Rico Masingi (22) uses the Talking Bible in his work as
an evangelist in Vilanculos [photo: Talking Bibles
International/Ed Compean WR414/16 MOZ07DJ-54]
Women at a church service in Vilanculos [photo:
Talking Bibles International/Ed Compean WR414/16
MOZ07DJ-66]
In many countries across the world, audio Scriptures supplied by organisations such as Talking Bibles International are playing a vital role in bringing God’s Word to people who, for reasons including disability and poor literacy, cannot read the Bible for themselves. It is often Bible Societies that, in partnership with these organisations, are at the forefront of distributing audio Scriptures in remote communities where even church leaders have a very limited knowledge of the Bible. The following testimonies gathered by Talking Bibles International in Vilanculos, a town on the Indian Ocean in southern Mozambique, give an insight into how positively both individuals and communities are responding to receiving God’s Word in such an accessible format.
MOZAMBIQUE — Unlike many people in rural Mozambique, Rico Masingi (22) is able to read. When it comes to reading the Bible, however, he sees this skill as a burden rather than a blessing.
“I find it very hard to read the written Bible,” he confesses. “I get tired very quickly and can only read a small amount. But the Talking Bible is much easier. I can listen to whole books!” From an early age, Mr Masingi wanted to respond to the command of Jesus to “Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world” (Mark 16: 15, CEV). He was not sure how to proceed, however, in a community with high illiteracy levels and where the views of younger people are not always respected. Everything changed when he received a Talking Bible as part of a distribution at his church in 2005.
Sonja Mangasi enjoys listening to
the Talking Bible, especially at 4am!
[photo: Talking Bibles International/
Ed Compean WR414/16 MOZ07DJ-63]
Without fear
“I received an understanding of God’s Word that I could never have got from only reading it. I have used this to share my faith without fear.” He soon set to work using his Talking Bible to reach out to his community. “I started by listening by myself for around an hour every day,” he says. “I found that I couldn’t wait to have more time to listen!” Listening regularly to the Word of God increased his desire to share it with others so much that he formed Bible listening groups with members of his family. Before long, many other people were asking to hear the Scriptures in Xitshwa (which is spoken by around 700,000 people in Mozambique) and he began lending the Talking Bible to other groups. “People may not always listen to an ordinary man, but they will listen to the power of the Bible,” he reflects. Since the arrival of the Talking Bible, he has seen a clear change in people’s attitudes. “The Talking Bible is how we hear God’s Word now. I think people wanted to hear more than they were hearing on Sundays, but they were not able to. “We need more Talking Bibles! More people are now coming to church, and there is nothing more important than that.”
My favourite time is 4am
Sonja Mangasi, a 36-year-old mother, agrees. “Hearing God’s Word only once a week was not enough,” she says. “I tried to learn more, but it was hard for me because I cannot read.” (It is estimated that illiteracy levels in rural Mozambique are higher than 70 per cent.) Mrs Mangasi spends long days carrying out all her domestic duties, often carrying her 12-monthold son on her back. She doesn’t have time to listen to her Talking Bible during the day, so she gets up early. “My favourite time is 4am: it helps me to prepare for the day’s work. Since the Talking Bibles came here in 2005 I have been listening daily. I have listened to the whole of the New Testament several times and I really feel that I am getting to know God’s Word.” And it is not only the adults of Vilanculos whose lives are being touched by God’s Word in audio format. Last year, at the age of only 14, Mateus Tangoni experienced a very adult form of justice. “I was a thief and a liar,” he admits. “I was involved in all sorts of bad things.”
Mateus Tangoni (14) was severely burned by his family
and neighbours for being a thief. He believes that the
Word of God has changed his life [photo: Talking Bibles
International/Ed Compean WR414/16 MOZ07DJ-59]
Lost his fingers
Finally the adults in his community lost patience with him and administered their own form of justice. They beat him severely and held his hands in a fire until he lost his fingers. He received hospital treatment, but it will be a long time before his wounds heal. His family cannot care for him, so he has been taken into the home of a local evangelist. This is where he received a Talking Bible and where, hearing God’s Word for the first time, he came to faith. “Every time I listen I hear something new,” he says. “I know now that I should not lie, kill or steal. I’ve heard how to live for the first time in my life.” Listening to his Talking Bible fills the long days of gradual healing. This, along with looking forward to going to church on Sunday, helps him to forget the loneliness and the pain. “I listen to the Talking Bible every morning,” he says. “Sometimes I cannot wait for the sun to come up so that I can use the solar panel!” God’s Word has had such a strong impact on him that he can now even talk of forgiving the people who burned him. “I can now love my neighbour as myself as I learn to turn my cheek to what has been done to me.” Simion Tsenane (42) is an evangelist in Vilanculos. As the main Talking Bible worker in Mozambique, however, he is also keen to develop the use of audio Scriptures in many other places. “There was very little study or understanding of God’s Word before the Talking Bible came to the areas where it has been distributed,” he says. “Now people in these places are being helped to understand the Scriptures, but there are still many places where God’s Word is not being heard at all.”
Simion Tsenane is an evangelist in
Vilanculos. He is a key member of
the Talking Bibles International
team in Mozambique [photo: Talking
Bibles International/Ed Compean
WR414/16 MOZ07DJ-51]
Better understanding
He has identified many places where he would like to distribute more Talking Bibles. He knows that a better understanding of the Scriptures will strengthen local churches. In turn, the churches will begin sharing God’s Word through their evangelists and the Talking Bible will reach even more remote communities. He often hears of places where one Talking Bible is used by several different listening groups and where churches are growing as non-literate people hear God’s Word. “The Talking Bible is a great ministry tool for our country,” he declares. “Many people have not attended school, so they cannot read God’s Word. In rural areas, it is not unusual for there to be no Bibles at all. And many pastors cannot read in any case, so audio Scriptures nurture pastors as well as the people.”
(WR 414/16 - 08/09.07)[9 photos]
What is the
Talking Bible?
“This is designed to last a lifetime!” says Paul Hoekstra, Vice-President of Talking Bibles International, of the piece of equipment that was born out of his brother’s determination to construct something to overcome the problems associated with using traditional cassette tapes. A number of Bible Societies around the world are involved in various aspects of producing and distributing the Talking Bible, a preprogrammed, sealed unit which is both easy to use (each button performs only one function, which is particularly helpful for visually impaired people) and robust, even in harsh climates. Talking Bibles, based in California, also has its own resource centre in India. Although it can run on solar power or be hand-cranked, the Talking Bible is mainly intended to be operated by standard batteries that are available almost everywhere. “Using batteries actually enhances people’s listening experience,” explains Mr Hoekstra. “Research undertaken by UBS shows that, with a batterypowered unit, people tend to gather together to listen and they really concentrate. It’s a shared, focused experience.” Mr Hoekstra sees the Talking Bible as complementary to other types of audio Scripture device, but he also points to its unique feature. “The fact that it looks like a Bible gives extra credibility to the message it contains,” he explains. “This is important in cultures which place great emphasis on symbolism.”
“This is designed to last a lifetime!” says Paul Hoekstra, Vice-President of Talking Bibles International, of the piece of equipment that was born out of his brother’s determination to construct something to overcome the problems associated with using traditional cassette tapes. A number of Bible Societies around the world are involved in various aspects of producing and distributing the Talking Bible, a preprogrammed, sealed unit which is both easy to use (each button performs only one function, which is particularly helpful for visually impaired people) and robust, even in harsh climates. Talking Bibles, based in California, also has its own resource centre in India. Although it can run on solar power or be hand-cranked, the Talking Bible is mainly intended to be operated by standard batteries that are available almost everywhere. “Using batteries actually enhances people’s listening experience,” explains Mr Hoekstra. “Research undertaken by UBS shows that, with a batterypowered unit, people tend to gather together to listen and they really concentrate. It’s a shared, focused experience.” Mr Hoekstra sees the Talking Bible as complementary to other types of audio Scripture device, but he also points to its unique feature. “The fact that it looks like a Bible gives extra credibility to the message it contains,” he explains. “This is important in cultures which place great emphasis on symbolism.”