An Open Bible in Every Home

9 Oct 2021
 

 

October 2021


With churches closed so often and activities limited, Miriam, a Sunday-School teacher, was unhappy and spiritually dry.  One day her husband brought home our Bible Competition materials, saying that this was a good chance for them to study the Bible together.  They started to work through the study, reading with focus. The Bible opened up to Miriam in a new way, and her desire for the Word of God was revived.  Staying up late into the night, she did further study in the section they were working through.  She finished the first two workbooks (105 chapters each) in just 20 days, and then started doing the program with the girls in her Sunday School class.

We are so grateful for the many exciting opportunities in Egypt to serve a Church hungry for the Bible!   The goal of our project “An Open Bible in Every Home” is to provide 1 million Bibles in 5 years to underprivileged who do not have a Bible AND to make sure that Bible is open and being used, through an organized competition program for families, with local events, prizes, and certificates.

 

With sporadic church closures, uncertainty and restrictions of the Pandemic, church leaders are eager for this resource to keep people connected and studying the Bible at home with their families.  Distribution began in October 2020, and in just three months we had distributed 80,000 Bibles and their corresponding 160,000 study guides!  Though highly subsidized, people pay very small nominal fee for the Bibles and the competition books to guarantee their commitment for becoming engaged with the program.  Now in 2021, we are well on our way to completing a distribution of 150,000 Bibles, with a goal of another 210,000 in 2022.
The workbooks are fun and interesting to solve, providing new and deeper knowledge and understanding for many. One must read the passage carefully in order to answer.  Some said that this was the first time to ever open the Old Testament.  Several churches have adopted our study guides as a curriculum for Bible study meetings.  One priest sends a daily audio message to all the participants with a short meditation using the particular passage of the day.
 
Nagat, an engineer, is also a cancer survivor and actively serving in her church.  She immediately began using our program in her ministry to the poor and underprivileged.  She makes 3 – 4 visits each day, helping them work through the booklets and explaining parts they don’t understand.

Several parents shared that they have started to read the Bible together as a family for the first time.  “It is a blessing to do this together, especially since our kids read much better than us, and they help us to understand.”  Others have given the Bible and booklets to their neighbors, and then get together to share about what they are learning.  One family did the study together over Zoom with the father who was working in Kuwait.

To hear several people sharing some feedback after participating in this program, check these videos

We are extremely encouraged at the enthusiasm to study the Bible.  We feel that the timing is providential, as people feel the pressure and pain of the pandemic.  And we are so grateful for all our dear partners who have been an integral support with your committed prayers and generous giving. 

With warm greetings,

Amir Elhamy
General Director
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