Bible Society of Victoria

Dear Praying Friends,

May 9th – UBS Day of Prayer

Each year, May 9^th is a special day when all Bible Societies around the world are asked especially to pray for the work of God through us in translating the Scriptures, printing and making them available in suitable formats that people can easily and readily use, and of course providing them at a price people can reasonably afford.

 In addition, we pray for people who have a Bible in their language and can afford one (sometimes even more) but who for some reason as Christians choose somehow not to open their scriptures.  We pray that we as a Bible Society may encourage them and help them to do so, so that God’s Will may be known and obeyed more fully.

Northern Territory

Phil Zamagias, the Flying Bibleman, who is responsible for the Bible Society’s work of getting the Bible out and about and used widely in the outback of Australia, reports that he has just returned from the dedication of the Alyawarr mini-Bible at Irrultja, Northern Territory.

 This Bible is a great example of the way in which we work.  First of all, it was done in partnership with the local churches and Wycliffe Bible Translators.  The presentation was described as “magnificent” by many, and the Alyawarr people were very proud of this new scripture publication.  It may seem strange to some, but the quality of the presentation emphasises the importance of the material within to many Aboriginal people.  Therefore it’s important that they feel good about the way in which their scriptures appear.  It makes them more likely to be widely read.

 Under our new pricing arrangements and with our desire to make the scriptures as widely available as possible, this new mini-Bible (even a mini-Bible is a huge size in an Aboriginal language) will be available for just $18.00.  That makes it affordable, and that’s important.

 One of the next steps will be to produce at least one gospel in an audio format read by local people in their own language put onto a variety of audio formats including the Proclaimer which is a robust electronic audio player which can be heard by up to 100 people in open air.

 Will you please pray for the Alyawarr people of Central Australia and for their use of this mini-Bible.  Please pray that it will be widely read, easily understood, and fully obeyed.  Please also pray for us as we now seek to move on with some audio recording to extend its usage even further.  Please pray also for Phil Zamagias who has had problems recently in getting his aircraft serviced and fully airworthy again because of a supplier going bankrupt.

Phil reports in the last week some good encouragement as a Qantas pilot friend flew up to do a test flight with him, which not only saved a lot of money but speeded up the whole process.

 Please pray for the next Bible dedication which is planned for early September which will be the Wubuy New Testament.  That, too, is being eagerly anticipated.  Please pray for all the practicalities of the finalising of the printing etc. that need to be undertaken to meet a fairly tough deadline.

Visit of Miller Milloy, General Secretary, United Bible Societies.

 The visit of Miller Milloy was unfortunately delayed because of the volcanic ash crisis, which meant that he simply couldn’t get a flight out of the U.K.

 Please pray for the contact that we have made, and pray for Miller in his busy schedule as he tries to make up ground in the months ahead.

 Please pray that Miller will be able to come at another time.

 Please also pray for the Global Board meeting which meets in the third week of May.  The UBS Global Board has a number of functions.  At this particular meeting they will be selecting and appointing a new General Secretary to replace Miller when he retires at the end of this year.

 May They Be One – Philippines

The Philippines Bible Society in concert with all the churches of the Philippines, launched an ambitious project to change a nation.  “We call ourselves the only Christian nation in South-East Asia but we have not really lived up to that” explains Bible Society General Secretary, Nora Lucero.  “The vision for ‘May They Be One’ is nothing short of bringing about the moral and social transformation the country longs for.  We pray the Bible will be the transforming force”, Nora adds.

 The aim is to not only provide, but deliver to every poor Filipino family in the country a copy of the scriptures in one of the eight major languages.  In addition, all the churches have made commitments to assist their people to read the scriptures on a regular daily basis as the basis for the transformation of the country to follow.

 As a Bible Society here in Australia we are part of this movement to help the Philippines transform themselves through the Word of God.

 Would you please pray that as we set in motion plans to be part of this worldwide effort (five million Bibles in six years is a huge task in any country) we may know God’s leading as to the best way to do it and how we may do so efficiently, effectively and in a way which also revives our country to read and obey God’s Word.

Natural Disasters

 Over recent months many countries within the Asia-Pacific area have been severely affected by natural disasters. Please don’t forget to pray for all those involved. Now that the initial surge of enthusiasm, interest and concern has faded, the Bible Societies in places like India (floods), Philippines (typhoons), Samoa and Tonga (tsunami), and others will be following through with appropriate scriptures and energy.

 Please help them as they play their part in the rebuilding of their shattered communities.

 Thank you for your continued prayers.

Sincerely in Christ,

Tony Crook.

DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION of MARCH 2010 Prayer Letter

HAITI UPDATE

In early February a military plane from Brazil arrived in Haiti with 4,000 Bibles in French, and the Haitian Bible  Society has ordered another print run in that language.  In addition, 23,000 Bibles in Creole are being printed in South Korea right now.  Meanwhile in the Dominican Republic, the printing of 200,000 Portions and 100,000    Selections with Bible verses giving comfort and hope has already begun.  The editorial work for these publications was completed in two languages in record time.  Sixty percent of these materials will be in French and forty percent in Creole.

But in spite of all these Scriptures, Magda Victor, the General Secretary of the Haitian Bible Society, says they will not be enough.  “Wherever we go, people ask for a Bible and we have only a few left,” she told me.

No income from sales is coming in to the Bible Society, but they have simply undertaken to give out Bibles in print and in audio to bring comfort and help to their people.

Please keep praying for Haiti—and for Peru, which has suffered such terrible floods

NORWAY

The Norwegian Bible Society writes:  “We are now in the final stage of translation work on the full Bible in the two main languages: Bokmål and Nynorsk (New Norwegian).  This puts heavy pressure on all involved and we need to remain in good health to finish by the end of the year.  The launch is planned for the later part of 2011.  There is some public discussion of parts of the texts that have been  published already and we pray that the texts themselves and the debate about them create interest in reading the Bible among a wider audience.

We give thanks for good financial results last year, especially in fundraising, where we reached our budget and can continue our level of support to the programs of the fellowship.”

Please pray for the Norwegian Bible Society and this important translation work.

A NEW LEADER FOR UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES

Please continue to pray that as the deadline for applications comes to close on the 12^th March,  it will be possible to find God’s choice for the new General Secretary of the United Bible Societies worldwide fellowship.

AFFIRMING THE BIBLE IN JAPAN

The Bible is highly respected in Japan.,  Although the country has only one million Christians—less than one percent of the population—the Japan Bible Society sells an astonishing one million Bibles every year—proof that non-Christians, too, hold the Bible in high esteem.  Yet it is not sales figures alone that are important, emphasises Bible Society General Secretary the Rev. Makoto Watabe.  What is most important is that people build a strong personal faith based on the Bible.

“We must let people know that the Bible is not just a book of historical and academic significance,” Mr. Watabe says.  “We must guide them towards experiencing its power directly in their own lives, giving them firm principles to follow.”

Overcoming the ‘casual’ approach to religion that has emerged in Japan’s westernized, post-modern society is a significant challenge for the Bible Society, he continues.

“Western culture seems to encourage people to question belief.  In contrast, I see that in less westernized societies—India, for example—people have less formal education but they have firm, undoubting faith. We must encourage people to read the Bible regularly and to really develop a personal relationship with it.

“And even those of us who are familiar with the Bible must not take it for granted, either.   I believe that one of my main responsibilities as General Secretary is to demonstrate firm faith, and that’s why I always read seven chapters of the Bible every day.”

Please pray for Makoto Watabe, a dynamic and effective leader, and for his staff as they seek to get people in Japan to “read, learn and inwardly digest” the Bible.

SERBIA UPDATE

Please keep praying for the new translation of the Serbian Old Testament.  The translator has been temporarily moved to  Kosovo for a limited period, but unfortunately that may well delay the translation process and so I would ask you to pray that it will get back on track and that it will not be held up by this temporary transfer of responsibility.

Please pray for Lenart de Regt who is the translation consultant responsible for the project as he seeks to negotiate these difficulties.

BIBLE SOCIETY TASMANIA

Please pray for the Tasmanian Bible Society who are just opening their new Bible House and Mission Centre in Launceston.

I will have attended the opening on February 28th and taken part in Bible   Society meetings held around that event.

Please pray for us as State Directors as we seek to work smoothly together for the future of the Bible Society.

VICTORIA

Please pray for the Kenya project materials which have just been sent out in the post.  Please pray that the children’s and adult materials, the recipes, the ideas, the enthusiasm generated will be something special.  Pray too for the use of the DVD.  We’ve tried a different style this year and we are seeking to raise around $100,000 for a variety of  projects for children in poor parts of Kenya for translation work, particularly in the north of the country with the Massai, as well as the provision of scriptures to those who cannot afford them but   desperately would like them.

If you or your church would like a project pack, please just let us know.  Ring or email.  Thanks.  Please pray that the project will have an impact as it’s used by schools, church groups and churches quite widely throughout Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.

WOMENS WORLD DAY OF PRAYER

The Bible Society values its association with the Women’s World Day of Prayer which will take place this year on March 5th.  Pray for the funds raised, which are going to Scriptures for Cameroon - largely to help young women and children in difficult circumstances.

Download a pdf version of February's Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends,

Welcome to the New Year

In this edition read about the work of the Bible Society in Haiti, Serbia, A New leader for United Bible Societies, the revised Chinese Union Version of the Bible, the year ahead, working together more smoothly, and the diary for Victorian staff for February.

HAITI

Give thanks that all the Bible Society staff in Haiti have been located, and whilst they all know people who have died, all our staff are safe.

All of them are committed to staying in Haiti to continue to do the job, which is quite a statement since many Haitians are  desperately trying to leave the country as quickly as possible.  The head of the Bible Society in Haiti has told the Fellowship that so many people are looking for answers as well as help.  Approximately eighty percent of the country are Christian Catholics, with a healthy number of Protestants.

Already with the help of the Evangelical Church in the Dominican Republic, one truck holding food and water supplies has arrived in the capital and it’s planned to have more trucks come in future weeks.  Alongside of these will be Bibles.   At present 4,000 are being prepared in Brazil and another 15,000 will be printed in Korea in coming months.

There will also be 200,000 portions (a Gospel or part of Scripture) and 100,000 selections from Scripture (basically A4 size leaflets).  All of these are designed to be specific to the situation in Haiti and will be helpful to those who are looking for answers as well as practical help.  The two buildings that the Bible Society occupied in Haiti are in terrible state.  One collapsed completely and one is structurally compromised and may have to be demolished.

The staff have asked us to pray as never before and not to give up on praying as they seek to help people to find    direction from the Lord in the midst of so much suffering and for them themselves that they will remain enthusiastic and positive and able to draw encouragement and assistance from the Scriptures on a daily basis for themselves in their ministry in the weeks and months ahead.

Because of the building collapse we have no Bibles in Haiti.  We will need to replace them. We have opened a fund to provide Scriptures and basic assistance which will be channeled through the Bible  Societies network, and if you would like to help please feel free to do so.

SERBIA

We’ve been supporting the Bible Society in Serbia now for a couple of years and I’m thrilled to see the innovations that are now happening.

Mrs Vera Mitic recently visited a school for visually impaired children and young people.  With 165

students, Veljko Ramadanovic School in the large Belgrade suburb of Zemun is the largest of its kind in the region.  Here, children and young people receive specialist teaching in small classes carefully arranged to meet their particular needs.  They are cared for by 75 teachers and other staff members, led by principal Radmila Laban.  Those with families living locally go home at weekends, while others only return home two or three times a year.

“This is such a wonderful place and we felt really privileged to be able to contribute to its work,” says Mrs Mitic.  And they brought 70 audio Scripture CDs for the children and young people to listen to.  “Despite all Mrs Laban’s work, the school really struggles to obtain suitable materials for religious teaching,” explains Mrs Mitic.  “So the CDs were very warmly welcomed by both staff and students.”

The original intention had been to distribute the CDs to the students on January 27, the special day of Saint Sava, the patron saint of all Serbian schools.  But the oldest students at the school were not prepared to wait that long!  Hearing that the CDs had been delivered, and knowing that they were about to depart for the Christmas holidays, they begged their religious education teacher to go to Mrs Laban and ask for some copies to be released early to them so that they could take them home.

Please see how important it is for children and young people to feel that they are being supported in their learning about religious matters.  At present about thirty-five percent of the students attend religious education classes.

Vera Mitic and Mrs Laban also began talking about whether there was potential to work together on Braille publications, specifically producing the Gospels in Braille.  This would be another means of support for religious teaching in the school itself, but would also be of interest to the visually impaired community generally.  Vera Mitic finishes by saying, “We will start working in earnest on this next year.  There are exciting times ahead!”

I’ve met Vera.  She is a dynamic and enthusiastic woman in her late forties.  She has worked for the Bible Society in the country for approximately fifteen years under her predecessor and now as the General Secretary.  She now has an assistant in Sandra Markovic who is also enthusiastic and learning on the job.

Please pray for them.  One of the difficulties she has is too many opportunities, but give thanks for her untiring efforts, for continued health, for safety on the roads (and, believe you me, she really does need safety on the roads!) particularly in this Winter season when temperatures 30º below and heavy snow are not unusual.

 A NEW LEADER FOR UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES

I’ve received a letter from David Wong who’s the Chairperson of the United Bible Societies General Secretary Search Group.  He is asking that in prayerful dependence on God we may be able to find His choice for the General Secretary of United Bible Societies role which becomes vacant in January 2011 when our colleague, the Rev. Dr.  A. Miller Milloy retires.

The intention is to be able to recommend an appointment of a General Secretary designate at the next Global Board meeting in May 2010.

If in your prayerful consideration you come across someone you think would be suitable, please contact me confidentially and let me know so that I may follow it through in the speediest way.  Applications close in the middle of March.

Please pray that we would find God’s person for this role as a fellowship of 140 Bible Societies in 200 countries is an enormous undertaking, and the work that we undertake together is of such significance that we must have God’s leader for this role.

 THE REVISED CHINESE UNION VERSION BIBLE

I have today received an email from the Hong Kong Bible Society indicating that late last week they completed and approved the final edit of the Revised Chinese Union version entire Bible. 

The current edition is 100 years old and therefore words which were in use commonly 100 years ago are not always easily understood today.

In addition, since this edition was translated originally, simplified script has been introduced and the number of characters have therefore been reduced which has put further strain on young people in particular easily understanding the current   Chinese Union version.  So this is a revision of the classic edition; it holds to the original literal premise of the original translation, but in today’s understandable language.

In the year ahead it will need to be typeset and have the typeset accurately checked before it is printed and distributed.  We’re hoping to have Mary Leung, the head of the Bible Society in Hong Kong who are sponsoring the project, here in    Victoria in November for perhaps a week.

Please pray as the final arrangements are made for this, that it will be an edition that is helpful both in China and amongst Chinese speaking people all around the world, including here in Australia.

 THE YEAR AHEAD IN VICTORIA

We’re just in the process of launching our annual project which is for a single country this year—that’s Kenya.

There are children's, youth and adult projects and some literacy as well as translation.  Kenya is a very determined country.  The Bible Society there is very active and they are very keen to work with us on this variety of projects.

There will shortly be a pack available for groups and individuals in churches and in church groups and beyond, and many Bible Study groups may well want to use some of the material.

There is a short DVD available.  You just need to ask for a copy (there is no charge).

 WORKING TOGETHER MORE SMOOTHLY

Each of the Bible Societies in Australia is engaged in an effort to try and find ways in which we can work as closely together as possible.

Our Wholesale Division, or Scriptures Division, is the only one in the Western world at present which makes a small surplus on its trading activities.  However many of the pressures on it from large retailers such as Koorong and Word, make things more difficult as time goes on.

Give thanks that with the leadership of Jorge Rodrigues who is based in South Sydney that such an efficient and effective operation exists, and give thanks for the many hundreds of thousands of new edition of NIV Bibles that have been made available in Australia and Africa and other parts of Asia at desperately needed, cheaper prices.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

Matthew 21:22

VICTORIAN DIARY - FEBRUARY 2010

Dear Praying Friends,

This is our Christmas and New Year newsletter for your prayers.  I trust that you will pray with us through this important time as we finish one year and look forward to what God has for us in the new one.

I am currently taking part in an International symposium on Bible advocacy in the U.K.

SERBIA: HIV AIDS AND NEW CHALLENGES

We have been supporting work in Serbia for the last year or so and will be for the next couple of years at least.

Just recently, they have started to outreach to HIV and AIDS sufferers.  “In Serbia their life is particularly hard, as they are treated with suspicion and feel rejected and lonely.”  Those are the words of the Serbian Executive Secretary, Vera Mitic.

“Belgrade has many modern buildings, but its HIV and AIDS clinic is not among them. It is as if people want to keep those affected by HIV or AIDS as far away from mainstream society as possible, or as if they think that HIV and AIDS patients do not deserve modern facilities. So the clinic is a grim, crumbling building with bars at the windows. Despite the best efforts of the staff, it is hard to create a positive atmosphere here.”

Vera Mitic wasn’t greeted very warmly initially, because this group of people are used to being spurned and were suspicious of her motives for visiting them.  As the visit progressed, more and more of them shared their stories with her and she learnt something of the patients’ backgrounds.

“One elderly woman was there visiting her 37 year old daughter.  Their family has been torn apart.  Both the daughter and her brother are drug addicts who now have serious health problems.  The family has had to sell two apartments in order to fund their treatment.  Each medicine is only effective for a certain period of time, before they develop resistance to the substances it contains, so they constantly have to seek new treatments.”

Vera Mitic spent a couple of hours with people from the group ‘Philanthropy’ who are there to support those with HIV and AIDS.

“I was introduced to the group by the chief priest of Belgrade diocese,” she says. “I explained about the work of the Bible Society and told them about the hope and faith that can be found in God’s Word.  They were so interested!” continues Mrs Mitic. “And they were very pleased when I offered them copies of the New Testament.   In fact, many of them asked for several copies so that they could give them to their friends.”

In talking to members of the group, a particular need became clear.

“Several of them explained to me that their health problems make it hard for them to read,” says Mrs Mitic, “so I  promised that I would visit again and bring them some audio Scriptures.”

Having reached out to people who are desperately in need of friendship and comfort, Mrs Mitic knows that this cannot be a one-off visit.

“The representative from ‘Philanthropy’ phoned me a few days after my visit to tell me how much it meant to the people there.” she says. “They now regard me as a member of their family! I know that the Bible Society must continue to give them its support and to provide them with comfort from the Bible.”

This is one the many projects in Serbia that we are supporting and I ask that you pray for all those involved, particularly Vera as she has too little time and too much to do and also those in ‘Philanthropy’, especially the Christians who witness to their faith by their lives.  Please pray for those who have received New Testaments and for the provision of audio scriptures for those who need them because of their difficulties in reading and concentrating.

Would you also pray for the Orthodox Church in Serbia, as their leader, the Patriarch, has died recently.  Please pray that the next Patriarch will be God’s choice and that he may be positive to the work of the Society and the availability of Scriptures, even more so than his predecessor.

NEPAL

We’ve been asked to pray for unity amongst Nepalese political leaders so that the lasting peace and harmony that the people long for may in fact occur.  There has been much disunity amongst Nepalese political leaders in recent years, so this is a long term prayer.

Please also pray that Bible Society is seeking a small property to call its own so that it will have a sound base for future work.

In 2010 for three years the Bible Society will be concentrating on women’s and children’s ministries in particular.  Please pray as they plan and embrace the 2010 events in particular.

NIGERIA AND CHAD

In Chad (West Africa – just next to Nigeria) I’m told that there is a need for pray for the Chadian revision of the Bible in      Ngambaye, the most widely spoken indigenous language in Chad.  It has approximately 750,000 speakers, but in reality well over a million – perhaps three million if you include second-language speakers. 

People are generally happy with the Ngambaye New Testament, but the Old Testament was done in a rush and has a lot of foreign words in it so it needs quite a bit of revision.  In these projects we are working with WEC and SIL International (Wycliffe Bible Translators).  The Bible Society in Chad is an associate member of United Bible Societies and we are asked to pray for the General Secretary, Pastor Jerome Altana (pictured right), who has contributed a lot to turning things around in the last few years.  Things are moving forward well.  Pray that this will continue to be the case. 

We now have a formal agreement with SIL and they are happy with the help we can give – especially in the Old Testament projects.  And because the Bible Society is a Chadian organisation, it can’t get thrown out of the country. So the Bible Society confers a lot of security and stability on Bible translation work because, if all the foreign missionaries were thrown out, the projects would continue. In fact, Bible dedications attract people like representatives of the President of the country to come along.  Giving projects a national profile is important, especially where there is an Islamic involvement in the country.

Please pray for continued good relationships within the country and within the partners in these organisations.

UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES GLOBALLY

The United Bible Societies Global Board met recently.  Amongst the most important things was a clear agreement that we must focus on translation work in the next ten years in a way that we have not done in the last ten.  Some of the emphasis will be on translating Old Testaments for the first time or, in the case of many, revising very old translations (i.e. over 100 years old or even older) such as in Serbia where the Daninic Old Testament is over 150 years old.

Please pray that we will be able to raise the funds for translation – something that we find difficult to do the world over, and yet it is an essential priority.

A new United Bible Societies General Secretary will be required at the end of 2010 as Dr. Miller Milloy is retiring at Christmas time in 2010.  Miller has done a most remarkable job in leading the Fellowship in difficult times and will be difficult to replace.  Please pray for God’s choice to be made very clear to the Fellowship and for a swift appointment so that a good handover can take place at the end of the year.

VICTORIA

The office will be closed from 23^rd December until 11^th January.  All of us will be taking a well earned break amidst the heat of Summer.  Please pray that the State won’t have such devastating bushfires as it did this year in early February, and pray for us as we recuperate and look ahead to the year that lies before us.

Once again, my thanks to you for your prayers and your letters and phone calls.  I wish you a blessed Christmas and safe New Year and that together we might support the work of Bible translation and distribution and engagement throughout the world in 2010.  Every blessing

*Download PDF Version (has more information) Here*

POVERTY & JUSTICE BIBLE LAUNCH

A couple of weeks ago we launched the Poverty & Justice Bible (along with World Vision) in Canberra under the auspices of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition who formally launched the Bible for us.

The Bible is innovative, having been developed in the U.K. It actually has orange highlighter applied to over 2,000 passages which relate to issues of poverty and justice and how God sees them. It comes with a study diary for people to work through day by day to allow the Scriptures to speak to them of what God’s intent is in this area of ministry.

It was launched along with the Micah Challenge which was holding a conference in Canberra at the same time.
• Please pray that the visits many of the Micah Challenge participants took along with the copy of the Bible to quite a number of MPs and Senators will prove impactful as it will on those who took part in the special Micah conference week.
• Please pray for our partnership with World Vision in this – especially through regional Sons of Korah concerts and Legal week in November.

We wish to impact many younger people to inform and enhance their discipleship on a regular basis and to be part of encouraging them to interact with Scripture which is becoming something of a lost art in Australia these days.

SOPHIA THINK TANK – BIBLE SURVEY

We’ve launched Sophia Think Tank which is designed to help us provide the opportunity to influence our culture in society by working in partnership in ten different areas – politics, media, arts, business, sports, community service organisations, education, health, justice, law.

Rev. Dr. David Wilson is working with us part time to help us identify the needs and the possibilities and to set plans, particularly for next year.

Our first activity for Sophia Think Tank is to launch a Bible survey to see how people currently use the Scriptures and what needs or could be done to enhance Bible engagement here in Victoria.

So far we’ve had almost a thousand responses and are seeking as many as possible to make it as wide as possible a survey. You can go on line to www.st2.viviti.com and follow the link under “Latest News”. That’s the quickest and easiest way for us, otherwise you might want to contact us and we can send you a printed survey for you to fill in and return.

So far the responses are encouraging, but revealing that there is much to be done.

PRISONERS - VICTORIA

In the last few weeks Geoff Warren and I managed to spend the best part of a day with one of the chaplains at Port Philip Prison and with some of the Christian inmates as well.

We saw for ourselves the lack of privacy and stressful atmosphere in which the prisoners and staff exist and the vital need for Christian chaplains to be present. We were able to take eight boxes of Bibles including some Study Bibles (specifically asked for by a number of inmates) and before we had even left the premises one of the prisoners who saw us talking with the “Padre” had asked a mate of his who he knew to be a Christian if he also could have a copy of the Bible because he wanted to read it. The chaplain we were with has made the arrangements and was delighted to hand one over that same day: he is also following up the recipient.

Please pray for the prison chaplains, many of whom do this as an addition to their local ministry.

Please pray for us, too, that we will continue to have the funds to provide these scriptures at no cost to prisons and also to provide scriptures for other chaplains engaged in other ministries (sports, hospitals etc.) which are vital and often under-supported.

OVERSEAS

Ghana
Thanks for keeping on praying. We’re asked to pray also for their preparations for Bible Week which takes place in January 2010. Please note it’s a whole week. Please pray that God will bless them and continue to bless them in their ministry to High School students.

Cameroon
We are working with the World Day of Prayer to prepare a DVD and seek out suitable projects and to help and encourage the movement in its desire to further the Gospel.

El Salvador
El Salvador Bible Society have asked us to pray for God’s protection in the face of the “uncontrolled violence our country is currently experiencing”. Pray there will be no food shortages as a result of the drought and a failed harvest. Please give thanks to God for the hunger for God’s Word and for the work of the churches in distributing it.

Honduras
The Bible Society in Honduras has asked us to pray about the great deal of political and economic instability. They are thankful that God has been faithful to them as a Bible Society team but there have been difficult days when they’ve not known whether it was safe to come to work or not because of constant hold-ups on the highways and main streets.

They ask us to pray for boldness where God opens up new opportunities for the Word to be an influence, notably amongst members of Congress, many of whom have sought copies of the Scriptures.

Sudan (Africa)
Please pray for Ismail Kanani, the new leader of the Bible Society in Sudan. He started at the beginning of September but damage caused by heavy recent rains has rendered three members of staff of the Bible Society homeless and roads impassable at the same time.

The staff are feeling overwhelmed but keen to continue their work.

The Bible on mobile phones (in Denmark)

Please pray for the Danish Bible Society as they have just launched a new project to encourage people to put the Bible in their pockets and read it in the dark on their telephone’s backlit screen.

A complete text of the Authorised Danish Bible (which was published in 1992) can be downloaded for about $20, and customers can choose to download either the New or the Old Testament for about half the price.

“It has been quite a challenge to adapt the Bible for mobile phones, taking into account the kind of features that people want today and expect from technology. Fortunately, today’s telephones are so advanced they can handle a text as large as the Bible as well as a range of tools to help users interact with it” says Soren Moesgaard Moller from the Danish Bible Society.

Please pray that many Christians and non Christians alike will choose this download and use their mobile phones as a source of encouragement and challenge from the Scriptures.

PREPARATION FOR NEXT YEAR

Please pray for guidance for next year as we do much planning in the next few weeks. Jan Peddersen is working on the “Sower” and also on the annual project materials for the New Year, both of which have to be speedily concluded, and she seeks inspiration and guidance as well as the practical aspects of being able to put it all together despite a heavy workload in deputation as well.

Pray for those who are working on which projects we should support. We ask for wisdom as God helps us to select His choices.

Please pray for me also as I speak with Scripture Union and Evangelical Alliance to seek ways in which we might be able to further encourage, through partnership with them, Bible engagement in meaningful ways with young, middle aged and older folk alike in our churches.

Please pray also for Directors Conference (that’s all State Directors from around the country) who are meeting in Brisbane on the 20th and 21st of the month. It’s always an interesting time, and since we only meet once or twice a year it’s important that we spend the time wisely.

Please pray for unity as far as is possible and a sense of God’s leading.

Thank you. I never cease to be encouraged by the feedback we get from people who pray regularly with us and I do thank you so much.