June 2024

Counting our Blessings

Dear friends,

Greetings from Egypt!  Looking back to February, I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for your support and prayers during the Cairo International Bookfair! As planned, our onsite digital Bible competition definitely drew attention especially to the youth!  We had thought to start with one daily competition, but immediately were running three and four per day as people were so interested and waiting to join.  Even those who have never read the Bible before were downloading our App and giving it a go! Thank God for the good distribution of highly discounted Scriptures to visitors from a wide variety of needs and backgrounds.  Our goal is to get people engaging with God’s Word, and we were able to really leverage this occasion to promote all our free digital products.  Please have a look at this short clip for some encouraging feedback!

Mobile Bible World

As for our Spring Mobile Bible World tour, we did four events back to back in Upper Egypt and the fifth at the Garbage Village, serving over 10,000 rural children during their mid-year break!! We are so grateful for such an opportunity to reach thousands of children in just a few weeks, connecting them with the Bible in a personal way.  And now we have more requests than we could ever fulfill, with limited resources, both financially, and in manpower. Please pray for guidance as we are now finalizing plans for the summer activities.

Audio Bible

Finally, I would like to tell you about how the Audio Bible has made a huge difference in the life of Mona, a visually impaired woman.  The church she attends has a very active Bible Institute with systematic Bible Study programs for all ages.  Currently, there are 1,000 children and another 1,000 youth and adults studying the Bible in this institute! Throughout the years, the Bible Society has partnered with this dynamic church to supply Scripture resources and training… including a special resource provided for Mona, which enabled her to join the Bible Institute – the MegaVoice Audio Bible.

Listening to the Scripture passages on her audio device, she dictates her answers to a friend.  She has completed all four of our competition booklets this way, and is impatiently waiting for the next volume to arrive.  The MegaVoice makes it possible for Mona to participate and study the Bible with everyone else.  Mona says, “I listen to 4 or 5 chapters daily, to complete the Bible in a year.  I listen at other times throughout the day, not just with the study. I love having the Bible with me all day, and it makes all the difference. Sometime I am worried … and the verse that comes to me says, ‘Cast your cares on Him for He careth for you.’  I see the Lord taking care of me like He takes care of the birds of the air.  If He takes care of the birds, of course He will take care of me, His beloved!  The whole Bible is precious to me.”

Mona however, is concerned for so many other visually impaired people who are also in need of the MegaVoice.  Without subsidy, very few can afford such a device, as the selling price of 850 EGP ($18) makes it prohibitively expensive. Through the help of our partners we are able to distribute thousands of these at a 75% discount. Usually the churches purchase these units and distribute it an even lower price or for free.

Father Mousa says, “I thank the Bible Society, not only for providing these specific programs and resources the past couple years, but I thank them for standing beside us and supporting us for 13 years.  A real thirst and hunger for the Word of God has grown here, and I am now confident that I can go to any of our homes, and I will find your Bibles opened and read.”

Dear friends, we are so grateful for your partnership in making the Scriptures available and affordable. Will you please uphold our team in your prayers especially in these coming days of outreach this summer. Pray for health and strength, for supernatural encouragement, and grace, that we may all rejoice in the fruits of their faithful service and labor.

Sincerely,

Amir Elhamy
General Director