Puerto Rico: Touched by God’s Amazing Love

David Acevedo is an evangelical chaplain who works with men in Prison 1072 in the city of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Many of these men are drops outs with serious literacy problems and learning disabilities. As David explains, he himself had a lot of problems trying to explain the Bible to the prisoners. The reason he couldn’t explain it was that he had problems understanding many of the elaborated words used in the Bible - he felt that he could not do his job properly.

David was invited by Bible League International to a Project Phillip training program, where he received a La Palabra de Dios para Todos Easy-to-Read™ Bible and since then his work has become much easier and far more effective.

“Now I can share the Word of God in a simpler way and the men understand it much better because I myself understand it more.” 

But David is grateful for so much more. As a child he received a Bible in which he wrote the verse from Ecclesiastes 12:1. As he grew up he decided not to follow the Christian road and eventually ended up in jail for some years. While he was in prison, God used the Ecclesiastes verse to speak to him and let him know that he was wasting his life.

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Even though, David had received Jesus as his Saviour while in prison, he still could not understand part of that verse. With the La Palabra de Dios para Todos Bible the truth of this important verse became clear to David. Curiously, the part he could not understand is now the part of the verse that he uses the most in his work as a Chaplain in jail. “Remember your Creator when you are young, before the days of trouble come and the years catch up with you. They will make you say, ‘I have found no pleasure in them’."

Through the La Palabra de Dios para Todos Bible, the previously unreached in the prisons of Puerto Rico are now being touched by God’s Amazing love.

Praise God that His Word does not return void and His ways are so much higher than ours.

Pray for Chaplains working in prisons throughout Puerto Rico, that they would be effective in showing God’s unfailing truths to hearts that have been hardened.


Read more about our work on our website www.bl.org.au

Easy-to-Read™ Version (ERV)

Billions of people are starving for the message of Christ, but most do not have the Bible in a language they can easily understand. Bible League International is committed to producing Easy-to-Read translations in each of the world's 100 most-spoken languages, which would then be available to nearly 90% of the world's population. We've already completed 30 languages.

 
The first translation produced by the World Bible Translation Center was the Easy-to-Read Version for the Deaf. It was designed to meet the needs of Deaf people who were unfamiliar with the structure and idioms of English as it is commonly spoken. The New Testament was completed in 1978 and published as the English Version for the Deaf (EVD) by Baker Book house. Since that time, the text has been revised several times. WBTC, INC retains the copyright for the text, which it licenses to many other agencies for publication. Written at a third-grade reading level, with very short sentences and using a limited vocabulary, the translation is the simplest English version ever published. In 2012 Bible League International published the Children’s Illustrated Bible and Children’s Illustrated New Testament. 

Understandable. Easy-to-Read™ Bible translations are written in everyday language that makes God’s Word understandable.

Basic Reading Level. Many people in the world do not have an education beyond the third grade level. Easy-to-Read™ translations make God’s Word more accessible to people who read at this basic level.

Helpful to New Believers. Easy-to-Read™ Scriptures, written in everyday language, are especially helpful to seekers and new believers as they apply God’s message to their lives.

Serves the Church. When a body of believers has a clear understanding of God’s Word, they are prepared to share the story of Jesus within their community.

Worldwide impact. Since 100 of the world’s most-spoken languages represent 95% of the world’s population, imagine the impact if an Easy-to-Read™ Bible was available in all 100 languages!

We are not translating the ERV, the English easy-to-read translation; but rather, producing easy-to-read type translations in other languages.

Bible League International is working hard to produce various formats of the ERV.  So far ERV Bibles are available in print, on SD Card, PDF online and Apps for smartphones.  Formats outside of print are proving very effective at providing valuable Scriptures to people in persecuted communities.  Bible League's aim is to provide the ERV free of charge to people wanting Bibles.

But Bible League can't do this on our own. We depend on people like you--people who love God's Word and have a passion to share it--to support this ministry. Our partners in the field--local churches and Christian organizations--use these Bibles for evangelism and discipleship. People grow in their faith. God's Church grows in numbers and commitment. All because we work together.

Your ongoing support will make sure more Easy-to-Read™ Bible translations are available to those in the far reaches of our world. Through your gift, the very first Bible people access will be one they can understand! Together we can plant God’s Word so more people meet Jesus. 

 

Read more about our work on our website www.bl.org.au

A famine is sweeping across the African continent that does not have its origins in climate change, political upheaval or war.
This famine goes much deeper than physical, political or social needs – it goes to the very heart and soul of every man, woman and child - it is a Bible famine.

There is a deep spiritual hunger for the Word of God across Africa. The population of Africa is growing faster than in any other part of the world. With more than one billion people in 2010 it is estimated that the population will grow to 1.5 billion by 2030.

Almost half of the people living in this culturally and ethnically diverse continent claim to be Christian but often their depth of faith is very shallow because they do not have a personal copy of the Bible in their heart language.

The Urgent Need
Rev Shadrack Molosiwa, Bible League International’s Southern Africa Regional Operations Director, recently shared: “When the people have no Bibles in their mother tongue, it affects their lives in that some just become nominal Christians, or just go to Church but do not really understand what the Bible requires in terms of their conduct. so you find that many people are mixing Christianity with ancestral and cultural practices. There is a lot of confusion and there is no strong Christianity in which they are rooted. Lives are not changed.”

As the Church in Africa continues to grow rapidly, reaching out into unchurched areas with the Good News of Jesus, so does the demand for Bibles and Bible study resources.

A Cry For Help
A Christian ministry agency based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently approached Bible League International with this request:  “We have about 1.3 million children who do not even have a piece or a page of the Bible. Can you help us to make sure that when the students grow in that harvest knowledge of the Lord they will have something to read and depend on?”

Such requests are becoming more and more frequent, but sadly, resources are limited.

The Power of God’s Word
However, when a believer receives a Bible and Bible study resources there is a wonderful transformation. “This Bible study is a mercy privilege from the Lord”, shared Gabra from Ethiopia. “I have decided not to be silent anymore. It’s not enough for only me to be saved. I have to tell my Oromo tribe about the Saviour, just as the Samaritan woman did.”

You Can Help Break the Bible Famine
What does it cost to provide an African believer with a Bible and Bible study? Just $5.

Such a relatively small gift can have an enormous and eternal impact on the life of not only the believer but also their family and wider community.

Even though the demand for Bibles and Scripture resources is great, each gift is an important step to help break the Bible famine across Africa. Through your financial gift today and by prayer, we can together empower believers to grow in their faith, and as the body of Christ, ultimately bring true transformation to the nations of Africa.

Support Africa and read more about our work on our website www.bl.org.au