Famine Relief

While sitting in a café studying my Spanish Bible this week the waitress came by my table. After a few pleasantries I told her I read the Bible daily and she asked me if I was a Christian. Hedging a bit I answered, “I follow the Words of God.” Not to be dissuaded she asked me again if I was a Christian. “Yes…I am a Christian.” To which she replied, “I am a Christian too.” That was a pleasant surprise. Having an extra Bible at my side I asked if she had a one. The unpleasant reality of it all was that she didn’t.

It’s actually common for most people here to be without a Bible. And it isn’t uncommon for Christians to be without one either. That takes some getting used to for me. Really now, how many Christians can you name that do not have a single copy of the Bible? Probably they have more than one or maybe even a stack. I am reminded of the words of Amos, “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” (Amos 8:11) Brothers and sisters, we are in famine!

We also believe providing famine relief is one of the ministries God has for us here. He has led, nudged and encouraged us into this area in a number of ways. It started over a year ago with a VBS gift that was used to purchase Bibles. About that time we were reading the story of Brother Andrew and his ministry of taking Bibles into communist countries. The Lord led us to the thought that we could do the same. I wrote in a journal entry at the time, "Maybe, just maybe there is a link between our being in Mexico and getting the Scripture into the hands of those who have the religion of Christ but not the truth of Christ." Since then God has used many situations to confirm us in this path. It is as if He has been saying. "I'm in this - keep praying, keep moving forward, keep trusting."

We are confident in God's Word to penetrate the interior life that is enveloped by a religious crust. By His grace refreshing showers will come to bring famine relief to the land and break up the hardened soil.