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Dear Prayer Partner

For many of us, life over the last few months has slowed down. It has been a truly unique time; we simply cannot do all of our normal activities that make our lives so busy.

However, although we have a form of physical rest during this time, we must rest spiritually in God and rely on him for all our needs. Take some time today to rest spiritually in the hope that God has given us.

This month in Prayer News we are looking at how we can pray for
Chile, the Gulf and Lithuania.

Thank you for joining us in prayer.

Pictured above: One of the translators working on the Lithuanian Sign Language Translation.

Over the last few months we have been having a prayer meeting over Zoom for our projects around the world. It is fantastic to see so many of your faces and to pray with you about the Bible Society work going on. We are having another prayer Zoom at 1PM on Wednesday the 29th July , if you would like to come, the link to the meeting can be found here:


This meeting will last approximately 30 minutes. We as a staff team were so encouraged last month and would love to meet with you all again. 

If you are unsure about how to join a Zoom meeting, please contact us and we can help you to access it.
Light at Sunset - Chile

The “Light at Sunset” project in Chile is an outreach programme aimed at older people in society. As Chile’s population is growing and the life span of people is increasing there are more and more older people. The Chilean Bible Society seeks to engage these older people and shared the Gospel with them.

Pastor Ricardo Díaz found that his church was mainly made up of people under 40 years of age, and he was burdened to reach those in his community of an older generation. He reached out to the Chilean Bible Society and they began a Bible study for this older age group.

One of the ladies who has joined this group is Mrs Quiroz, who is 75. She explained that she was very curious and a little scared when the Pastor told her about this new group. Nevertheless, she began to attend it and found that it was a very positive experience. She told a member of the Chilean Bible Society:

 “Before, it was hard for me to understand the Bible, but when I study with a group of people of the same age, it is much easier and it is also more entertaining. For example, it has another meaning when the Lord says to me "work hard"... I like to share what I have learned with others; it is a conversation with simple and habitual language. It is good to study the Bible in other versions especially in large print because the effort to read is less, it is easier.”

Mrs Quiroz was interviewed in December. In March, the decision was made for the Bible study to be suspended, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The whole church congregation is in isolation, they have asked for our prayers especially for the older people in the congregation, as they are most at risk. 
Pray for this project:

  • Pray for the older people involved in this project. Pray that they would learn more about the Bible, grow in their faith and that they would be kept safe during this pandemic.

  • Pray for the outreach aspect of this project. Pray for those older people who are at risk and do not yet know Christ as their Saviour. Pray that God would soften their hearts and that they would come to know him.

  • Pray for Pastor Ricardo and the whole church family as they navigate the “new normal” of online church and remote fellowship.
An Update from the Gulf

The Bible Society in the Gulf runs a project which reaches out to migrant workers in the Gulf states with Scriptures. These migrant workers can live in cramped conditions, with often up to 10 people living in one house.

But from one of the migrant languages a phrase has become a key evangelistic tool to many people.

“It is not  corona , but  karuna , which means  mercy  in Telugu,” said Prasad, a migrant worker from India.

There are an estimated 1.5 million Telugu speakers working in the Gulf states. Many have lost their jobs or had their salaries reduced due to the economic shutdown, and in their cramped living conditions they are most at risk to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Bible Society used Prasad’s observation to publish a new booklet in Telugu and English, appropriately titled  God’s Karuna.

Its content reflects the nature of the COVID-19 world—and of God’s kingdom. There are frequent references to “humbled nations,” “greedy people,” and “exploitation of the poor.”
“We want to show migrant workers there is a God who humbles everyone, but who can lift them up.” said General Secretary Hrayr Jebejian.

With the booklet peppered with Bible verses about the wages of sin and the promises of God, GS Hrayr is eager to provide perspective to the Gulf’s rich and poor alike.
Unable to distribute the booklet as its 14 regional bookshops are closed, the Bible Society in the Gulf is circulating a PDF version through the WhatsApp messaging service. There is also an audio version, given that 2 in 5 Telugu in the Gulf are unable to read.

This resource is reaching many people with hope in a time where it is easy to feel hopeless . Please join us in praying that this resource will have an impact on those who read it.
Please pray for this project:

  •  Pray for the migrant workers who read the “Karuna” resource. Pray that God would soften their hearts and that they would be open to the message of the Gospel.

  • Pray for the Bible society staff and volunteers. Pray that they would continue to be able to develop online resources and adapt projects to work safely in the current COVID-19 outbreak.

  • Pray that they would soon be able to safely reopen the 14 regional bookshops, and that they would be able to continue to have a physical presence in the Gulf states.
An Update from Lithuania

For the past few years, we have been supporting the translation of the New Testament into Lithuanian Sign Language. It is a sobering fact that no Sign Language in the world has a completed translation of the Bible. This can leave those with audio impairments feeling isolated, as often the Sign Language unspoken version of the language are very different.

The Bible Society of Lithuania have been making good progress on this translation of the Bible, with the Gospels of Matthew and Mark completed. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak the studio which they used to record the videos of the Sign Language had to close. The work on the Sign Language translation had to be suspended for three months.
Thankfully, as of the 20th of June they were able to resume translation and recording following social distance guidelines. They are excited to continue the work and hope that they will soon be able to finish the Gospels in Lithuanian Sign Language.
Pray for this project:

  • Pray for those who have audio impairments or who are deaf and do not have access to Scripture in their language. Pray that translations would be finished quickly and that they would be able to understand God’s Word for themselves.

  • Pray for the translators who are working on this Sign Language translation. Pray that they would be able to translate with accuracy and that they would be able to stay healthy during this time.

  • Pray for those who are already using the Gospels of Matthew and Mark in Lithuanian Sign Language. Pray that this will impact them and that they will be able to grow in their faith. 
  • Pray for the Fang translation in Gabon. Give thanks that they have been able to keep working on this translation despite lockdown restrictions.

  • The Bible Society of Guatemala is supplying New Testaments to accompany food kits that churches and other organizations are preparing for people who need it during the pandemic. As of June 2020, they have provided 15,000 New Testaments in these parcels.

  • Bible Society of Moldova as they distribute care packages to areas of the country which have a very high infection rate. Pray for the safety of the staff and volunteers who are delivering these packages.
Pray for the team

  • Play for the BSNI staff team and board as we continue to work remotely. Pray that we would be able to return to the office soon and that we could continue to share our projects with the people of Northern Ireland.

  • Praise God for all of the positives we have experienced over the last few months. Praise God for the support he has continued to provide us with and that we are still able to support so many projects around the world.  
Speaking Engagements

  • The BSNI Zoom Prayer Meeting will be on Wednesday 29th July at 1pm. We would love to see you there and join with you in prayer. Click the picture to get the link to the meeting or keep an eye on our social media pages. If you would like to share this link with your church family we would love for you to pass it on.
"And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.""

Revelation 7:10 (NIV)
BIBLE SOCIETY NI
www.biblesocietyni.co.uk
Charity Registration Number NIC102557