A season for thankfulness

Are you thankful for a Bible in your own language?

Thank a missionary.

Missionaries translated the Bible into more than 99 percent of all the languages that have a Bible today. Even the tiny number translated by scholars and others would never have existed if First Century missionaries had not spread the Word far and wide.

But how thankful can you be when it’s so hard to picture life without a Bible?

Try this: Put aside some time this Thanksgiving holiday to gather up all the Bibles in your house and put them in a box. Some of us will need a rather large box, won’t we? Now close it. And consider this question:

What does God’s Word say about loving others?

I hope you can remember a verse or two on the topic. Maybe you even have them memorized. Great! But could you explain it to someone else from memory? And how would you convince them that this is how God views loving others? That this is God’s command?

You can’t. Not without a Bible you can read and understand.

“I’m really happy for the arrival of the Word of God,” said Eme, who helped Kathy Satorius translate the New Testament into the language of her people, the Budik of Senegal. “In times past we couldn’t always tell, but now we can tell what is truth and what is God’s Word and what are traditions. It helps us sort out and discern God’s perspectives of our traditions.”

We should be exceedingly grateful that we have the Bible in our language. This is a great time of year to express that gratitude.

You can express it with a gift to help translate the Bible for people who do not yet have it.

Or you can express it with a strategic gift. You can make a gift that helps raise funds for the 100-plus New Testaments that Ethnos360-related missionaries are translating today. That same gift will help more people go out as missionaries to start more translations, and help those missionaries raise up financial and prayer support.

A generous expression of gratitude to God through our ministry will help thousands of people.

Will you please give today?

Thank you for praying and giving, and thank God with us that more than half of our immediate needs has been provided through the generosity of His people. Ask Him to demonstrate His love and care to those who have stepped out in faith to give generously.

Please pray also that God gives Julie and I the strength and faith to drive forward in our ministry as He has directed. It’s pretty scary to think about doing so when we still have $1,300 in outstanding needs. But we’re close enough that your gift could tip the balance.

You can send a check, with a note that it is for the ministry of Ian and Julie Fallis, to Ethnos360, 312 W. First St., Sanford, FL 32771. Or you can make a secure gift online.