Rural Villages Need Bibles!!

This week, we visited a village church way off the beaten track. I can’t remember the name just now but it is a CCAP congregation that commenced in 1922 and has been faithful to the Gospel ever since. Access to it is via a series of rough tracks barely used by cars. But they spotted us coming – 60 women on the move toward us swaying and singing “you are welcome, you are welcome”. Dear faithful men and women of God: humble, devoted to God and ..... poor. So poor they do not know where their next meal is coming from.

We sat with them, hugged them, encouraged them. Then we conducted a short but very dignified service with 60 women from the village, 20 men, 30 children, the session clerk and the Village Chief! I preached an impromptu message from John 6 and they gave wrapt attentiveness to the Word of God (through an interpreter). They were SO delighted to hear the message. Then, out of their poverty, they provided a gift to take home, some fresh muffins and the ever-present Coke for refreshments. I spoke to the Village Chief after the service and he said that his village totals 156 persons. I think I counted 110 of them at church!

Then I spoke to the women and asked them their greatest need. Thinking the reply was to be “to repair the roof” or “food” or “money”. Can you guess? Without racing ahead to the next paragraph? One by one these faithful women told me of their greatest need. Can you guess?

BIBLES! None of these men and women have a Bible. They are too poor to own a book! They can read, or, at least sufficient of them can read to share the knowledge around. They would give their right arm to own a Bible. We left with hearts aflame and decided there and then to give our immediate spare money and send them 40 Bibles.

But what of the rest of Malawi? Known to the Presbyterians at least ... there would be 1000 villages in rural communities like this one. 1000 churches without Bibles – with at least 100 people in each. And for $10 we can buy a Chichewa Bible.

... That’s 10 X 100 X 1000 = $1 million dollars – that’s all it would take to give the most precious book in the world into the hands of every known church goer in rural Malawi.

There’s a challenge!