceeded even my wildest imaginations,” Sundararajan says.

Kids who were orphaned, had incurable diseases, or were victims of severe trauma found a new sense of hope through these Storytellers because the Bible was being shared in the language of children. They could hold onto their new stuffed animal while hearing the words of Jesus.

Because of the trial run’s noteworthy outcome, ASM lined up three partners to work with during a recent trip. The first home the team visited had a group of around 300 kids over the age of four. “These kids are kids who are severely infected by the HIV virus, and the home expects not one of them to live past the age of 22.”

Sundararajan says it was hard seeing such young kids suffer. “The home is trying to provide them with quality of life at this point, nothing else.”

HIV victims are often viewed as shameful in India. Yet, ASM knows these kids have promises from God and still have a chance for a full and hope-filled life.

They began showing the children their worth by giving out Wildlife Storytellers. “When we came and told [the children’s home staff] we have these stuffed animals with God’s Word in a dramatized format designed for kids, they were ecstatic.

“They said, ‘This is exactly what our kids need,’ and it was both heartbreaking, as well as joy-filled.” For most of the kids, this is the first stuffed animal they’ve ever received.

Sundararajan adds, “How cool it is to not only give them something they can hang on to, but to also remind them that they’re not abandoned and they’re not alone in this world.”

ASM wants to put 1,000 Wildlife Storytellers into several children’s homes in India, but they could use your help. With just $35, you’ll be able to remind a child who’s suffered that they’re not alone: you are caring for them, and so is God.

“I’ve seen the faces of these kids, and I know that God’s already begun a good work.”