(Photo courtesy of ASM)
Asia (MNN) ― A shipment of 200 audio Bibles headed for a displaced people group in a dangerous area has made it safely through customs.
"We're very happy to report that God really intervened in this particular case," said Tom Dudenhofer of Audio Scripture Ministries. "It only cost $50, which is unheard of, although it took them, they said, seven hours of paperwork and waiting. And the permission came down at eight minutes before the offices were to close. That was how much time was left before this whole deal could have fallen through."
ASM has lost shipments in the customs process before, and they are very thankful that this first shipment through this customs system went smoothly. Dudenhofer said when Christians respond in prayer to what God is doing around the world, it really does make a difference.
Next, the team will deliver the audio Bibles to the tribe on foot. Dudenhofer said the tribe comes from a background that would normally be "antagonistic" toward Christianity, but it has expressed "great interest" in hearing the Gospel. He's excited about the impact the audio Bibles could have among these people.
"This is a displaced people group," Dudenhofer explained. "They are very, very isolated, they do not read modern script, and their literacy rate is only one percent. Let me say that backwards: that means that 99 percent of the people do not read. So God's Word in this language, in audio, has the potential to make a tremendous impact on these very, very isolated people who are living in a very dangerous part of the world."
Dudenhofer requested more prayer for the audio Bibles' continued journey.
"I think it's important to pray for the safety of the teams that will be distributing the audio Scriptures and sharing the Gospel with these people in the next weeks," he said. "Pray also for those who decide to follow Jesus Christ, that God will protect them and give them understanding as they begin to listen to the Word of God for the very first time."
