Timor Leste – SparkLit

One open book, many open hearts

Katy — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 02:12:28 +0000

“Abraham believed God’s word! That made God very happy. His promise was very big, and Abraham’s faith in God’s promise was very big too.” A local edition of The Big Picture Story Bible is changing lives in Timor Leste.

You can help Sandra Marcal bring the good news of Jesus to people of all ages in Timor Leste.

“Don’t be afraid, Abraham.

Come outside and look up into the night sky.

Count all the stars, if you can. You will have

as many children as there are stars in the sky!”

So Abraham went outside.

Abraham looked up into the night sky

and tried to count the stars.

The children gasped. One child covered his gaping mouth with both hands. Another child covered her ears. In Timor-Leste, people believe that if you start counting the stars and fail to count them all, you will be cursed and die. So, how could a terrifying omen in our culture be, in reality, a sign of God’s abundant blessing?

One sows, another waters

In Timor-Leste, having books at home is rare. Having a children’s Bible at home is unheard of. We hoped that publishing a Tetun-language edition of The Big Picture Story Bible—a picture-book Bible for children—would be a spark for change.

While we prepared this book for publication, we read draft chapters during weekly religion classes in a local primary school. As the story of the Bible unfolded, the children acquired a different view of the world. God’s view. Before we knew it, the lives of children were being changed.

An eight-year-old girl skipped up to me with eyes full of joyful expectation. “Is the book out yet? Is the book out yet? I asked my mum and dad to buy one for me.” Since its publication, countless children have shared this girl’s joy of knowing Jesus through The Big Picture Story Bible. Four Christian schools, several churches and numerous children’s clubs have adopted this book as their curriculum. Our team has developed curriculum packs and run training workshops for teachers. We have produced a weekly radio program and podcast.

The joy of the harvest

Recently, I was invited to talk about The Big Picture Story Bible on a YouTube channel. During the interview, the presenter shared her experience. “When my son received this book as a gift, he didn’t know how to read. He learned to read with this book. Even though it’s heavy he takes it to school every day. It’s a beautiful book and we can see how it has helped transform him.”

A young mother told me what she had learned by reading The Big Picture Story Bible. “I have been a Christian for many years but thanks to this book I now realise that the lamb’s blood painted on the Israelites’ door frames, so that God’s judgement would pass over them, points to Jesus’ death!” I never imagined that one book could open so many doors for the gospel story.

To complement The Big Picture Story Bible, we are working on picture-book Bibles for preschoolers and teenagers. Will you continue to support and journey with us?

Pray that as they read these books together, children and parents will come to love and trust our Heavenly Father.

Sandra Marcal works with Scripture Union Timor Leste.

$8k will make possible the publication of a Tetun edition of The Beginner’s Bible.

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Only Jesus!

Katy — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 00:31:18 +0000

You can help Fébia Gonçalves make disciples of all ages in Timor Leste.

“Jesus gave orders to the impure spirits and they obeyed him.” When we read these words from Mark chapter 1, Brigida wept. “Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!”

This was Brigida’s first time in my Bible study group. She was keen to learn more about Jesus. To appease the spirits, Brigida’s family wanted to conduct rituals with her father’s bones. Now, Brigida was confident that this was not necessary. Only Jesus has authority over death. Only Jesus saves.

Many paths

My name is Fébia Gonçalves. When I was younger, like Brigida, I did not know that only Jesus can save us. I thought I would enter heaven because I went to church each Sunday, gave offerings and did what seemed right.

In Timor Leste, people find it difficult to accept that Jesus is the only way to God. At Easter we remember that Jesus died for our sins. But on the Day of the Dead, many people also pray to the deceased. Some walk a long way to visit the graves in the mountains. They believe you can ask the ancestral spirits for help, wisdom and atonement. Everyone knows about Jesus, but most worship spirits as well. Sadly, even some church leaders say that, either way, we will all end up in heaven anyway!

This is not surprising because we still do not have the whole Bible in our language. People commonly access God’s word in Tetun by listening to the teaching at church. Preachers who cannot read the Bible in Portuguese, English or Indonesian can only repeat what they have heard, or what they think they have heard. Without the Bible in our language we cannot test or confirm what we hear.

One way

Ten years ago, some missionaries came from Indonesia and told me the good news. For the first time, I learned that it is not because of my good works but through the saving work of Jesus that I am saved. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. It is a gift from God.” Now, I hold fast to this truth. My faith and trust in Jesus grows as I read and study the Bible in Portuguese, Indonesian and English.

On the move

While we wait for the whole Bible to become available in Tetun, I work with Scripture Union in Dili to produce Bible teaching resources in our language. SparkLit helped us print a Tetun edition of The Big Picture Story Bible. Now we are translating The Gospel Story Bible. I really like this book! I love the way the questions and illustrations help young people see Jesus in the whole Bible. Translating this book from English is challenging. We also have to translate the Bible passages ourselves. We edit the text again and again to eliminate mistakes and make it clear and easy to read. We must handle God’s word with care. It is a great responsibility. Will you continue to help us publish Christian books in our language?

Please pray that I will stand firm in the truth of God’s word, loving the Lord Jesus and sharing the good news with others.

Fébia Gonçalves is a lawyer in Dili.

$20,000 will enable the publication in Dili of a Tetun edition of the The Gospel Story Bible by Marty Machowski.

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Knowing God with heart and mind

Katy — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 02:11:35 +0000

You can help Carla Sandra Marcal make disciples of all ages in Timor Leste.

I have a heart that loves children and the ability to teach them. God has given me these gifts to serve him and to bring praise and glory to his name.

My dream is to preach the word of God to children not just in Dili but also in rural and remote areas of Timor where children never get to hear the Good News. If it is the will of God, this is something I would like to do. But how can I teach children about Jesus when we still do not have a Bible that is easy to understand?

Digging deeper

I was born into a Christian family. My father is a pastor. He taught me God’s word and told me many Bible stories. From a young age I knew that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. However, I knew all these things only with my head, not with my heart.

Australian missionaries Chris and Grace Adams taught me to read and study the Bible for myself. I learned to dig deeper. When I began to see Jesus Christ as God’s gift of grace, the word of God entered not only my head but also my heart and began to change me.

Books support my ministry

I want to be able to answer questions that children ask me with knowledge and insight from the Bible. I may never have the opportunity to study at a seminary or Bible college so to grow my understanding of the Bible and the world I read as many books as I can.

Reading broadens and deepens our knowledge. For example, if we want to know about different cultures or what is happening in other countries, we don’t need to travel. We can read about them. Books help us to remember. If we forget something, we can open a book and read about it again. Books also pass valuable ideas from one generation to another.

Reading requires discipline. Without self control, social media can become a hindrance to our faith. The time we waste on Facebook could be spent reading.

A double edged sword

As the whole Bible is not yet available in the Tetun language there is an urgent need for a comprehensive and accessible presentation of the Bible story. The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm preserves the big biblical themes and is well suited to this task.

I leapt at the opportunity to help prepare a Tetun edition of this popular children’s Bible. Most adults and children are still learning to read. This book will benefit both the young and old as they read it together.

Please pray that we will find a way to produce an affordable Tetun edition of The Big Picture Story Bible. Pray that when they hear the word of God, children throughout Timor Leste will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

Carla Sandra Marcal works with Scripture Union in Dili.

$20,000 will enable the publication in Dili of a Tetun edition of The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm.

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