We had 200 people join us for our April 24 Celebration of giving one million Bibles in the first 35 years of IBG’s ministry. In addition to recognizing our founders and early IBG members, we also unpacked our fresh vision. That vision would double again our existing domestic Bible Giving ministry. We also expressed the desire to create a new arm of IBG that would truly focus on placing 1 million Bibles over the next 7 years into 7 regions of the world where the Gospel is scarce.

In sharing that international vision, which would involve people we don’t yet have, relationships in countries we need to further develop, and probably $8 million of funds we don’t have, we asked for $100K of seed funding to start this vision. We also asked you to pray that God would provide for this crazy, God-sized vision we have. God moved quickly, through the hearts of a generous couple to provide the full $100K. Praise God for these generous hearts!

This has spurred a lot of development activity. We are awaiting information on expanding our relationships and ministry network in Pakistan. We have been attending prayer and Bible distribution meetings there on-line via teams. I shared about Jesus and gave a message based on the Mark 4 Parable of the Sower to a group of new believers receiving Bibles one night, and to a group of seekers. Some additional people have met Jesus from that event. Another event will happen shortly.

In India, we are awaiting a priority list from our ministry partner and hope to start placing the next group of Bibles in June. In Ethiopia, funding was just released to purchase 500 Oromo Bibles in country for that evangelistic movement among the culturally Muslim Oromo people group. Likewise, we are active in Africa, having just placed Bibles into Zambia and making arrangements for a placement in Malawi soon.

I met for the first time in May with the head of a vibrant church-planting movement in Buddhist Thailand. They are 30,000 Bibles behind and need 10,000 Bibles every year for new believers. They have a new translation of the Thai New Testament that we are exploring printing in Asia as a cost-effective way to get the Gospel moving in greater quantities quickly in Thailand. There are many moving parts to this effort.

We also have the opportunity to provide 10,000 New Testaments into the most persecuted church in the world. If you have been around IBG, you know where we are speaking of. This will also involve printing that scripture in a place most North Americans would consider an “unfriendly country”. I have the opportunity to travel and meet representatives of this church later this year and am praying about making this trip.

There you have it! A very busy month of ministry expansion. While one $100K gift is substantial, I am fully aware that we may need 79 more gifts of this size to complete this international vision. While that seems daunting to me, I believe God is going to provide in ways we cannot currently see through many small individual gifts, some large ones, and a whole lot of relationship building as we go.

Give Hope! Give Life! Give Bibles!

Chuck Hayes