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Healing in the heart of Sudan

Posted on by Biblica

Healing in the heart of Sudan

Over two years of civil war in Sudan have created what the UN has called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. About 12 million people have fled their homes, with many battling famine and over 150,000 killed. What survivors have experienced has deeply affected them.

In one of the most devastated regions, a small spark of hope rises from the ashes. There, Maryam*, newly trained in trauma healing, has returned to serve her war-weary people.

In a fire-damaged church, its walls still blackened by flames and its ceiling open to the sky, Maryam recently led a full trauma healing seminar. The conditions were harsh, but the room was full. People didn’t come for comfort or beauty. They came for healing. And the Spirit of God met them there.

Maryam says:

“The trauma healing seminar continues to bear fruit … We can see the hand of God at work, renewing hearts, restoring wholeness, and bringing peace.”

This seminar marked the beginning of a journey leading the participants toward deep inner healing, restoration, and their own commissioning as lay counsellors in a land that desperately needs them.

12 million hearts and counting

Since 2021, Biblica and our supporters have partnered with MENA Trauma Healing and Resource Center (THRC) to provide life-changing counselling throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Millions of people in these areas have experienced war, displacement or violence, but psychological help is in short supply. 

Together, we have reached over 12 million hearts with the love of Jesus expressed through trauma healing. Thank you for helping more people access hope, wholeness and restoration.

*Maryam’s name has been changed to protect her identity

A question from the war zone

Posted on by Biblica Europe

“How can I be sure my sins are forgiven and find true inner peace?”

A man named Samir* sent in this question to Biblica’s Arabic social media team. 

He went on to explain that he thought following Jesus’ teachings would be the way forward, but he couldn’t get hold of a copy to find out what these teachings were. (While Jesus or “Isa” appears in the Qur’an, His teachings about life are not recorded.)

The Biblica team began by sending him a digital copy of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Arabic, which Samir had never read. 

From there, we took him through the full Christian understanding of the Gospel, fromAdam and the Fall all the way to the cross, where Jesus provided redemption for all.

In the middle of our conversation, Samir asked a bold and honest question:

“If a Muslim wants to convert to Christianity, what should he do?”

We responded simply: Pray and invite the Lord Jesus into your life as the one true God.

Reaching the unreachable throughout the Middle East

A few days later, Samir logged on again, and that’s when he told us that he was from Gaza. In the middle of an unspeakable war, he still couldn’t stop this spiritual searching. It was heartbreaking to imagine his situation. The team paused to pray with Samir, asking the Lord to surround him with peace and protection in the turmoil his people were enduring.

Right then, during that time of prayer, Samir gave his life to Jesus.

When we next get to speak to him, we will teach Samir how to pray as a follower of Christ. Please continue praying for our new brother and his loved ones!

People feel compelled to seek Christ in every imaginable situation around the world. Sometimes, it can feel impossible to share Jesus’ teachings with them as it’s illegal to own a Bible, talk about Christianity, or the situation is too dangerous.

But seekers are finding answers remotely and online through Biblica MENA’s Arabic social media team and the faithful work of our discipleship partner Media Impact International. In just six months, over 6,600 enquirers like Samir have been able to discover and engage with the message of Jesus in their own language.

As you pray for peace in this region, please join us in also praying for all of the spiritual seekers in the Middle East, whatever their situation. Thank you for joining us.

*This person’s name has been changed for his protection

From Trauma to Triumph on the Frontline

Posted on by Biblica Europe

A soldier’s mission in the dark

The burning fragments of metal ripped through Vitaliy’s body in a flash of light and heat.

Still conscious and numb from the shock, the hardened Ukrainian soldier checked himself for blood, but couldn’t find the full extent of the massive injuries to his legs, arm, and head. 

Then, blackness.

28 days later, emerging from a coma, the darkness remained on waking. Sitting up in his hospital bed, Vitaliy listened to doctors explain his trauma and why he couldn’t see.

During an advance with his unit on a counterattack between the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Luhansk, Vitaliy had hit a hidden mine which had showered his body with shrapnel. Sharp pieces of plastic and metal had pierced his head, severing one of his optic nerves and damaging the second. 

He was now blind.

 

Faith kindles the light of hope

It’s not the first time the 24 year old has faced challenge and hardship. As a frontline soldier, Vitaliy had experienced life-threatening moments in combat.

But his remarkable, rock-solid faith and sense of purpose had seen him through them all.

He remarked,

“Every hard situation that happened and I survived, I knew if God keeps me alive, I must have some mission here.”

During his two months in hospital, a further three on medical leave, and rounds of rehabilitation support, Vitaliy felt grateful for being saved from death and couldn’t shake the feeling he had been saved for more. He regularly recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah “Here I am, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8b, NIV)

Motivated to work and to support his comrades, he soon found himself as part of the medical team at Ukraine’s Halychyna Rehabilitation Center, helping other injured soldiers as a masseuse – the job he does with passion today.

Vitaliy quips that his lack of sight is not a hindrance. “All the other masseuses have two eyes, but I have ten” he says, referring to his fingers with a smile.”

 

Strength from the spoken Word

Listening to an audio Bible translation has been a huge help for Vitaliy. Although he lives in darkness, hearing Scripture gives him comfort and hope, and strength to carry on.

He reflects, “Maybe it would have been easier if I hadn’t been in a coma. But I’m still happy because you need to value what you have.”

Despite his personal challenges, Vitaliy remains confident in God’s provision for his future. Due to the nature of the damage to his vision, there’s a possibility that therapy and medical advancements might help restore some of his sight one day. 

Pray for healing of Vitaliy’s vision, and that his faith would encourage other soldiers.

Vitaliy’s audio Bible was produced by the generosity of people like you donating to Biblica. To help others like him live out their God-given purposes, give a gift today.

Prison Revival in El Salvador

Posted on by Biblica Europe

 

“…hundreds of prisoners have been turning to the Lord. They started with Bible studies and now have churches and Bible schools in prisons!”

 

80,000 Thrown in Jail

El Salvador, a country in South America ravaged by civil war and gang violence, is seeing an incredible spiritual awakening in its prisons.

After a large-scale government crack-down on gangs in 2022, hundreds of thousands of young men across the country have been convicted and sentenced, flooding the Salvadoran prison system.

In the first six months alone, the number of inmates in prison doubled. To date, more than 80,000 people have been detained under the “state of exception”, an emergency measure granting unprecedented powers to the police and military.

Conditions are poor and life tough for those inside.

But in the midst of this seemingly bleak picture, hope has sprung.

 

Loved by the Local Church

Your partnership with Biblica equips local Christian churches and ministries with the Spanish Bibles and resources they need to share the Gospel through Bible studies in the Salvadoran jails. We’ve seen a profound response from inmates, with many giving their lives to Christ!

Here’s how Alvaro, one of our mission partners on the ground, describes the revival:

“We are seeing massive transformation in this country, and we are really blessed to be part of it.

We have recently supplied 1,000 Life Application Study Bibles to the prison pastors, because

they need some basic knowledge to teach in these groups”.

 

Prisons Reshaped by the Gospel

It’s not just prisoners who are having their lives transformed. Many prison guards and chiefs have also encountered Jesus through the missionary activities and given their lives to Christ.

This prison revival has seen, in some compounds, over half the inmates become Christians.

The facilities are often split into sections for practical and safety reasons, so many thousands of believers are living alongside each other, providing community and fellowship in a dark place.

Many prisoners have been given lengthy sentences by the government. But these young men are finding hope and daily peace in their new relationship with God, each other, and the Word.

One prison chief shares, “Only the Bible works! nothing else can transform the lives of these prisoners”. There is hope that, when some of the young men are eventually freed, they will re-enter society and bring Christ’s love to bear in their neighbourhoods.

Thank you for being a beacon of light in a dark place. God is using your prayers and your generosity to spark spiritual revival in some of the most difficult places on the planet. It’s a powerful reminder that with Jesus, no situation is ever hopeless.

Sarah finds hope in Cairo

Posted on by Gary O'Rourke

“The teachings of the Gospel brought me back to life.”

Sarah married young, like many Egyptian Muslim women. But her extremist husband had a fiery temper and began to abuse her both emotionally and physically. When the couple had two sons, he soon began to abuse them as well.

Women in this cultural environment don’t have equal rights – there is little they can do about domestic abuse, as they are expected to be disciplined within the home. Sarah said:

“My husband’s belief was that a good Muslim wife doesn’t object or express her opinion; she serves and silently obeys orders. The world around me was dark and sad. Life at home was a nightmare, and tears never left my eyes.”

But at work, Sarah met a Christian called Lydia, who radiated a different kind of happiness. Sarah knew that Lydia had financial difficulties and other troubles, but her heart seemed to be continually filled with peace.

One day, with tears streaming down her face, Sarah poured out her feelings of unworthiness and despair, asking God why He had allowed so much suffering in her life. Looking for answers, she went to Lydia and asked, “Is it your faith that fills your heart with peace?”

Lydia began to explain the message of salvation to Sarah, who was deeply touched.

What’s really in the Bible?

At work, Lydia gave Sarah a Bible, and helped her to read it. As she started reading, she was initially confused and scared. She was so surprised to see the contradictions between the extremist Islamic beliefs she had been taught all her life and the compassionate words of Jesus. It gave her a deep desire to know more about the Christian faith.

Sarah went on reading the Bible, noting down the differences between the Bible and the Qu’ran. Day by day, she became convinced of the teachings she found in the New Testament. She found wisdom and comfort at last.

Jesus’ message transformed everything

Sarah says:

“The Bible became my daily companion; I read it every day. It was nourishment for my mind, solace for my heart, and peace for my life.

“After the first year of my experience with the Gospel, I had been transformed into a different person that I didn’t know existed within me. The teachings of the Gospel brought me back to life after I thought I had lost it forever.”

–

*Names have been changed to protect the women’s identities. Thank you to our partner in North Africa, Open Doors.

We found treasure in Ukraine

Posted on by Biblica Europe

My name is Olena. I grew up in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region.

In February 2022, my husband and I were expecting our second child, a little boy. Our daughter was four and a half.

On February 24, we woke up to the sound of war. A few hours later, the city was under heavy shelling. All my friends were sent home from work.

A month of fear

We didn’t have a basement, so there was nowhere to hide from the rockets. For almost a month, we lived in complete fear, hiding with our daughter as best we could, sleeping in the corridors and in bomb shelters. Three houses on our street were completely destroyed.

At the end of March, my doctor told me they were no longer accepting patients and I’d have to look for a maternity hospital in another city. Volunteers took us out and brought us to Poltava, about 180 miles away, where our baby boy was born. It took almost all of our savings to relocate.

A child leads the way

About a month later, we were invited to the local church. For several months, we came solely for humanitarian aid. There were always people there ready to talk and support us, but we never took them up on it.

In May, my daughter and I were invited to a children’s club. We began attending these events from time to time, but all these stories remained mere fairy tales for me.

It was our daughter who became most interested in God. She always asked questions about Him and wanted to watch cartoons about God. I didn’t know much and couldn’t answer her questions, but when we were invited to a service last winter, my husband and I went together. Our child was given a New Testament – the Treasure Hunt Bible. It was written for children, but we were very interested in reading it ourselves! It had lots of questions in it that we could all think about together.

The most valuable treasure

Our daughter made us pray and read this Bible with her every day. I thank God that last autumn, my husband came to faith, and in the winter, so did I.

In this new town, we found the most valuable thing – faith in God! It all started with a children’s book, but now our lives have completely changed.

You sent this Bible to Olena’s family!

Do you remember our 2022 Christmas appeal? Many of you gave generously to send Treasure Hunt Bibles, newly-translated into Ukrainian, to children experiencing their first Christmas as refugees. Olena’s little girl was one of them. A £5 Christmas present has changed the lives of her whole family forever. Thank you so much from Olena and us!

To support this ministry and others like it, you can give a gift here today.

A song from a six-year old

Posted on by Biblica Europe

Matthew* is only six years old and has already been through brain cancer surgery.

Despite all this, this little Egyptian boy still wanted to pick up his guitar and sing a song for us – a song of praise to his Father God!

Matthew came to know a God who is always with us through thick and thin, thanks to receiving a children’s Bible in his own mother tongue, colloquial Egyptian.

A child’s mother tongue

This collection of Bible stories was one of the first Christian resources published for children in the Egyptian dialect – the first language that most Egyptian kids learn to speak. It’s much easier for young people to understand than material in formal classical Arabic.

Now God speaks to children through the Bible using just the same language as their mums, dads and friends. They understand he’s not a God who is far-off and hard to reach, but one who is close like their family.

God is close

Matthew had struggled with all the medical treatment he had to have. But now he knows that God loves him, is close, and will never leave him, no matter what he goes through. His joyful song in the midst of such a hard time shows this is a reality for him, giving him life and strength every day.

Matthew’s Bible was translated and provided thanks to the generosity of people like you donating to Biblica. You can do something amazing like this by donating today:

To support this ministry and others like it, you can give a gift here today.

*Not his real name

Mistakes and miracles – how God’s Word reaches Iranians

Posted on by Biblica Europe

A couple of years ago, Biblica completed the first translation of the whole Bible into modern Farsi, the official language of Iran. In one recent year, 300,000 Bibles were received by Iranians hungry to read them… despite the fact that it’s against the law to distribute the Bible in Farsi.

Our brave distribution partners tell us one incredible story after another about how Jesus is speaking to Iranians and miraculously providing Bibles to people seeking them.

The taxi driver and the box

In one Iranian city lives a man who works as a taxi driver.

One day, he picked up a passenger who had a box sitting next to him on the back seat. As this passenger left the car, he forgot to take his box. The driver thought he would contact him to pick it up the next day. He took the parcel home with him for safekeeping.

The thing is, this taxi driver was also a house church leader. That night, the secret church meeting would be at his house. For many years, these ten believers had gathered regularly, sharing one Bible between them – the one belonging to the taxi driver. The ten of them had been praying for months: “Lord, we would each like to have our own Bible.”

This particular night, when it was time to pray they said, “Let’s pray for Bibles again!”

As they prayed, the group leader suddenly wanted to know what was inside the box that had been left in his taxi. He got up very quietly and walked into the kitchen where he’d put it. He opened the box, and, astonished, brought it out to the praying group.

What was inside the box? Ten Bibles! The group was so, so happy.

The Lord delivers!

The man who left that box of Bibles in the taxi was one of our partners’ delivery guys. His role in getting Bibles to Iranians who need them is to collect the Bibles from a secret, safe warehouse and then carefully deliver them to house church leaders. Sometimes the delivery guys are just guided by the Holy Spirit about where to take the Bibles.

We don’t think this brother meant to leave those 10 Bibles in the taxi – he didn’t know the driver was a house church leader. But God knew very well. Our partner said:

“It gives me goosebumps to think about the Holy Spirit working together with people, fallible humans, and even using their mistakes.”

Your impact is huge

Our partner in the Middle East has a message for everyone who gives to Biblica:

“I want to personally thank you for making the financial investment in Biblica to make the Farsi Bible translation possible. God is using your gifts and multiplying them, sometimes more than tenfold.

“Now the translation is done, we need funding to print more copies. We can’t start printing Bibles until the money’s in. Anyone reading this can make it possible for more people in the Middle East to read the Bible, which for many will be their first time.”

A ‘lite’ Bible app reaches 70 more countries

Posted on by Biblica Europe

Although technology has made it easier than ever to share God’s Word around the globe, most smartphones are less powerful in the developing world than they are in developed nations, and most users have a lot less data to use. This means the average person has remained cut off from digital Bible apps like YouVersion.

Until now, that is.

This year, YouVersion partnered with Biblica to design, pilot, and launch Bible App Lite — a lightweight Bible app specifically designed for people in developing communities.

“Lightweight” means that the app is exponentially smaller in terms of megabytes while still offering key Bible engagement features in an offline context, including the full text of the NIV.

More downloads than TikTok

After a pilot in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, Bible App Lite is now used in over 70 countries around the world. More than 16 million people have installed Bible App Lite in the last 12 months. More importantly, there’s over 1 million people using it every single day. And in multiple African app stores (Kenya, Uganda, and DRC), this digital Bible has even ranked as the No. 1 overall app —more popular than TikTok and Facebook!

“God is using this app — not just to get the Bible into people’s hands, but also into their hearts,” says YouVersion Founder and CEO Bobby Gruenewald. “Our desire is to reach every person, in every part of the world, with God’s Word in their heart language.”

Bobby adds, “Our team loves Biblica. We couldn’t do what we do without you.”

The stats

The new Bible App Lite:

  • 16 million total users
  • 1 million daily users
  • The number 1 app in multiple African app stores

We keep innovating to share the Bible everywhere

Technology like this is a gamechanger in getting the Bible to previously inaccessible places. In many countries it’ s much easier to download an app than get your hands on a paper Bible. Last year, we launched 53 more single language Bible apps for basic smartphones.

Read more about the impact of your support
over the last year in our inspiring annual report.

20 years, 40 countries, 3 million teenagers

Posted on by Biblica Europe

It’s a new year, and we want to send a big thanks to everybody who supported our Christmas appeal to open the Bible to Generation Z. Many teens will be able to explore God’s Word this year thanks to you!

In fact, 2024 is a big year for our groundbreaking youth Bible, Reach4Life. It’s 20 years since we produced the first copy – initially aimed at South African young people growing up with the challenge of HIV.

Today, Reach4Life covers dozens of hot topics and challenges faced by teenagers around the world. It’s used in schools, youth groups and even prisons in 40 countries. We estimate that 3 million teenagers have got into the Bible with Reach4Life so far… and God’s just getting started.

 

In its 20th year, we aim to make this wonderful youth Bible available in Nepal, Cambodia, Libya and Sudan – the translation work is well underway. Plus, we plan to offer youth work training where it’s most needed around the world, and reach new groups of teens through TV, radio and the Reach4Life app.

We can’t wait to see what God does next. Thank you for your support.

To donate, click on the logo below:
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We will use your gift wisely where it will have the greatest impact on opening God’s Word to everyone, everywhere.

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Dionne Mutambisi

Finance Officer

Dionne joined Biblica in January 2023. As a detail-orientated accounting and finance professional she has been meeting the accounting needs of companies, not-for-profit organisations and individuals for over 12 years. Dionne lives in Bournemouth with her husband and three children, Heavenly-Joy, Daniel-Jesse and Josiah-James. Together they attend City Gate Church. Dionne serves as a governor for two local Church of England schools.