Around the world vast numbers of people live at the margins. It may be due to

 hunger or ill health, or it may be due simply to the fact that they have no easy access to Scripture.

In China, 800 million people speak Mandarin, the main language but there are also millions of families whobelong to minority language groups. In Yunnan Province, they speak romantic sounding dialects: Lisu (East), Lisu (West), Wa, Black Yi, White Yi, Dry Yi, and in one of the inner provinces, Mongolian. Many of these minority people do not have a sufficient understanding of Chinese to read the Bible in Mandarin Chinese. They live in very poor rural parts of the country and it is imperative that those who are Christian can study the Scriptures in their heart language. Equally, we want to provide Scripture to non-believers so that they too can read, understand and experience God’s promises for themselves.

In Algeria, Christians worship out of sight of the authorities for fear of persecution. MegaVoice solar- powered Scripture players provided from Ireland, have been a great encouragement to the churches there and to Muslim families who have made the huge step of commitment to Christ. A digital player containing a complete New Testament recording in Arabic has been a baptismal gift as an entire family comes to faith. Work is currently underway to complete a Bible translation in today’s Arabic and we would love to support that work also.

In Australia, Aborigines live thousands of miles from white suburbia and require a very special ministry. Reverend Phil Zamagias provides that support in his tiny Cessna aeroplane, which allows him to access some of the most inhospitable and remote places on the continent. He brings Bible teaching and Scripture supplies to those who can read them, but there are many languages that, as yet, do not have the benefit of a Bible translation. We can change that.

In Cuba, the only way to reach people of all ages who are deaf is to develop a Bible in Sign language. Such an achievement would allow those who live in an entirely silent world to ‘hear’ God speaking to them in a way that they will understand and respond to. The Bible Society in Cuba is currently seeking to translate various stories of Jesus into Sign language which will then be produced on a DVD for use with groups or individuals. Churches for the Hearing Impaired will also benefit greatly as they teach their members and reach out to others.

This Christmas we invite you to reach out to all those who are just out of reach of God’s Word.

Even at a time when we may feel that our budgets are stretched, you may share our concern for those people in our world who are being left behind. As we enjoy hearing once more the reading of the Christmas story, your support for these projects will transform life for millions of people who look to us to help them. We calculate that, on average, it costs £6.00 to translate one verse of the Bible through all its stages. How many verses could you make a reality for future generations in China, Algeria, Australia or Cuba...?