IN A MAJORITY-MUSLIM NATION …
YOU INTRODUCED BILA TO JESUS!
Bila lives in a majority-Muslim nation of Africa — a place where jihadists on the Northern border work tirelessly to raise up Islamist extremism.
The village where Bila was born is small and remote … Bila is epileptic and suffered from seizures, and there was little medical care available for him.
His village rarely gets visits from outsiders … until a church from another village sent a team to show The GodMan film and distribute the Book of Hope for young people.
Bila loved the film, loved learning about Jesus, and chose to follow Christ as Savior! He was filled with joy to know the Savior … and amazed when several people in the village were healed from illnesses when the team prayed with them.
He wasn’t sure if Jesus could heal him, and he was shy about asking … but the very next time the team visited the village, he requested prayer —
And he hasn’t suffered a seizure since! We’re believing with Bila that he has been completely healed by God’s power.
Thank you for showing him the way to hope and healing in Jesus, even in a majority-Muslim nation.
NOW YOU’RE SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE
by President Rob Hoskins
My parents were missionaries, and I grew up in Lebanon and France — and these experiences cultivated within me a deep love and appreciation for other languages and cultures.
Though I’m sure no one would mistake me for a native speaker, I’m able to speak French and Spanish conversationally, and can get by in Arabic and Russian.
I’ve seen what a difference it makes to connect with others in his or her mother tongue — their eyes light up in surprise, they smile in excitement, and a more meaningful conversation tends to ensue.
It’s the joy we see on the Day of Pentecost in the Book of Acts — consider what the Holy Spirit chose to do in this crucial moment:
Instead of giving the crowd a supernatural understanding of Aramaic, the common language of Judea, the Holy Spirit gave the apostles the power to speak in other tongues to proclaim the Gospel — and 3,000 people were saved that day.
There is a compelling, intimate, and overwhelming effect when people hear the Gospel in their own language and cultural context. It opens their hearts, minds, and souls in a deeper, more meaningful way.
Perhaps nowhere is this more important than in the limited access nations of the world, where religious, political, and extremist forces adamantly oppose the Gospel …
Speaking the right language, in the right context, can slip past barriers and share hope heart to heart, as this Global Report shows. Thank you for making this possible, through your support and prayers.
THEY WERE THE CLASSIC BOYS GONE WRONG — UNTIL YOU STEERED THEM RIGHT!
At first it was just good fun — four lifelong friends skipping school and looking for mischief.
Fenias, Daniel, Incio, and Joaquim were growing up together on the outskirts of Maputo, the capital of their home country of Mozambique in East Africa. Skipping school led to thrill-seeking, this led to drinking and smoking — next came marijuana —
And the need for money to finance their new habits. The boys started stealing wallets and cell phones. As they grew up into teenagers, they discovered people were intimidated by the four of them together and soon they had a reputation in their neighborhood.
They were trouble. And they were on the path to becoming career criminals.
But then you stepped in — you sent the Book of Hope, delivered to the four friends by a local church team doing neighborhood outreach. Fenias was the first one to interact with the team and read the Book of Hope —
And the first one to choose to follow Jesus!
“I couldn’t keep it to myself!” he says joyfully today. “I made the decision to share my salvation with my parents and friends. At first they didn’t believe it, but little by little they began to realize my habits were changing.”
Today all four boys have committed their lives to Christ — and they’re now part of the local team reaching out to other young people in their neighborhood to share the Good News!
IN THE MOST DIFFICULT PLACES IN THE WORLD TO BE A CHRISTIAN — YOU CAN REACH 70 MILLION CHILDREN WITH GOD’S WORD!
YOU’RE GOING WHERE THE DEVIL DOESN’T WANT YOU TO GO — TO SHARE JESUS IN PLACES WHERE CHRISTIANS ARE PERSECUTED
You are reaching children and youth with God’s Word in 43 of the 50 nations on the World Watch List for most dangerous places to be a Christian! This year we want to make sure 70 million young people in these limited access nations receive the Gospel.
HOW YOU’RE GETTING GOD’S WORD TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN LIMITED ACCESS REGIONS
OneHope partners in 43 limited access nations are sharing God’s Word with the next generation through powerful Scripture engagement programs including:
God’s Big Story
Perfect for children who can’t read and who live in cultures dependent on storytelling and oral ways of receiving and passing along information, God’s Big Story is a collection of picture cards that depict Bible stories without written text. Children learn each new story at Sunday school or Bible club and keep the card so they can remember and share it — When they receive all 16 cards, the pieces fit together to reveal the metanarrative of the Gospel.
What If It’s True?
In some regions of the world, Christianity is such a small minority that even if people were curious about God’s Word, they may not know a believer or a church. What If It’s True? is a digital initiative that provides space for people to engage with life’s tough questions and connect with a believer in the process.
World Without Sickness
In Asia Pacific, many children lack knowledge of basic hygiene skills, leaving them susceptible to many treatable ailments. At the same time, religions like Buddhism and Islam are closely tied to cultural identity. World Without Sickness teaches practical hygiene information — which makes it desirable in schools — and it shares the message about Jesus, too.
Lead Today
Created in partnership with John C. Maxwell’s organization EQUIP, Lead Today empowers teens to lead with biblical principles by sharing powerful stories of biblical leadership that introduce students to Jesus and help them discover their God-given potential as they begin influencing others right where they are.
IN A CULTURE OPPOSED TO THE GOSPEL — YOU INTRODUCED BRIGITTE TO JESUS!
Drug cartels — corruption — organized crime — illegal mining — illicit crops — human rights abuses on a massive scale …
This is the backdrop of the sensitive nation where Brigitte lives. It’s not that there is extremist religious opposition to the Gospel, but when Christian leaders speak out against the crime lords who abuse the poor and foment violence, they and their congregations are quickly targeted.
Nevertheless, believers there want to inspire change by sharing Jesus with the next generation, and you’re supplying them with Scripture programs to make it possible. This is how Brigitte received the Book of Hope and began attending church to learn more about the Savior!
Today she’s joyfully following Jesus — and she regularly shares with her family what she’s learning in her Book of Hope and from the lessons at church.
“My family has become very united now,” Brigitte says. “I have learned to give love the way Jesus loved me — and the Book of Hope taught me to understand and value other people, because we were all made by God.”
Thanks for sending God’s Word to transform Brigitte and her family!
“I have learned to give love the way Jesus loved me.”
NATION BY NATION
MEXICO — DANIEL WAS MAD AT GOD!
Daniel went to church from the time he was a young boy — but when his parents separated, his world fell apart … and he became angry at God! Why would God let this happen to him?
He and his siblings were left with their mother, who now struggled to keep food on the table. They no longer had their father in their lives from day to day, and they were impoverished as well. He was mad at God — and mad at his parents! He became disrespectful, disobedient, and fought with his siblings, too.
But then he received the Book of Hope and read the life story of Jesus … along with extra sections of text that helped him find, in the Scriptures, the comfort and hope he so desperately needed. Maybe God was still there … and caring for him …
Daniel rededicated his life to Christ! Today he is getting along better with his siblings and helping his parents out. He knows that God is with Him, and he wants to share God’s love with others.
VENEZUELA — Francys felt unloved and unwanted. Her parents were too busy for her, as they struggled to keep the family afloat amidst economic and political chaos in their home nation. But when Francys was invited to a youth group Bible study, she received the Book of Hope and began to learn about Jesus. Today she is following Him and knows that she is loved! The transformation in her life was so dramatic, her mother became interested and is now attending Bible study herself.
ECUADOR — Viviana was curious about what the Lead Today program might offer her. She had never thought of herself as a leader because she didn’t have a lot of high energy and take-charge attitude … but she soon discovered that “I can be humble, like Jesus, who was the best example of a leader.” Now she uses her influence in a godly way to help others.
God’s Word. Every Child.
IN A BUDDHIST NATION, YOU INTRODUCED HIM TO JESUS
It’s such a Buddhist nation … it’s almost seen as unofficial treason for anyone to leave the Buddhist faith. Non-Buddhists are routinely persecuted, ostracized, even driven out of villages.
Nevertheless, God’s Word has reached many in this limited access nation of Asia, and believers stand up to the threats in order to continue worshipping Jesus and sharing the Good News with the next generation.
This is how Maung came to receive the Book of Hope at a Christmas outreach. He received a special holiday edition as part of our Christmas in Asia program: throughout many Asian nations, the Christmas holidays are celebrated for the music, lights, gift giving, and parties … without any real understanding of what Christmas is all about.
“Before, I knew nothing about God and His love,” Maung says.
“But then I started attending the Kids Club. The teacher taught us about Christ from the Christmas Book of Hope. I came to know more about the living God, His love and care. Now I believe and accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord.”
Maung is learning and growing in his faith at the local church and says:
“I pray and praise Jesus Christ every single day, and He answers my prayer voice. He is a living God who can hear our prayer and answer our requests.”
Thank you for showing Maung the truth about Jesus, even in his extremist Buddhist nation!
