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Dear Prayer Partner,

Welcome to February's Extra Insight!

We hope that these stories are an encouragement to you this month, and a reminder God is using this time to bring people to Himself.

This month we have an update on our Bible-a-Month project in Togo, as well as projects in China and Sri Lanka.

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

The Northern Ireland staff team are still mostly working from home, with our Office Manager Campbell going into Bible House twice a week to keep on top of things in the office. Every morning we have been meeting to pray, read the Bible and chat about our work for the day. This has helped us to remain a close knit team and has been a real encouragement to each of us. We have monthly prayer meetings with global and Europe/Middle East Bible Society staff.

We are still continuing to produce online resources for churches, small groups and individuals. If you'd like to see what's available, visit our website here!

This month we will be having our Finance Committee meeting on the 15th February over Zoom.

Andrew will be sharing at 1st Comber Presbyterian Youth Fellowship on Sunday 7th February.

Prayer Requests from Bible Society NI

  • Pray for churches who are starting the Bible Course online this month.

  • Pray that we would continue to work well from home. We are starting to really miss the office and working as a team in the same building! Pray that we would be able to safely return to the office soon.

  • Please pray for our intern, Lucy, as she helps us in day-to-day tasks. Ask God would bless her time with us and that it would be a benefit to her faith.
Join our Zoom Prayer Meeting:

On the last Wednesday of every month we host an online Zoom meeting from 1pm-1.30pm. We would love for you to join us to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world, as well as the church in Northern Ireland.

Zoom meeting details:
Meeting ID: 814 5450 4534
Passcode: 349305

Follow the link below to join us on the 24th February at 1pm:
BIBLE-A-MONTH PROJECT:
Faith Comes By Hearing - Togo

Over 1,000 listening groups are hosted all over Togo, bringing together believers who would otherwise not be able to interact with the Bible for themselves. Many churches host Bible listening sessions, where Christians can come together and listen to the Word of God being proclaimed. There are also listening groups hosted in prisons, where literacy rates can be very low. These Proclaimers are a vital part of enabling people to access the Word of God for themselves in Togo.

This project was able to continue throughout 2020, with small groups still able to meet and safely listen to God’s Word together.

Being able to hear God’s Word is a life changing thing for many people. One of the ladies who is involved in a local listening group commented, "The difference is that I am no more a broken-hearted woman but a happily living woman." Many who have been involved in this project testify to having made a commitment to give up their bad habits and negative attitudes, as listening to God’s Word softens their hearts and challenges them.

This year a film has also been able to be screened at larger groups around the country. This has further helped people to engage with God’s Word, giving them a deeper understanding of the meaning and context of Scriptures.
Pray for this Project:

  • Pray for those who participate in this programme, that they would grow in their faith and become closer to God as a result of it.

  • Pray for the safety of groups as they meet, that God would protect them from COVID-19 and that they would remain healthy.

  • Pray for the Bible Society of Togo as they deliver Proclaimers to remote areas of the country. Pray for protection and safety as they travel throughout Togo. 
Give:

Every £5 donated to this project will help the Bible Society of Togo to provide Proclaimers to listening groups. You can sign up to give regularly to Bible-a-Month through our website:
This project is our Bible-a-Month project for February. 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.
BIBLES FOR CHINA'S MILLIONS
China
One of the projects that we have been supporting for a number of years is the “Bibles for China’s Millions” project. There is a huge demand for Bibles in China and the China partnership (the Bible Society in China) have seen this need and are working to provide as many bibles as they can to the Chinese population.

Many poor Christians cannot afford a Bible, yet there is a culture of sharing Scripture to evangelise. This can result in Christians giving portions of their Bible away, and often portions of Scripture are copied by hand to be distributed to friends and family as a way of sharing the Gospel.

One of those Christians who could not afford a Bible was Elder Ye, whose testimony the China Partnership recently told us. Ye became a Christian after being taught about God by his mother. He grew in his faith and became more and more involved in church, eventually becoming the elder. Yet he still only had a small portion of the Bible to study.

“When I first became a Christian, I had only one Gospel portion, that was the Gospel of Matthew. Later I received the Old Testament. It was not until later that a preacher gave me a full Bible. I regarded it as a treasure and read through the Bible. It took me only two months to finish reading the whole Bible,” Elder Ye recalled.

Ye’s story is not unique. There are Christians all over China who are desperate to have a full copy of God’s word for themselves. This project helps to bring bibles to those who would otherwise not have access to one.
Pray for the Bibles for China's Millions project:

  • Pray for Christians who are in countries where it is difficult to practice their faith. Pray that God would grant them protection against persecution and that they would be bold and courageous in their faith.

  • Pray that God would bless Bible work in 2021 and that many more people would come to faith in Jesus Christ.

  • Pray for those Christians who are still waiting for their own copy of the Bible. Pray that in 2021 God would provide many more people with His Word.

  • Pray for the staff and volunteers of Bible Societies around the world. Pray that 2021 would be an encouraging year and that God would watch over and protect them in all circumstances. 
Healing the Wounds of Trauma
Sri Lanka

This project focuses on Scripture-based trauma healing to help those who have suffered any kind of abuse. The Ceylon Bible Society runs this project to help people of all ages to deal with traumas they may have suffered.

This project involves training leaders to carry out the programme, as well as hosting workshops for those who are suffering from traumatic events. This programme provides materials such as Scripture portions and textbooks for those who participate.

One of the events that they were able to have recently was a children’s camp to help young people to manage the stress or anxiety that they have in their lives. One of these children who participated in this project was Tamasha. The Ceylon Bible Society sent us through a short video of Tamasha telling us how she found the programme. You can watch this video below:
Pray for this Project:

  • Please pray for God’s guidance for all those who are conducting the programme this year. Pray for God’s protection upon all those who will be participating as facilitators.

  • Pray that God will provide the right people who are willing to get involved in this programme, that they will be people who have a love for children and who love to work for the good of the children.

  • Pray for the children who will be attending this programme. Pray that they will be able to overcome their trauma and fears and will open up about their problems so that the facilitators can help them reach a better place in their lives.
More from Bible Society NI:
BIBLE SOCIETY NI
27 Howard Street, Belfast, BT1 6NB
028 9032 6577 Charity Reg. No. NIC102557

Header image shows a Proclaimer listening group in Togo.
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