This update is related to the One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South campaign.
Bibles Lead to Entire Family’s Spiritual Transformation
More than 30,000 children throughout Awana programs in Africa brought home a Bible one night. For many of the families of these children, a Bible in the home was a brand new thing, and a blessing to the whole family. Not only do the children receiving these Bibles read them, but the parents often end up reading them too.
Benard Litwachi, Awana Regional Director for East Africa, recognizes what this means. As a native Kenyan who has served with Awana in various roles for more than 25 years, he knows the need isn’t just among children, but for whole families. For those homes who claim to be Christian, “there is a very high possibility that out of 10 homes I would visit, maybe only one would have a Bible. The average family consists of about five to seven members, parents together with the children.” So when a Bible is brought into a home, the parents and other family members in the home pay attention. For those who believe, we know the power of God’s Word and what the Spirit can do through reading it (Rom. 10:17).
By God’s grace, through the One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South, more than 100,000 children’s Bibles have been distributed at no cost to students throughout the Global South. Through his abundant grace and power, we also know that each Bible distributed means transformation in more lives than the 100,000 recipients. This transformation includes thousands of parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and others we may never know about on this side of Heaven. Bibles are fostering spiritual growth as they make their way into Awana programs throughout Africa.
Give the Gift of Biblical Resources
Crossway provides Bibles and biblical resources to believers in need around the world. Join us in the effort to help provide resources to believers who have limited access to Bibles and theology books. Would you consider partnering with us? Learn More.
Our Normal Isn’t Their Normal
When you walk into an Awana program in a church in the United States, you’re likely to find no shortage of Bibles. Many children come with their own Bible or, if they forget one, the Awana program makes sure they have a full-text Bible to use for that night—and even to take home with them if they don’t have one. This is what most of us would consider normal. Yet Awana Northern Michigan Field Director Scott Conner learned that our “normal” isn’t normal in African Awana programs. He visited Kenya and Rwanda during two of these recent children’s Bible distribution events. “If you would [ask the class] ‘Hey, could someone read a passage of Scripture for me?,’ out of 200 to 300 kids, you would have to look around to figure out that there’s one Bible way over there, and there’s one in the opposite corner. Why did I think that everybody had a Bible? They don’t. And so they’re learning Scripture and they’re memorizing it, but they don’t have their own copy.”
Scott isn’t likely the only one whose first instinct would be to think that the children attending the Awana program have Bibles. After all, how does a child learn God’s Word if they don’t have a copy of it to read from? And yet brothers and sisters in Christ want to pass on the good news to the next generation. Sometimes this means the teachers are forced to teach orally for the kids to copy down rather than reading the words from the Bible themselves. Men, women, and children alike have the desire for God’s Word, but as Benard explains, not the means to get it for themselves.
In our African context, if you ask someone to buy a Bible, they will probably say to you, “it is not a priority for me right now. Yes, it is important, but it’s not a priority because I’ve got mouths to feed, school fees to take care of, house rental fees, and other needs. So as much as I would like to have a Bible, I can’t.” A good Bible, like the ones that Crossway has provided to us, is almost 3,000 Kenyan shillings. We have Bibles that cost 500 shillings and still people cannot afford to buy those Bibles.
Tangible Change
In Awana programs alone, more than 30,000 Bibles have been given to help address the need Benard identifies. Though it’s not a total solution to the problem, by God’s grace, each Bible is reaching those in need and impacting the hearts of children and their families. Even on distribution day, Scott saw the immediate impact of the Bibles.
Our kids were passing out Bibles to all the grade levels, and there was a tangible excitement in the air as we did so. It was so much fun to be a part of that and to see their love for God’s Word as they received it. After the distribution took place, the students went back to their classrooms. As I was walking by some of the classrooms, I could hear the students reading different passages out loud and pointing to these stories that they had heard their teachers share with them orally. But now they get to have their own Bible and read it for themselves.
When people have the opportunity to read God’s Word for themselves, the Spirit often softens hearts to receive the gospel. As the next generation is brought up, like the next generation in the United States they need the opportunity to hear the Word. By the power of God working through the written Word, he’s transforming more lives beyond the one who receives the Bible.
As Benard dreamt about the impact of these thousands of Bibles going out across Kenya and Africa at large, he reflected on this question: “Can you imagine the transformation that the Lord may cause to take place in those households where the Bibles are going? That’s how important this initiative is. It’s not just about placing the Bible in the hands of a child. Go beyond that and imagine—when that Bible gets into the home, God can bring transformation when the Word is being shared in that family.”
In his grace, the Lord has allowed more than one million Bibles to be distributed throughout the Global South, to areas of great need. And we know he has a special place in his heart for children, which is why 100,000 of these were specifically given to children like those in the Awana Kenya programs. The need is still great, and by faith, we trust that the Lord is bringing about spiritual transformation, even right now.
Thank you to those who prayed for, gave to, and supported the One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South! Your support is going toward the furthering of God’s kingdom, one life at a time.
Pray for the 100,000 children who received ESV children’s Bibles through the One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South, and that the Bibles would be a blessing both to the children and to their families. Pray that the Lord would bring spiritual transformation to entire households.
Praise God for the work of Awana Africa. Pray for the Lord’s hand of protection and support over Benard and thousands of other staff members and volunteers who are taking God’s Word out to the next generation.