LUANDA, Angola — Two decades of devastating civil war have left thousands of children orphaned, abandoned and homeless. Innocent survivors of a great human tragedy, many of these children are deeply traumatised or maimed. Some are living in orphanages and recuperation centres in the capital, but many still live on the streets. The situation is ripe for God’s Healing Word.

The Bible Society in Angola has recognised the need of these children to receive God’s healing, and has started work on a UBS Millennium project to distribute Scripture Portions and Selections to children’s homes.

With the help of local churches, the project aims to distribute 500,000 children’s Scriptures. The purpose is to bring God’s Word to the children, allowing its healing message to work in their lives and bring them the spiritual nourishment they so desperately need.

One of the facilities that recently benefited from a distribution was the Centre for Girls, operated by the Association for Abandoned Children. In its four years of operation, the Centre has taken in girls who have lost their families in the war or who have been abandoned by their parents.

“You have come to us at the exact time when we need you,” said the Centre’s deputy director, who helped a Bible Society team hand out the Scripture Portions to the 49 children in her care. “Our girls are growing up, and we need people like you to knock on our door to help the children and strengthen their spirits,” she said.

In a different part of the city, 165 children call Larkuzola Children’s Centre their home. The youngsters, ranging from babies to 16-year-olds, are looked after by sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic order of Nuns.

The Bible Society team was welcomed by the sisters, who were pleased that the children who could read would be receiving suitable Scriptures. Lunch was delayed a few minutes while the children eagerly lined up to receive their New Reader Portions, The Story of Creation, Noah, and a Gospel of Luke.

All the children at Larkuzola have had traumatic experiences. Some have seen their parents killed before their eyes. Others have lost limbs. One 13-year-old boy had napalm burns all over his legs.

At another distribution, 260 boys at the Centre for the Education of Children eagerly gathered to receive their copies of the Scripture Portions and Selections. Authorities at the Centre believe that spiritual training is paramount, and the Bible Society’s offer to provide the books was gladly accepted.

There are another 160 boys who still live on the streets with whom Father Horacio meets regularly.
No-one knows how many street children there are in Luanda, but it is generally believed to be many thousands. There is still much work to be done amongst Angola’s children, but it is hoped that the Gospel Portions will help to bring healing and show them the path to the kind of life God intends for them. (WR 343/19 - 9.99) [PHOTOS]

by Maurice Harvey, former UBS Photojournalist 

WINDHOEK, Namibia — Every day, at certain points in the city, large groups of men gather together to sit and wait for salvation. The salvation they are waiting for is the offer of a job, for all these men are unemployed and desperate to find work.

Sometimes their patience is rewarded when an employer arrives to give some of them a job. But very often they wait all day and receive no offers. Jobless women are also numerous, but instead of gathering on the street, they go from door to door to seek work, usually without much success.

In this despairing situation, the Bible Society in Namibia (BSN) has seen an opportunity to reach out to these people with the Word of God and bring them news of their real salvation.

Through their UBS Millennium project, called Scriptures for the Unemployed, the BSN plans to bring the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ to the country’s thousands of jobless.

The project involves distributing 75,000 Bibles, New Testaments and Portions, New Reader Portions, and Bible Comics among the jobless.

It is hoped that this material will help them understand what the Bible says to them despite their situation, and give them hope for the future. (WR 343/20 - 9.99) [PHOTOS]

Although this is a predominantly Muslim country, the church is growing and the need for Bibles is overwhelming. The Catholic Archbishop and Anglican Vicar General are among those who are highlighting the lack of Scriptures. Charismatic and Pentecostal churches are appealing for Louis Segond Bibles as a matter of urgency.

Two refugee ladies who had lost everything, including their Bibles, visited the Bible Society’s shop – a small room in an evangelical church. When they were told there were no English Bibles, they broke down and wept openly and bitterly. If the Bible Society could not help them, who could?

In a rapid response to this urgent need, the UBS World Service Center has given the go-ahead for 2,100 Bibles in French and English to be dispatched to Guinea without delay. Now the search is on for national Bible Societies to underwrite the work.

David Hammond, Regional Secretary for Francophone Africa, revealed how one pastor had pleaded for literature in English in addition to Bibles. Other requests were for Bible dictionaries or commentaries.

The situation was “most unacceptable”. The fact that the Bible Society was without a Bible House, and based in a particular church, gave the Society a certain colour and association, David explained.
It was difficult to find high calibre Christian workers – and when the Society’s representative went out to visit churches, the small bookshop had to be closed.

“One very dynamic woman who is a former Minister of State and head of a charismatic church, talked of about 60 cell groups in the hinterland. Some of these are up to 1,000 kilometres (625 miles) away. If the representative is to visit these areas, the Bible Society depot will be closed for several days.

“This is Guinea. Mali and Senegal are in a similar situation. The need is great. To place a telephone call outside of Guinea we have to go to a nearby communications centre. No fax, not to talk of e-mail. The infrastructure is just not there. I thank God for the lives of these colleagues who are willing to work under such conditions.” (WR 343/21 - 9.99)

Thanks to the Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) program sponsored by the Bible Society of Nigeria, Emmanuel began listening to the New Testament on tape – especially Matthew, John and Revelation. As a result, he was able to repent and take courage.

It was because the program has such results that the new leadership of the Bible Society of Nigeria has relaunched more than 600 Faith Comes By Hearing programs in a tremendous step of faith. The Society reactivated the Scripture-listening program last year by purchasing the cassettes despite severe financial pressures.

However, as FBCH’s Morgan Jackson reported after a visit to the Society’s Lagos headquarters, there are 70,000 churches in Nigeria that still need the program. And there are 55 languages in Nigeria with New Testament translations – all of which need to be recorded if FCBH is to reach the maximum number of people.

“Every church wants this program, so the only limitation is the ability to provide the tapes,” he said. “Faith Comes By Hearing works in Africa, and hearing the New Testament is vital if we are to reach the illiterate and if people are to become true disciples of Christ.”

She kept hearing of Jesus doing miracles, and in her heart felt challenged to bring one problem to him. Nurat had tremendous problems in her marriage. She would become angry and sometimes not talk to her husband for months. He was evil to her, and rude to her family and friends. So she gave her marriage to the Lord.

Hearing the Bible has changed many people, spiritually and morally – and many of the testimonies shared with Morgan were centred on forgiveness and having peace with God and others.

One 11-year-old boy, called Solomon Femi Akano, was completely transformed through the FCBH program. He would always make excuses to stay away from church, and would disobey his mother.

When FCBH began, Solomon was sick and did not want to go to church. But his mother encouraged him, so he went, and the Lord healed him. And not only was he healed physically, but Solomon also gave his life to Christ.

The Scripture that touched Solomon was Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek.” Before, he would curse and fight and was proud – he was even called a thug. Now he is gentle, and people call him “pastor” because he spends so much time reading the Bible. (WR 343/22 - 9.99)

Braille Scriptures Let Blind Students Read God’s Word

MANZINI, Swaziland — The 23 blind students at St Joseph’s Catholic Mission in Mafutseni can now read God’s Word with their sighted classmates – thanks to the presentation of Braille Scriptures by the Bible Society of Swaziland.

Ten sets of the four Gospels have been given to the school library, thanks to financial support from the worldwide Bible Society fellowship.

Sobahle Mthethwa, 22, who has been blind for more than 10 years, read fluently from the Braille Bible at the presentation ceremony. “The Gospel according to Mark begins by stating that it is the Good News about Jesus, the Son of God,” she read.

Mthethwa shares a class with sighted students at the school, and – thanks to the trained teachers who translate books and even external examinations into Braille – has achieved her Junior Certificate.