Johan Grobler's Blog : How do you say NO to somebody asking for a Bible?

This week I was forced to say "No" to many requests for a Bible. There are several reasons why the "No" answer had to be given.

We were blessed by donors, who made it possible for me to travel with about 260 this week. It is simply not enough to provide in the vast need. I have been asked for a Bible by many people living in a rural area of Kenya. The hunger for the Word of God in the vernacular is both a blessing and a huge concern. The harvest is ready but the workers are few. Luke 10:2 In the group of workers I include missionaries, Bible Translators, sponsors and donors, as the rural people simply do not have the material means to afford Bibles. They might be able to afford a printed Bible, but as an example - for the Luo language only between 10% to 30% of mother tongue speakers can read! 1 This is very common for rural situations in Africa.

Some requested languages that have not yet been translated or recorded. In Africa there are about 700 languages without a translated Bible. In many languages the Bibles are available, but have not yet been recorded. I think of Luo, Herero and many others.

Some requested it at a much lower price than the production cost! Again I had to say "No". We are so thankful that MegaVoice celebrated its 30th year in January 2018. It is always a major challenge to have income and expenses balanced. We are grateful to the Lord for supporters that have helped to cover shortfalls over the years. Just this evening I received a call from a "closed country" with a request for Bibles at a reduced price. I could not say "Yes", but with more supporters I would have been able to say "Yes" to more!

On a much lighter note, we thank the Lord for the 30 years that MegaVoice has produced more than 2 million Bible players and we now have access to full Bibles in more than 100 languages and New Testaments in more than 500 languages 2.

Please continue to pray with us for the above matters.