The civil war taking place in Syria has been in the news since it erupted during the Arab Spring of 2011. We often see video of bombed-out buildings and people in ragged clothing trailing along war-torn streets, carrying their possessions as they flee the ongoing violence. What we seldom see is the rest of the story: how God is working in the lives of displaced people and refugees of war.
When Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tunisia in December 2010 to protest police corruption, neither he nor anyone watching his act of self-immolation could have predicted the result: a tidal wave of protest that swept from country to country across North Africa and the Middle East, toppling regimes and entire governments. In just over a month, rulers were forced out not only in Tunisia, but also in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Many other nations were impacted, and before …
In September of 2016, the presentation of the bilingual New Testament took place. Thousands of children eagerly received a copy of the New Testament in their own language. Suddenly, children felt that God thought their language and culture were important.
Over the years, Bible agencies around the world have placed emphasis on Bible Translation [BT] to help people access the Bible, God’s Word. This effort needs to continue as there are millions of people without the Bible. Recent studies, however, reveal that more and more people are reading less and less of the Bible.
Nigeria now boasts the largest population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa. Approximately 3.3 million people have fled their homes to avoid Boko Haram attacks, suicide bombings, and kidnappings. As a result, there are squatter camps scattered all across the northeastern part of the country.
My traveling companion, Biblica CEO, Carl Moeller, and I serve with Sandy in an organization that is passionate about providing the Bible to people around the world so they could have the opportunity to be transformed by Jesus Christ. We know this new translation has taken nearly three decades to complete. What we aren’t clear about is why it is so critical to the Kurdish people at this point in time.
I just returned from an amazing trip to the Middle East. In fact, at the time of writing this, I am still seriously jetlagged! I’ve been telling the staff here in Colorado Springs stories of my time in Israel. But today, I’d like to focus on my time in Iraq.
