Story number 4 for 18 Jul 2003

(Russia)–Elsewhere, drug abuse prevention is opening new doors to distribute Scripture in Russia. Book of Hope’s Rob Hoskins says they’ve entered into a strategic alliance with Teen Challenge International – a ministry that’s fighting drug addiction worldwide. Hoskins says Book of Hope was receiving more resistance in the public schools, but that’s changing. “Russia now has the fastest growing drug problem in the world today. And so, what we found is that by going to the schools and doing prevention programs, suddenly the doors to the schools opened wide open to us because that’s the felt need in the Russian school system.” Bill Everett is with Teen Challenge. “As we align together, Book of Hope – with the goal of putting a Book of Hope in the hand of every child in the world and then with Teen Challenge, to bring the message to the lost and the hopeless, that there is a cure and that cure is Jesus Christ. And, that’s why God raised this up, as a harvesting tool.” Together, the groups recently held a conference to empower 180 nationals to do the work.