Laos (MNN) — Bibles for the World is making plans to support the church in Laos after a groundbreaking evangelistic event there last year drew many souls to Christ.
President of BFTW John Pudaite says 7,000 New Testaments and 50,000 Gospels of John were printed in Thailand six months ahead of the proposed rally. Meanwhile, permission to hold it had yet to be granted by the Laotian government.
“Just 24 hours before the proposed event was supposed to start, the Laotian government gave permission for the event to carry on,” he says.
All 57,000 copies of Scripture were distributed at the rally: to leaders of the Laotian church and to those who came forward to follow Christ.
“So this was very exciting to have an opportunity to provide God’s word in a restricted access country like Laos – a country where there are over 126 unreached people groups as well,” Pudaite says.
During their recent visit to Laos, Pudaite and his colleagues were excited to meet with a group of Laotian Christians who had begun translating Scripture into some of these people groups.
“They had actually started the work on seven languages – seven people groups – and were lining up another seven. They had completed the translation of the Gospel of Luke in those seven languages.”
The Laotian church had been able to fund the printing of 100 copies in each language, but Pudaite saw an opportunity to partner with the nationals and distribute Luke’s Gospel to every household in these seven language groups.
“So we’re looking at maybe four or five thousand copies to ten thousand copies in each language that we hope to print here in the coming year,” he says.
Pudaite expects the partnership to be ongoing, and he is encouraged by the Laocian church’s fire for evangelism.
Laotian flag. Courtesy of Pixabay.
“One of the main reasons we like to go into these larger evangelistic events is that it gives us the opportunity to come in under that umbrella, provide God’s word in large quantities, but also gives us these opportunities to make connections,” he says.
Pudaite points out that working legally is a chief aim of Bibles for the World.
“My father always said, ‘This is the book of the King of Kings. We’re going to take it in through the front door, not through the back door.’”
The Laotian government is more permissive in the capital city because that is their international showcase, Pudaite says. Persecution of Christians in Laos usually happens more in remote areas.
“We want to reach those unreached people groups, most of which are not in the city but are in those remote villages. That’s where this new project is going to take us.”
Please pray for both Bible translation and distribution in Laos.
Pray for wisdom and protection of those completing these efforts, and pray that the seed of God’s Word would take root in the hearts and minds of those receiving Scripture.
Even as doors open, political, linguistic, and social barriers abound. Pudaite says this is the reason so many people remain unreached.
“That’s the role that we need to play: finding ways to overcome those barriers or plow through those barriers and get God’s word and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ into the hands of these people.”
Featured image courtesy of Pixabay
