Vietnam (MNN) — A pastor in
Vietnam contacted Bible Pathway late last year and asked for more Bibles and
Bible Pathway Devotionals, but the need is outpacing the resources.
Al
Joslyn with Bible Pathway Ministries says this pastor stumbled on a copy of the devotional 13 years ago. He was able to read in English, so he used it
alongside his normal Bible study. Because it was such a useful tool, he
began sharing it with a network of pastors in the underground church in
Vietnam.
As a result of the initial contact with Bible Pathway, a shipment of English Bibles and Bible Pathway
materials was sent. More pastors began to contact
the ministry, requesting similar resources in Vietnamese.
Reservicing the country became a intriguing
project due to the church growth. However, they couldn't do it alone. Joslyn says they ran the requests in their
newsletter, which resulted in "a
response from a former veteran of the Vietnam War who is now a pastor in West
Virginia. He gave a thousand dollar gift to send Bibles."
Although encouraging, there was
still one problem. "Unfortunately, we don't have Bible Pathway in
Vietnamese. We are looking for a
translator for that."
Such an open association could be
risky. Vietnam believers are no
strangers to persecution. The oppression
is most intense for the ethnic minorities, especially the Montagnards from the
hill country.
Despite the persecution, instead
of being destroyed, the church in Vietnam is growing and becoming stronger. Christians now make up almost ten percent of
the population. Now is the time to strike.
"We can ship into those countries.
I feel like we need to step into that door and meet the needs
there. This could be a very fruitful
field for Christ."
Joslyn says aside from
prayer, "Finances are needed to
purchase and to obtain these Bibles and send them over. Shipping costs are
high, and [it's important] to help these folks to be able to get them from the postal
system once they arrive."
