We’ve added a new gallery! Click here to explore images from a visit to the Lower Shire to meet literature distributors and supply them with gospel calendars in January 2024.
Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a conference hosted by Bible Educational Services (BES) in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. It was tremendously encouraging and energizing to connect with people from all over the world who are involved in similar ministries.
Perhaps one of the most impactful things was meeting the woman who started it all! To think that it started with one woman posting lessons to one student and now today the curriculum is being used in over 80 countries and in 45 languages! Wendy Gray and her husband, Bert, and another older couple who have been involved in children’s work for decades, Stephen and Jean Gillham were both an inspiration and a challenge to me. Results are not often seen immediately in children’s work, but these couples reminded me that preserving and trusting the Lord to bless will result in fruit for His glory!
Results are not often seen immediately in children’s work, but these couples reminded me that preserving and trusting the Lord to bless will result in fruit for His glory!
I was also encouraged by the testimony of several of the delegates who were saved as children. One was taught the word of God while he was a child at a Sunday school. Though not from a Christian background, what he had learned as a child stuck with him and was used to bring him to salvation as a young adult. Another woman, also not from a Christian background, came to know about the Lord through children’s work, eventually accepting Christ at a Bible camp. These testimonies were a reminder of the importance of sharing the gospel with children and have bolstered my faith as I pray for God’s word to do a work in the hearts of the children we have come to know and love here in Malawi. Let us pray that this will indeed be the case!
Another takeaway was the importance of working with others. This is not a work that can be done single-handedly! Sessions on cooperation with coworkers got me thinking about how we can partner well with others to reach as many children as possible. It is something that needs much prayer and consideration. We want the work to be sustainable, i.e. not dependent on us. Please pray that the Lord will give clear direction from the start as to how we can best partner with others in a way that encourages this.
…more than ever we need to be in prayer for the Lord’s direction and blessing.
Overall, I was inspired and revitalized by spending a week in the presence of so many men and women who are giving their lives for the sake of sharing the gospel with children. What a privilege we have to tell the next generation about our God and Savior! What a responsibility! As we anticipate the launch of Bibletime in Malawi and look forward to training and distributing to others – more than ever we need to be in prayer for the Lord’s direction and blessing. It is, after all, His work, and He knows best how it should be done. Please pray with us that we will have a clear sense of His purposes for us and this resource in the coming months, so it can be used to reach thousands – perhaps millions – of children in this country who desperately need a Savior.
Brother Liston shares how SALT’s Gospel tracts and other literature are helping him with his outreach efforts.
Sad to say, our consignment of Gospel Literature for Malawi is still delayed in Mauritius. In total, there are around 1.75 million items in transit, including (now overdue) Gospel Calendars and Tracts.
The consignment also includes several thousand prison hygiene packs.
According to the revised shipping schedule, the container is due to be moved early March – pray that there will be no further delays.
Although we are frustrated that our major literature shipment has been delayed, Harold & Goodson have been busy distributing the Calendars and other literature we had printed locally.
Please pray for our latest shipment of Gospel Tracts and Calendars has been delayed in transit.
Although the shipping agent told us on 16 Jan that it was due to arrive in a couple of days, it now turns out that the container has been stuck in Reunion / Mauritius since 28 Dec, with no ETA in Malawi.
This is a disappointment as we are eager to start using the contents as soon as possible.
Please pray that the container will soon be loaded on a ship for onward transit
Please pray for the safe and speedy arrival of a large consignment of much-needed Gospel Literature for Malawi. In total, there are around 1.75 million items in transit, including Gospel Calendars and Tracts.
The consignment also includes several thousand prison hygiene packs.
Yes – “Give Thanks: The Nthawi ya Baibulo (Bibletime) books have arrived” from the printer.
Anna adds:
Please pray for the five groups including us who will be using the curriculum, for help to get comfortable and use it prayerfully to ground children in the truth of the gospel.
Note: This is a very significant moment for the team who have been involved in the painstaking work of translation for well over a year now. This is Year 1 of 3. The experience gained from this should enable the process to go more smoothly in the future as the next two years’ material is translated.
A little over a year ago, I wrote an article about the translation and revision of the Bibletime curriculum. As of this week, we are now ready for the third step: publication!
It seems like it has been a long time coming. However, our translator really has done a fabulous job powering through eight student booklets. And four text-heavy teacher guides! It truly is a blessing to have a translator who is just as committed to this project as we are. Gibson is a believer, and he understands the importance of clearly communicating truth.
Anna writes: Please pray for the timely printing of the Bibletime curriculum and for help as we seek to pilot and continue revising it in the coming year.
The most important thing, of course, is that God would use it to make the many children we work with “wise unto salvation.”
