“My dream was to hold a Bible and read it. It was just a dream, but because of this program, it became true!”

Entering the small town in Southern Egypt felt like traveling back in time. Teenage boys in ragged clothes steered donkey carts across dusty, unpaved roads. Motorized traffic seemed to be a rarity. The occasional cars parked at the roadside were dirty, covered with a thick layer of dust, most probably broken.

The town lies on the narrow stretch of cultivable land between the west bank of the Nile and the vast emptiness of the Western Desert. Sometimes, donkeys trudged into town, coming from the farming fields. Their owners, men in light blue djellabas (hooded cloaks with wide sleeves) and turbans on their heads, would sit high atop massive bundles of green harvest, stacked on the back of their beasts of burden.

From the doorsteps of the dull, grey-brown homes, veiled ladies stared at our vehicle. The state of decay of some of the houses and shops was so deplorable that it looked like a war had raged over them.

Colorful Headscarves

The local Presbyterian Church blended unassumingly into the bleak facades of a row of buildings facing a narrow canal with heavily littered banks. At roughly 54 degrees, it was extremely chilly for the local population, used to the intense heat of the long summers of Upper Egypt, when temperatures can reach highs of 122. Therefore, the ladies I met inside the unheated church were all bundled up in warm wrappings.

Their appearance was traditional: colorful headscarves and long, wide gowns. They sat on old wooden church benches on three sides of a large, square table and were praying when I entered.

These ladies were members of a group that started as a Bible-based Literacy class and continued as a discipleship group under the leadership of Nahed, a lady of around 40. She was the only one without a headscarf and wearing pants.

Subordinate Position

Having enjoyed the benefits of education herself, Nahed took pity on these women who never learned to read and write. The position of women in Southern Egypt’s traditional culture is subordinate to men. A woman needs to know the skills of cooking, cleaning, and looking after her children. More schooling is deemed superfluous by their fathers and husbands.

Besides, most families simply can’t afford to send their children to school, and if there is some money, the boys go first. As a result, thousands of adult ladies in Egypt’s rural areas can’t write their own names. In the past two years, Nahed has taken the ladies in her group through the literacy curriculum, which teaches reading and writing skills using Bible-based text.

“We have finished all the booklets, so today, we won’t discuss any new lessons,” Nahed announced. “We are coming together to enjoy the fellowship with each other and with you, our guests.”

The women looked at me with joyful expectation. Not often do they have visitors from outside their province, let alone from Europe. Encouraged by Nahed, they shared about what had stood out to them in their group.

Forgiveness

The lady seated opposite me was the first to respond. Cozily tucked in her warm wrappings, a green scarf loosely wrapped around her soft-featured face, she introduced herself:

“My name is Reda, and I am 55 years old. I have attended the class since the Bible-based Literacy program started here. In the fifth lesson, we learned about love,” Reda recalled. “I learned how Jesus was crucified because He loved me, and that’s why I must love others, too. Even if I have conflicts with others, I must love them.”

Reda said she used to be an angry person who couldn’t forgive. While going through the program, she felt her character changing.

“Through the Bible study, I understood that the basis of forgiveness is love,” she continued. “When I learned how Jesus asked for forgiveness for the soldiers who crucified Him, I realized that I should go and ask forgiveness rather than seek conflict with anyone. Jesus forgave me!” she cried out, still amazed by that discovery.

Reda’s eyes started beaming even brighter when she added, “We also memorize verses. I participated in a memory competition in church and won the first prize with 23 Scripture verses! My most beloved Bible verse is Matthew 18:22, where Jesus said, ‘I do not say to you, (forgive) up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’”

A Gentle Grandmother

This time, the lady seated at my right hand responded. Her name was Nabila. At 70, she was the oldest in the group, and she had the attitude of a grandmother gently overseeing her offspring. Her jewelry—large, golden, half-moon-shaped earrings, a golden beaded necklace, and golden bracelets and rings at both wrists and hands—granted her a touch of dignity, but her gracious smile most adorned her.

“Our teacher, Nahed, has taught us to love each other and to care for each other,” Nabila pointed out. “Every time we gather, we pray for each other’s needs. I feel totally at ease here.”

Nabila went through a series of three stomach surgeries in the past two years. One time, she spent five days in the ICU, and the doctors were concerned she wouldn’t make it.

“Our group kept praying for me to come back,” the elderly lady said, “and God answered their prayers. I am here now!” The others passionately murmured their agreement. Then, without being prompted, Nabila continued, “I remember many Bible verses we learned here, especially Psalm 23!”

The Lord is my Shepherd

She started reciting the Psalm, and one by one, the other ladies chimed in and finished it in one voice. As they chanted those beautiful words,“The Lord is my Shepherd,” I felt a warmth dispelling the chill in the room. Despite their hardships in life, they acknowledged, “I shall not want, (…) my cup runs over.” What a precious moment!

Life in Southern Egypt can hardly be typified as roaming green pastures. Unemployment urges the men to seek jobs elsewhere, either in the country’s larger cities or abroad, and many women run their families on their own.

All the group members grew up in traditional Christian families. That doesn’t imply a personal relationship with the Lord, though. Going to church often is a mere custom, especially—but not only—when they belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. At church, they hear the Gospel being read in an ancient version of Arabic they hardly understand. Bibles are few, and Bible study materials are absent. They wouldn’t be able to read these, anyway.

Another lady, Nadia was her name, provided more insight into that. “I was a nominal Christian,” she said. “I didn’t take faith seriously. However, as I learned more about Jesus in this class, I felt my relationship with God deepened. We pray in the group, but now, I also pray at home, which I didn’t do before.”

Dream

I could easily continue this story, quoting all the ladies and their favorite verses. Or I could tell you about how they read verses from the Bible, something they were not able to do just two years ago. The intense, almost childlike joy they showed was priceless. I could tell you how much God’s Word has impacted these dear women. But I’d rather have them tell you themselves.

Listen to what 70-year-old Nabila said about the role God’s Word had taken in her life:
“My dream was to hold a Bible and read it,” she said with her typical radiant smile. “It was just a dream, but because of this program, it became true! My grandchildren, who live in my home, sometimes participate in Bible contests at church. I can read now, so I search with them for the answers in the Bible!”

Your Support Brings the Light of the Gospel

Indeed, the light of the Gospel of Christ is brightening up the troubled lives of many of El Menya’s women. They want you to know how grateful they are:
“We pray to God to extend this program so that it will reach more people in our area,” they said. “We were illiterate, and we didn’t know anything. But now, we have learned so many impactful things about God.”

The final word came from Hanan, the youngest lady in the group. She didn’t know her exact age because her official documents apparently contradicted each other. After some discussion, the group concluded that Hanan must be 35. She quoted from the Bible book of Genesis 12:2:

“I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.”

and with that prayer for the entire Bible League family, I close my account.

Stuck. Spinning wheels. Treading water. Stalled.

Any of these accurately described Clarence Mafaraikwa’s mission to plant churches in the heart of Zimbabwe—”—but that was soon to change. By God’s grace, with your prayers and gifts, his church grew faster and farther than Clarence dreamed.

Right out of the gate from his formal theological education, he was sent to plant a church in the remote village of Rusape. For purposes only known to God, unfortunately, that church never took root.

The reason for its lack of growth was no mystery. Clarence remembers, “The church could not grow, and I faced many challenges, because I lacked experience in developing the church, to the extent that I didn’t perform to the expected standard. I was transferred.” After Rusape, he found himself called to the dusty, remote, fading, and forgotten village of Empress Mine.

Despite the disappointing results of his earlier efforts, Clarence was determined to see God’s kingdom expand.

Empress Mine’s local church had been devastated by a split, leaving many members hurt, jaded, and lost.

However, when Clarence arrived, he saw this was not like Sodom nor Gomorrah. Here, there were still followers of Jesus, though only a few. Sixteen of them became members of his church. Yet the church saw little, if any, growth for the next three years.

Empress Mine is a particularly difficult village to witness to. It is deeply impoverished, sparsely populated, and thinly sustained by the mine.

In the 1960s and 70s, the mine reliably produced nickel and ore, providing regular work and income. In the 80s, it closed and residents have been struggling ever since.

Hoping to find anything of value, makorokozas (or “artisanal miners”) flock to the village from other parts of Zimbabwe or neighboring countries, bringing drug use and a very real propensity for murderous violence.

Occasionally, when makorokozas find something of value, their relatively high spending attracts children, many of whom leave school for the mine in the hope of having a future.

The mine isn’t the only place where hope is misplaced. Though Zimbabwe is a self-proclaimed Christian nation, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and traditional African religions are all prevalent, the latter being the most common in Empress Mine.

Seeing these challenges and the people affected by them, Clarence still believed that “there is a need to engage people in this community with God’s Word to bring light into the dark.”  He toiled to bring that light.

Despite his best efforts, his church didn’t grow. Not because he didn’t have the deepest desire to see people receive Jesus in their hearts and their minds, but simply because he didn’t know how to effectively reach them.

Finally, God answered his prayer and led him to a fellow church worker. Pastor Mpingiza told him about Bible League’s Church Planter Training. This program, as Clarence heard, transforms local churches in even the most remote villages of Zimbabwe like Empress Mine.

Over the next year, Clarence learned about the thing he was missing from his earlier theological education: engaging with people.

Though his education focused on understanding who Jesus is through the Bible, Church Planter Training focused on people understanding Jesus.

To reach the lost of Empress Mine most effectively, he needed to meet people and build real relationships. To build the church, he needed to invite them into small group Bible studies and not only share the Gospel, but explain it to them. Once a small group was established and participants became believers, Clarence then needed to show them how to reach their neighbors.

This training taught him the process and provided the physical materials needed for small groups: Bibles and Bible study booklets.

These materials are specifically designed to engage people relationally and walk them through the Gospel in small group settings. At the study, group members are given Bibles of their own. Through the study, too, he would have the opportunity to identify the leaders and train them to be evangelists.

This training is vitally important, Clarence says, “because it worked as an avenue and a door of a breakthrough in my ministry, which allowed me to grow, to realize who I am, and to fully preach Christ.” Now, working with Bible League, he says “The biblical materials we lacked as a church are of the past now… Bible League came as a rescue point for my ministry and congregants.” Clarence now had the Bibles to give and the training to effectively reach the lost.

By engaging his community, sometimes as simply as going door-to-door, Clarence had testified to Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and others, telling them that while we were born into an earthly family, we are born again into Christ’s family (John 5:5-6).

He developed relationships with them, invited them to this small group, and shared how Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6).

For the Christians in his community, “They thought I was directing them toward another church. A great deal of resistance existed. Eventually, they began to cooperate once they saw it was all about Christ.” For all who persevered through studying the Gospel, they also received a Bible of their own to hold, read, and share.

It wasn’t long before his church started growing. His initial small group grew as they invited their friends and family.

In fact, the Holy Spirit was bringing so many people to the church, Clarence needed to begin training other leaders to facilitate more small groups. Once identified, Clarence invited them to attend Bible League’s small group Bible study training. Like the loaves and fish, God eventually took the one group and turned it into six—more than Pastor Clarence could have ever dreamed of.

His dreams grew bigger.  He wanted to reach the surrounding areas, and God blessed him. “I planted churches in Ngondoma, Bhamala, Samabwa, Mangwarangwara, and Totororo. Additionally, a small group is still growing into a new church in an area called St. Peter’s… The Church Planter Training brought growth into the church and expansion into other areas, which I never thought was possible in a brief period.” All these churches, because of the partnership with Bible League, have Bibles, Bible study materials, and trained leaders to sustain and continue growth.

Today, when Clarence looks back on how God has blessed the ministry in Empress Mine and beyond, he says the programs have “proven impactful and valuable for the church’s growth, a church that I did not know how and when we would grow spiritually and in numbers. Bible League’s training is a comprehensive approach to developing the church spiritually and morally and meeting the social needs of this community.”

From stuck to moving, spinning wheels to traction, treading water to progressing, stalled to advancing.

This is Clarence’s ministry now, by God’s grace and love for His people. Just in time, God led Clarence to Bible League and provided Bibles and Bible studies.

The kingdom expanded and grew. God brought the light of the Gospel not just to Empress Mine, but to multiple other villages. “I am so grateful,” says Clarence, “to you for being part of my ministry, family, and life. It brought about a great deal of change in my life. Through Bible League, we now provide people with Bible access.”

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9

Nikesha, being with Bible League for eight-and-a-half years, serves as U.S. Ministry Specialist. Whether it’s here at Bible League, or around the southside of Chicago, Nikesha is always finding ways to serve the Lord.

At Bible League, Nikesha knows that she helps make a difference.

I get a real sense of accomplishment from collaborating with my peers and improving the way we approach projects together. It makes me feel like my efforts have purpose and that I’ve made a difference on my team!

Nikesha was able to see the difference that Bible League makes in communities around the world.

In March of 2018, I traveled to Nicaragua as a representative of Bible League. It didn’t take long for me to witness the deep passion and hunger there for God’s Word, as ordinary people were making a real difference in their communities. New believers eagerly embraced their faith, and began sharing the Gospel with their families and neighbors right away.

They were unafraid to go door-to-door, inviting non-believers to join their small groups—or even host one themselves! I heard countless stories of people, families, and entire communities being transformed as they participated in Project Philip, and chose to share the Good News after coming to Christ. This experience was truly a blessing and a source of great encouragement for me.

Here in the U.S., Nikesha is actively serving as the hands and feet of Christ on the southside of Chicago.

I faithfully serve as a greeter at Disciples Church, because I believe everyone deserves a genuine smile and a warm welcome as they enter the house of the Lord. A simple, friendly greeting might be exactly what someone needs on any given day! I also serve at the Hope Center, an extension of my church that supports the underserved residents of Blue Island.

There we provide fresh produce, as well as hands-on learning experiences in gardening, technology, and small engine repair. These are practical resources and skills that help people become more self-sufficient. Occasionally, I volunteer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

I believe all people should be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their socio-economic status. God has given me the capacity to serve in these ways as a servant leader.

Her tenacity for new challenges and opportunities comes from her favorite Bible verse

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13 KJV

With the Lord’s help, I believe I can accomplish anything that aligns with His will. I suppose that’s why I’m always taking on new challenges!

A Story of Transformation

The nation of Egypt with its storied history often conjures up images of pyramids and pharaohs. There are certainly lots of ancient icons here that witness to the history of this Arab nation in the Middle East. There is also much to show the several thousand year history of Islam in the region.

May Podcast 1 Egypt A History Of God At Work

But as host Michael Woolworth discovered, God is truly at work here through the admirable lives of Christians encountered by his colleague, Anton deVreugd, who traveled recently to Egypt. Anton saw many lives transformed through Bible League programs, including Project Philip and Bible-based Literacy and you’ll hear about it on his exciting travelogue.

Subscribe and invite someone to listen with you today. Length: 20:23.

Egypt: A History of God at Work | Bible League Podcast | WORD IN ACTION

Subscribe, listen, and comment on this podcast at:

Look for us on your favorite podcast player app.

He said, “Hurry! Go into the streets and alleys of the town. Bring me the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame… The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and the country roads. Tell the people there to come. I want my house to be full!’”  Luke 14:21,23 ERV

• The table is set.
• The food is hot.
• The time has come.
• All that’s needed are the guests.

The Master wants His servants to extend the invitation to fill His tables.

Across the world, God’s servants, working through Bible League and generous donors like you, invited some 2.8 million people last year to the Lord’s banquet. For context, that’s about the population of Chicago.

In Burundi, a small country in East Africa, the Master’s servants have brought a staggering number of guests to the Father’s feast!

• Since 2022, the ministry has grown 30%, serving 28,000 people last year.
• Bible League has reached more than 22,000 each year in that country, that’s an average of 70 people per day over those three years.

Genard, provides a great example of a Master’s servant, using the Bibles and training you provided.

Genard is a vibrant young man with clear eyes, straight white teeth, smooth skin, and thick black hair. When he speaks, the red-bricked and tin-roofed huts echo his perfectly rhythmic, pure, and full voice. As with many men in their 20s, he chooses active words like: “help,” “thank,” “pray,” “study,” “apply,” and “live.” Neither Burundi’s steep mountains, thick foliage, nor sweltering heat are enough to hinder his purposeful strides across the dry, rust-colored streets. It’s not hard to imagine that when Genard speaks the Gospel, the listener is eased, relaxed, and inspired to move.

Much like Moses when God called him, Genard was originally reluctant. “I didn’t want to do ministry because I had little knowledge about ministry,” he says.

What Genard did have was the voice required to proclaim a message and a heart for the Gospel. A lack of knowledge is far easier to address than an unwilling heart. Genard, a lifelong Christian, already believed “that Jesus’ blood has forgiven us.” The more he prayed, the more he felt prompted to learn how to share the Gospel. There are few places easily accessible to learn, but by God’s grace, there were Bible League-trained teachers available to teach and walk with Genard.

Genard enrolled in Bible League’s discipleship and evangelism training. This training helps new leaders see, connect, and develop relationships with others around them. The leaders then invite these new friends to participate in a Bible study. These trainings equip new leaders like Genard with the Bibles and Bible study materials needed for evangelism. There is no cost to participate—donations/gifts from people like you provide everything needed for these trainings.

Genard saw an opportunity in Burundi’s public schools to actively encourage teaching the Gospel. Wasting no time, Genard began teaching in several local schools. One of the school’s students is Vadeste, a reserved 15-year-old with the frame of a much younger boy (Burundi’s recent civil war caused poverty and malnutrition throughout the region). Genard shared God’s famous invitation, “For God so loved the world, that he sent his only son…” Vadeste accepted those words and testified, “Because Jesus died for me, I decided to obey Him.”

How? By taking Proverbs 14:12 to heart: “There is a way that people think is right, but it leads only to death” (ERV).

This verse, he says, helps him understand to “not follow deceivers.” Of his personal character, he says, “I could lie and insult others, but now I no longer lie or insult.” God touched the heart of another teen in the same school, 15-year-old Irankunda. After hearing the Gospel, she can now recite its essence. She says, “God paid the price for our sins because Jesus died on the cross.” She adds, “We are created in God’s image, I no longer cheat on exams.” She wants others to know of the Gospel, too. She advises her friends “to read the Bible and know God’s will.” These Bibles come because of your prayers and gifts.

The more time Genard spent watching teenagers like Vadeste and Irankunda grow in their faith, the more he came to realize there was much more work to be done—more than he could do by himself.

He asked himself: “What about their parents? What about those who don’t have children in school?”

He was already spread too thin. He needed help. Back to Bible League for further training.

This time, his training was on training others to build those relationships. He says, “I wanted to be a trainer because there was a need to know God in churches as well as the schools.”

With the help of those he has trained, Genard believes he has been able to reach over 10,000 people in the past two years with the Word of God. According to young Genard, “Almost 100 leaders in different local churches” are using Bible League’s Bible studies to share the Gospel. He knows, too, that there’s more work to be done. With a vast majority of people living under the poverty line (less than $1.90/day), hundreds of thousands can’t afford Bibles, and even more need Jesus in their hearts.

Genard is one of the thousands of volunteers around the world who carry out Bible League’s ministry. Each one gives sacrificially of their time and limited resources to see the Gospel brought to the nations.

God’s servants come in all sizes and areas of the world.

In Bangladesh, Bimal and other volunteers are on their way to reaching 100,000 a year, read here.

Together, volunteers in Burundi, Bangladesh, and Chile served over 192,000 people last year.

Genard speaks for all of us at Bible League: “May God bless you and multiply blessings on you.” With you, God’s kingdom comes!

“My family and I used to live an unbelieving life,” begins Bimal, a former Hindu. But today, this 36-year-old pastor and a Bible League-trained church planter in northern Bangladesh is sharing God’s Word with people in his Santal indigenous community.

It’s not an easy task.

Reaching the Santal

Nestled in India’s crook, about 215,000 Santal people call Bangladesh home. Only about 8% of them follow Jesus. Most people like Bimal follow the gods and goddesses of Hinduism. Bimal’s family worshipped cows, roosters, and the goddess of wealth and purity—Lakshmi.

Many Santal people have little education, little money, and even less hope. In his village not too far from the border of India, Bimal raises cows and takes on daily wage labor when possible to support his wife and two sons.

Shining light in the darkness

Before he came to Christ, Bimal says he lived a “dark life.” He followed the rituals of Hinduism. He did drugs. God’s Word freed him.

When a pastor from a nearby village shared the Gospel with him, Bimal discovered the hope of Jesus. Bimal recalls, “Before I accepted Christ Jesus, I used to perform various religious and social rituals. But there was no real salvation in my life. When I came to the Word of God, I was assured of my salvation.” His family also began following Christ. Today, he pastors the same church that brought Him to the Savior.

But many in his community remain trapped in that same life he once led. They are lost in spiritual darkness. Bimal has seen the light of Jesus in his own life. And he knows God’s Word is the only thing that can guide them out of their darkness.

Bimal explains, “There are many people in my area who are in such a dark life. There is no salvation in their lives. They still do not know the true God. They are still in the dark. But I know and have seen that God’s Word changes people’s lives.”

Before the world began, the Word was there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was there with God in the beginning. Everything was made through him, and nothing was made without him. In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it. John 1:1-5 ERV

Finding courage

Eventually, Bimal met a Bible League-trained Christian who helped him grow in faith and told him about Bible League’s Church Planter Training. For a long time, Bimal’s fear and lack of training kept him from sharing the Gospel. His heart desired to spread the Good News in his community. Yet he didn’t feel brave enough to reach out to people. That all changed when he attended Church Planter Training. Through the program, God gave Bimal the courage and confidence to spread the light of Christ to his people. Now, nothing can stand in his way.

“With this Church Planter Training, I can share the Gospel in a very beautiful way with people in my community. The training helped me overcome the obstacles and fears I previously faced. I was afraid to talk about Jesus before. I’m not afraid anymore. I speak about Jesus whenever I get the chance,” he says boldly.

Bimal shares that Church Planter Training gave him a clear understanding of evangelism. He learned how to effectively share the Good News with others. “The various teachings from Church Planter Training have deepened my understanding of God’s Word.”

Now, Bimal is actively working towards planting a new branch of his church in a neighboring Santal community. He uses the training and Bible study materials from friends like you to spread the Gospel to his people. Through his ministry, six families have already started following Jesus. He explains, “Through these Bible study groups, I’ve helped them experience a spiritual awakening in their personal lives.”

He can’t help but smile when he thinks about how you made a difference in his life. He gushes, “This teaching of yours has spiritually uplifted and encouraged everyone in my congregation. It has changed the lives of many people like me in Bangladesh. Thank you very much! May God bless you, more and more, to work for His kingdom.”

Growing God’s Church

Across Bangladesh and around the globe, God is building up leaders like Bimal. In 2024, more than 92,000 people were reached with God’s Word in Bangladesh. That’s a 415% increase since 2019— and the most people reached with the Gospel there through Bible League’s ministry in more than a decade. God is on the move, bringing the light of Jesus to those who crave it most.

Bimal knows there are still so many in his community who are hungering for the same hope he has found. There is still so much work to do. So many who need to know there is light.

“Just as my family’s life has changed through God’s Word, it can change the lives of all the people in my Santal community,” he says. “God’s Word gives light, peace, and joy in people’s lives. So, I will share about Jesus. I will reveal the good news of God’s salvation. May they, like me, change their lives in Jesus.”

 Later, Jesus talked to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never live in darkness. They will have the light that gives life.” John 8:12 ERV