You can help David Anwar meet the literature needs of a church under pressure.

In obedience to the word of God my mother offered her first child to the Lord.

My friends said they wanted to be policemen, doctors or teachers. I could say only that I was a servant of God.

My mother instructed and disciplined me daily. I was eight years old when I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour. At thirteen I preached the word of God to 300 children.

 

Remember what you have been taught

I rebelled and broke my mother’s covenant. I stopped going to church and started staying out late. My mother wept and prayed for me every day. My father refused to talk to me.

I was determined to be admitted to university. I sat exams. I appealed to Muslim saints. I tried every possible way. Nothing worked. My personal failure and the challenges facing my country crushed and depressed me. I felt trapped, helpless and far from God.

My cousin gave me a book. Reading helped me to understand Pakistan’s problems and my position before God. I learned that God is good. He loves us. I repented and surrendered to God.

 

A reading Christian is a growing Christian

I read all the books my mother owned and began sharing books with my cousins. In 2010 I started collecting books. Soon there was not enough space in my home. I now rent a room in our neighbourhood to house our library. People come to read and be blessed.

By freeing us from habitual thinking, reading helps us to be creative. This is important not just for us personally but also for our nation. Reading makes us aware of other people’s needs. By allowing us to learn from other people’s experience, reading helps us to overcome challenges and solve problems.

 

Local writers with local understanding

My ambition is to publish books that meet the needs of the 4.5 million Christians in Pakistan. These books will be written by Pakistani Christians and address issues facing our nation, church and church leaders.

At Masihi Isha’at Khana (MIK) I work in art, graphic design and IT. I am the only member of my family with a job. I am grateful to be able to work doing what I love.

The workshop conducted by Brother Michael in Lahore was very useful. By adopting ideas we learned, I am able to work more skilfully. We learned that good design begins with key words and big ideas and is, therefore, the responsibility of writers and editors as well as designers.

Pray that God will provide the resources we need to write and publish good books. Pray that the Holy Spirit will use books to awaken and equip leaders to revive and grow the church.

 

David Anwar works with Masihi Isha’at Khana (The Christian Publishing House) in Lahore.

 

$6000 will deliver training to editors, designers and illustrators in Asia.

You can help prepare pastors like Javan Asuza Benard to teach and apply the word of God with confidence.

 

When I was a young boy I went to Kenya to find my fortune. This is where I saw a young evangelist known as Sister Mary. I heard her speak and the word of God entered into my heart. As I listened carefully I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour.

 

When I completed my schooling I returned home to Tanzania. In 1997 I was baptised and four years later I was confirmed. In 2003 the parish council chose me to be an evangelist and sent me to study at Kowak Christian Training Centre.

 

Open my mind

 

My name is Javan Asuza Benard. I am 43 years old and married to Jane. God has blessed us with four children.

 

In 2012 I commenced certificate level studies at the Bunda Bible College. This year I will graduate with a diploma. At college I read many books. I have discovered how books can open my mind and help me understand and apply Scripture. Despite suffering, Job did not curse God. I learned that God is with us in good times and bad times. We should preach with an understanding of the whole Bible as well as what a particular passage is saying.

 

Open our hearts

 

In our parish we have three new churches. These congregations are small and weak and need good teaching. I want to see them grow and develop as they learn more about God.

 

Please pray that I will let the Holy Spirit lead me and show me how to teach the people so they will understand well. Pray that God will open the minds of our people so they may know God as their hope and refuge.

 

May God bless you so much.

 

Your loved brother, Javan Asuza Benard.

 

 

This year Javan Asuza Benard will graduate with a diploma from Bunda Bible College in Tanzania.

 

$45 will provide a pastor or theological student with a copy of the Africa Bible Commentary.

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.

There was a surprise in store for Tithmakara Chim at the Fifth National Book Fair in Phnom Penh.

 

Would people throw stones at us? Or provoke an argument? Fount of Wisdom had never exhibited at the National Book Fair so we didn’t know what to expect. We were excited but apprehensive. Experience has taught us to be cautious. We decided to pray.

 

We registered at the National Library and were given a plan of the fair. Our booth was number 24. We were delighted to discover that Alliance Literature, another Christian publisher, also had a booth. We would not be alone.

 

Stand up

 

Which books should we display? Which books would sell? How would we staff the stall? I brought these questions to the Fount of Wisdom team. I consulted our partners and sponsors. Together we started planning.

 

On the evening before the fair opened, Sipha Phon, our sales supervisor, and I went to check our booth. Compared to the other stalls our booth seemed plain and unappealing. We decided to print a banner. There was no time to create a new design, so we enlarged the cover of a brochure. This features our mission statement and would make it clear who we are and what we stand for: “We publish and distribute biblical and socially relevant literature in order to strengthen church leaders, build up believers and help the church grow in faith, love and service to Jesus Christ for the glory of God.”

 

I recalled Jesus’ promise in Matthew 10:32: “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”

 

Tell me more

 

Visitors were undeterred by rain or thronging crowds. Everyone saw that we are a Christian publisher. Some ignored us but most were interested in our books and asked questions about Christianity. Young adults and students found our books about love and managing money especially attractive.

 

People were surprised to see Christian books in Khmer. “It is good to know that Christians publish literature in our language. I thought that Christians only have the Bible.”

 

Buddhist monks were curious about Christianity and intrigued by our theological titles. One monk asked for a Bible. I took him to the Alliance Literature booth where he could buy one.

 

A turning point

 

The three-day book fair exceeded our wildest expectations. We were constantly engaged in conversation and sold over 500 books. There is a great hunger for God’s word. This was a turning point for Fount of Wisdom. Next year we will book two booths!

 

Please pray that we will reflect the character of the God we serve. Pray that God will use our books to show people in Cambodia the true hope found in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to change lives.

 

 

Tithmakara Chim is the director of Christian publisher Fount of Wisdom in Phnom Penh.

 

$10,000 will enable the publication in Phnom Penh of five new books written in Khmer by local Christians.