(Image courtesy 123goshare.com)
East Asia (IMB) — Christian worker Ben Lim* smiles and fans out a deck of 52 playing cards, as he invites a random person in the audience to “pick a card … pick any card.”
This unique deck depicts Old Testament Scripture. Another deck in his pocket has 52 stories from the New Testament. Together, the two decks of cards are a pocket-size pictorial Bible, covering everything from creation to Christ. The uniqueness isn’t simply because this wordless Bible is found on a combo-pack of playing cards, but by the fact that Ben’s teenage daughters, Jasmine* and Jamie* (plus one of their friends), drew the pictures.
“I can’t begin to describe what it is like to use an evangelism tool developed by your own kids. It’s like ‘WOW man!’ It’s beyond our imagination because only God can do this,” the church planter from Oklahoma says. “All over the world, people are using these cards as part of evangelism and discipleship training.”
Jamie explains that most of the people her family works with cannot read or do not like to read. In rural East Asia, word of mouth and pictures are really the most common forms of communicating. Carrying the Bible stories on decks of cards also draws interest and allows the stories to reach places where Bibles aren’t allowed.
Churches and individuals can order the cards at 123goshare.com. The two-deck set costs just $10, and proceeds from the sale of the cards go to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Also, for every set ordered, another set is sent to a worker on the field to use as a witnessing tool.
“People are going to see how creative God is and amazing He is through these stories,” Jamie says, shuffling through the New Testament. “Just pull a card out of the deck and you can share about a different characteristic of God or a different Bible story.”
Giving to Lottie Moon offers constant support of creative workers like these and families who are dedicating themselves to sharing the Gospel however they can–even through a card game.
*Names changed for security.
