International (MNN) – As the good news of the Gospel continues to spread in previously unreached areas, Bibles for the World is ready to provide Scripture.
John Pudaite with Bibles for the World shares that this distribution is nothing new. The organization has been partnering with international, national, local and indigenous groups to pass our Bibles for over 50 years. However, this year they have some exciting new opportunities in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Zimbabwe.
Pudaite says, “[At] each of these outreach events, we look at providing at least 50,000 to 100,000 Gospels of John, so that everybody who attends these outreaches or events will get their own copy of the Gospel of John in their native language. In addition to that, we try to provide a New Testament for everyone who makes a decision to follow Christ at these events. So, we’re really looking excitedly at the number of opportunities that God has provided for us in the in the coming year.”
Empowering Young Believers in Cambodia
One outreach that is particularly exciting to Pudaite is the one they are joining in Cambodia. The outreach will be in an area near the famous Angkor Wat temples, rather than the capital area where they have ministered previously.
Pudaite says there are some older believers from a few generations ago, but many were persecuted and killed along with millions of their countrymen during the Pol Pot regime. During that time literacy rates also tanked and the country has struggled to rebuild.
(Image courtesy of Bibles for the World)
“There are still some standing churches from that time,” Pudaite says. “But it’s really a country, a body of Christ there that’s really young – which is wonderful in one sense, because they’re on fire to share this message of Jesus Christ with their fellow Cambodians. But they’re also not as well-educated as equipped. [They] don’t have access to the resources, whether it’s like [a] Bible study or different things like guides and things to lead them along the way.”
The large scale outreach event has the potential to be very effective and helpful in spreading the Word of God in this new area of Cambodia. It also may provide an opportunity for Bibles for the World to find new partners to help spread the Gospel.
Printing Support for Laotian Tribal Languages
An outreach in Laos recently gave Bibles for the World an opportunity to partner with a small group of believers who had worked together to translate the Gospel of Luke and the Jesus Film into the heart languages of seven smaller Laotian tribes.
Pudaite says these believers told him. “’We could only print 100 copies each.’ They had done seven different languages. And I just said, ‘Look at we’re going to come alongside you.’ We’re going to try to, in the next year, print a copy of the Gospel of Luke for every household in those seven people groups. Some of them, they only number 30,000, 60,000, 80,000 in those people groups, but they have a unique language, unique culture, and they need to hear God’s Word. They need to have God’s Word in their heart language. Here the Laotian people themselves are doing it for them, but they just need a little help in getting enough copies out and distributing it to those to those unreached people groups.”
Support Bibles for the World
As they work alongside their current partners and empower new ones, Pudaite asks for prayer. Many of the Christians they work with face severe opposition. They know that their boldness and faith is sustained significantly through the prayers of the Church.
If you would like to join Bibles for the World financially please visit Biblesfortheworld.org to see how you can join their mission.
Header Photo courtesy of doungtepro on Pixabay
