I recently had the privilege of doing some Bible teaching on an Oak Hall trip to one of the most unreached countries in the world, Japan! We spent time in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, and the Mount Fuji area.

A few weeks ago one of our staff in Myanmar sent us this urgent prayer request: “The country is facing civil war in many areas, along with devastating floods, creating unimaginable suffering for so many people.”

Imagine what it must feel like to qualify for a place at the Olympics, and then to be considered as one of the favourites in your particular sport to win a gold medal. Imagine what it must then be like to have to pull out of your scheduled race after months and even years of training. It must be gutting.

The Guji people have waited 26 years for a full Bible in their language. Meet the Guji community in Ethiopia. This is the story of how in June 2024, they finally received the entire Bible translated in their native language. To celebrate, thousands gathered together to throw a massive party and praise God! But unfortunately, there are 3,000+ other languages that do not have God’s word in their native language.

Imagine what it must be like to wait 25 years for something to happen! That’s how long the Guji translation project has been on the go – but, just two weeks ago, the Guji people of Ethiopia finally received their full Bible.

The reason for this focus of this newsletter is mainly as a result of last month’s newsletter! A friend of mine responded in connection with an Albanian pastor, which led to a visit to Bristol, which in turn led to a visit to the nearby George Muller museum – where I was able to see his well-worn Bible!

Imagine living in a country that is completely closed off from the rest of the world, and where it’s forbidden by law to believe, or even speak about God! Imagine what it’s like to be banned from owning your own house, and to live under a regime that bans and burns Bibles.

It’s all about eggs – or is it!? Over this Easter period it’s estimated that 90 million chocolate eggs will be eaten in the UK – and if you laid them all side by side, they would stretch from the UK to Sri Lanka!

How a family's faith launched Bible translation projects in a poverty-stricken country. The powerful story of Kobus van Aswegen's entry into Bible translation.

Our teams are currently involved in 11 Bible translation projects in a particular south-east Asian country where Christians often count the cost of following Jesus. According to Open Doors this country sits within the top 20 countries in which persecution is hardest.

A Sunday in Slovakia: Sunday 10th December was a date that many Romani Slovak Christians had been waiting a long time for – the launch of their full Bible! It was a weekend of snow and ice, with temperatures well into the minuses, but with over 400 people crammed into the Roma church in Sabinov that afternoon, it was anything but chilly!