Extra Insight January

Dear Prayer Partner,

Happy New Year and welcome to the January Extra Insight!

In our January Extra Insight we share about our Bible-a-Month project in Algeria, an update from the Gulf and the Philippines.

Thank you for joining us as we pray for our brothers and sisters around the world.

LOCAL NEWS

Northern Ireland

December is always very busy for us! We have been busy working on our Christmas appeals, resources and our spring 2022 magazine.

We have been blessed to continue to see babies being registered for Bibles for Babies, and are very excited to begin to send out these Bibles in early 2022.

We have also loved journeying with all of you who have used A Thrill of Hope in the run up to Christmas, and pray that it was an encouragement to you.

Please continue to pray for us as we start 2022. We hope that the resources and projects we are running in Northern Ireland will be a support to both individuals and the church.

Remember, if you have recently had a new little one come into your life in 2021, you can sign them up to receive a free toddler Bible below.

Prayer Requests from Bible Society NI:

Pray for the staff team as we launch our exciting projects. Ask God to give us strength and stamina to work well throughout 2022.

Pray for the resources that we put out, that they would be a support and encouragement to those who use them.

Pray for those who have registered a child for Bibles for Babies. Ask God to speak into the lives of these children and their families.

BIBLE-A-MONTH PROJECT:

Scriptures for Seekers - Algeria

The Scriptures for Seekers project in Algeria helps to provide people who are curious about Christianity with portions of the Bible. It is often very difficult to be a Christian in Algeria, yet many people are turning to radio, TV and the web to find answers to their questions about faith. The Bible Society in Algeria is often one of the first places people who are curious go to try and access Scripture for themselves.

The Bible Society in Algeria provides Bibles, New Testaments and Scripture portions to those who contact them. In 2022, the Bible Society in Algeria hopes to print Scripture portions in several different languages, making the Bible more accessible to the many nationalities that are in Algeria.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard for the Bible Society in Algeria. Because of restrictions and social distancing measures, many churches have been unable to meet. Small groups have been able to meet together, yet this has made it more challenging for the Bible Society to distribute Scripture to these scattered groups.

Please join us as we pray for the church and Scripture distribution in Algeria.

Pray for this Project:

Pray for those who are seeking to access Scripture during this time. Ask God to provide them with a Bible and that they would come to know Him through reading it.

Pray for the safety of the staff and volunteers carrying out the distribution of Bibles and portions of Scripture. Pray that God would give them the strength and boldness to continue this important work in their country.

Pray for the church as a whole in Algeria, especially that they would stand united and be deeply rooted in God's Word.

This project is our Bible-a-Month project for January. By becoming a Bible-a-Month partner you will help to provide Scripture to people all over the world every month. You will receive a free calendar with information about this and 11 other Bible Society projects. Commit to giving just £5 each month and you will ensure that the Word of God is shared across the world. Sign up here.

"WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?"

The Gulf States

The Bible Society in the Gulf is passionate about reaching the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers across their region. In December they produced and distributed a free evangelistic booklet called “Who is Jesus Christ?” in 14 different languages, including Amharic, Arabic, Pakistani and Punjabi. There were 11,000 copies of this booklet printed and it was distributed by churches all over the Gulf, in Dubai, Bahrain and Kuwait.

One church leader, Pastor Shyam from Abu Dhabi, who received the “Who is Jesus Christ?” booklet shared his story of sharing it with his church’s community:

‘Ever since coronavirus restrictions were eased, our church outreach team members started visiting labor camps to share the Good News of Jesus with the migrant workers. We find this book as an excellent tool for explaining to them who Jesus is and why he had to come and die on the cross. During this Christmas season, people are very receptive to hear about Jesus. They gladly receive the gift of this book. They can leisurely read it and have better understanding of who Christ is. Our church is only one year old. We deeply appreciate the support we receive from the BSG by mentoring us and providing these books for evangelism and discipleship.’

Pray for this project:

Pray for all those who have received a “Who is Jesus Christ?” booklet in December 2021. Ask God to open their heart and that they would come to faith in Christ.

Pray for the local church as they seek to support those who are exploring the Christian faith. Pray that they would work together and support each other in evangelistic works.

Pray for the COVID-19 situation in the Gulf States, that the Bible Society would be able to continue to share God's Word with those around them.

THE TINGGIAN BIBLE TRANSLATION

The Philippines

The Tinggian Bible translation has been going on for many years, aiming to one day provide the full Bible to the over 54,000 people for whom it is their heart language. There are many different dialects in this language, meaning a lot of work for Bible translators.

The Tinggian Inlaud New Testament has recently been completed and is currently in the proofing stage. Unfortunately, this proofing stage has been slowed due to recent COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. These have restricted travel and have meant that translators are unable to travel to the provincial capital to get a stable internet connection, leading to a delay in the final checking stages.

This New Testament was completed funded by the Bible Society in Northern Ireland, we were able to use funds received from a legacy gift from a supporter here. This generous supporter has helped to bring God's Word to many in the Philippines following their death.

To celebrate the Tinggian Inlaud New Testament being completed, the Bible Society had planned a launch for 2021 which sadly also had to be delayed due to COVID-19. Despite these setbacks and frustrations, the Bible Society is keen to keep working on the Tinggian translation, bringing hope to as many of the Tinggian people as they can.

Pray for this project:

Please pray for strength, clarity of mind and energy for the typesetters, proofreaders, and the entire production department working on the Tinggian translation.

Please pray that the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines will improve so that the Bible Society may be able to celebrate the launch with the community in person.