Last month, Greg Yoder of Keys for Kids told MNN about the need for Storytellers in Nepal. They’re solar-powered MP3 players loaded with an audio Bible and Keys for Kids content.

Along with communicating the need on Keys for Kids’ channels, “Many, many people who were listening to Mission Network News heard our pleas,” Yoder says.

“It went slow for a while, but then all of a sudden, God just moved into the hearts of people and blew the doors off. We hit the $20,000 mark with no trouble at all.”

Kid-to-kid ministry

Children on both sides of the story played important roles. In the U.S., an eight-year-old girl heard about the need while listening to the Keys for Kids mobile app. She decided she would make and sell cookies to help.

“She was able to raise $200. That’s enough for 10 Storytellers, so about 1,500 kids will be able to hear the Gospel because of the work she did,” Yoder says.

Because of your generosity in the Nepal Storyteller Campaign, more than $25,000 has been raised. That means at least 1,270 will be translated into Nepali—bringing God’s Word to villages and families who may have never heard the Gospel before.
(Photo, caption courtesy Keys for Kids)

Nepalese children at an international school learn English by listening to Keys for Kids. They also heard of the need through the Keys for Kids app and wanted to contribute.

Yoder’s contact at the school – unnamed for security purposes – told him:

“Our school held our Mini Market on Monday, 16 March, to raise money for the Keys for Kids Storytellers project in Nepal. We raised NPR (Nepali rupees) 35,020. This is not a large amount, equating to about $US237. However, we were pleased with this. For context, this would be the equivalent of almost two months’ wages for a daily wage earner in Nepal. Our students had a great time planning and running the market with the support of parents and staff. As I mentioned earlier, the whole idea was student-initiated.”

Several ministry leaders also learned about the project and contacted Keys for Kids to request Storytellers. The directors said they needed material for children.

“This has become a growing ministry now; it’s not just a Keys for Kids and Good News Nepal outreach,” Yoder says.

Next steps

Storytellers have been ordered for Nepal, and could be shipped to eagerly waiting believers at the end of April. Praise God for obedient servants who put faith into action to make production possible. Pray that entire families will turn to Christ as they hear the Gospel through Storytellers in Nepal.

“It is a place where Hinduism reigns, which means they have a lot of gods that sit on their mantle,” Yoder says.

“We don’t just want them to add Jesus; we want them to make Jesus the Lord of their life.”

Learn more about the Storyteller program here. Keys for Kids Ministries partners with dozens of organizations worldwide that not only distribute Storyteller units but also establish listening groups where entire families can listen to the stories and the audio Bible, then discuss them.

Header and story images courtesy of Keys for Kids. 

Keys for Kids had Albanian material sitting in storage for a long time, waiting for an opportunity.

“The Albanian Storytellers are one of our oldest Storytellers,” Executive Director Greg Yoder says.

“It was translated by a radio station in Albania [when] they needed children’s programming. We thought, ‘Well, we’ll just put what they record on the Storyteller,’ but we didn’t really have a solid partner on the ground [to] use them.”

Fast-forward to 2026, when an Albanian pastor in West Michigan contacted Keys for Kids. His brother, a pastor in Albania, needed resources for an outreach program this summer.

Located just north of Greece, Albania is home to nearly three million people. Most of them adhere to Islam, while roughly a third follow Christian tradition. Less than one percent of the Christian population holds evangelical views, according to Joshua Project.

(Photo courtesy Abdiel Meija/Unsplash)

The believers who connected with Keys for Kids “work in a lot of the mountain regions of Albania where they don’t have internet connection,” Yoder says.

“They’re anticipating that these Storytellers will be just what they need to help facilitate not just evangelism, but discipleship among Christians in Albania.”

Next steps

Now that you know, what will you do with this information? First, praise God for His faithfulness. “This has been an almost 10-year answer to prayer, that God is providing someone to use these Storytellers, so we’re very, very excited,” Yoder says.

“A significant number of people will hear the Good News of Jesus once they’re all distributed.”

Second, consider giving to support this work. Keys for Kids needs your help to produce Albanian Storytellers in bulk. They had some prepared, but not enough to meet the demand for 500 units.

If Keys for Kids can meet the need and partners distribute all 500 units, approximately 75,000 people will encounter the Gospel!

During a listening party led by Keys for Kids partners, “On average, about 150 people will listen to one Storyteller,” Yoder says. “You listen to the Keys for Kids story, then you listen to Scripture, and then you ask questions.”

Third, pray alongside Keys for Kids.

“We’re praying that the Holy Spirit will open hearts, and that these pastors and lay leaders within Albania will get the training they need [to] utilize them to the best of their ability,” Yoder says.

Header image depicts a city in Albania with mountains in the background. Photo courtesy Adventure Albania/Unsplash.

While Nepal’s constitution guarantees religious freedom in theory, anti-conversion laws make it illegal for someone to change their faith. Local authorities often monitor Christian activity, and believers risk arrest, fines, or imprisonment.

Despite the dangerous context, Keys for Kids partners are requesting 1,000 Storytellers to help bring Jesus to unreached families.

“For $20,000, we’re going to distribute 1,000 Keys for Kids Storytellers to people who desperately need it, in crazy places like the Himalayan Mountains, where you can’t even get by car,” Keys for Kids’ Greg Yoder says.

Here’s how you can help.

Why Storytellers?

Partners request the Storytellers because these audio devices work well in Nepali culture. “In Nepal, reading is not at the top of the agenda. It’s listening. They’re oral learners,” Yoder explains.

“With the Keys for Kids Storytellers, they can have God’s Word speaking to them every day, all day, if they want to.”

As described here, the devices contain the New Testament and Keys for Kids stories in Nepali, making them especially effective for families. Children and adults often listen together.

Across Nepal, kids, teens, and families are eager to hear about Jesus in their own language. Storytellers make that possible — sharing Scripture through audio where books, electricity, and the internet aren’t available.
(Photo, caption courtesy Keys for Kids)

“What’s great about the Keys for Kids stories is that they always teach a simple biblical truth,” Yoder says.

“In places like Nepal, where 80 percent of their culture is Hindu and the others are predominantly Buddhist, they don’t know biblical truth.”

A $20 tool with lasting impact

Each Storyteller costs just $20, yet its impact is extraordinary. On average, 150 people will listen to a single device — gathering in homes, villages, and churches to hear Scripture and Keys for Kids stories together.

Local pastors see these Storytellers as a game-changer — but demand has quickly outpaced supply. Sporadic deliveries over the past six years kept Storytellers in stock. Now, however, church leaders have nothing left to give.

Help send Keys for Kids Storytellers to Nepal here. Most importantly, pray. Pray Keys for Kids receives the funding needed to produce and send 1,000 Storytellers to Nepal.

Pray also for Keys for Kids and its partners as opposition increases online and on the ground.

“We started advertising the fact that we needed to raise funds for this project on social media. Many Nepalese nonbelievers have taken to Facebook, and they’re saying things like, ‘Keep your religion in your own home country’ and ‘Don’t try to indoctrinate our children,’” Yoder says.

Header and story images courtesy of Keys for Kids. 

Not sure where to start? Today, Keys for Kids’ Greg Yoder highlights three essential truths every Christian parent wants their kids to know.

First and foremost, “You have to know Jesus,” Yoder says. “Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.

“It’s not about being good; you can’t dress a certain way; you can’t even say a certain thing. It’s by grace alone, through faith alone, through Christ alone, that we’re saved.”

Secondly, the Bible is an accurate and trustworthy source. “We know it’s true because there have been, I can’t even tell you how many prophecies, and so far, all of them have come true, bar none,” Yoder says.

The Bible provides direction, hope, and wisdom — and when parents model their faith around it, kids see a faith that’s real.

“I want to encourage you with the fact that my grandson received his first devotional EXACTLY when he needed it. … What you saw as a delay was PERFECT TIMING in our lives. Thank you, and may God continue to bless you in this ministry.”
(Photo, caption courtesy of Keys for Kids)

Finally, “Living for Christ isn’t a burden,” Yoder says. “Jesus said in John 10, ‘I have come that you will have life to the full.’”

Faith isn’t about rule-following — it’s about joy, purpose, and freedom in Christ. That’s what Keys for Kids devotionals aim to teach: that knowing Jesus brings life and happiness. Request yours here.

“These are the essentials of living a godly life, and Keys for Kids Ministries, we’re here to give tools to parents to help guide them in that discipleship process with their kids,” Yoder says.

Discipleship opportunities

This month, Keys for Kids is encouraging families to “redeem Halloween.” Instead of just handing out candy, Yoder suggests taking this opportunity to introduce young visitors to Christ.

“What are we going to do with many of these kids who are coming to our door?” he asks.

“Will we give them life through Jesus through a Keys for Kids devotional, or candy that will fade away?”

Consider giving young visitors a harvest-themed Keys for Kids devotional. Request yours here. Last year, a young boy trick-or-treater picked up one of the booklets and told his grandmother, “This looks important!”

Looking ahead, Keys for Kids is seeing amazing doors open — including partnerships that bring devotionals into public schools through The Three Heath Brothers. Over 20,000 devotionals have already been distributed to students.

But that growth comes with challenges. Yoder encourages believers to pray for wisdom and provision as new ministry opportunities arise.

Header and story images courtesy of Keys for Kids. 

Greg Yoder says, “Since our partnership with Mission Eurasia, we’ve been actually able to distribute 600,000 copies of Keys for Kids and Unlocked into war-torn regions, not only Ukraine, but surrounding countries as well.”

Yet, the need is immense.

Children endure severe trauma, facing the war while growing up and coping with fear and loss. This brings existential questions that need help answering.

“How do I express my feelings? How do I express the fact that I’ve lost every family member? How do I express in my heart that I don’t have any hope, and that there is no hope and I don’t know where to turn?” says Yoder.

Representative photo of Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash

He recalls a story of a young, orphaned girl who wouldn’t speak. As she drew pictures, it became clear why.

“Little girl drew a picture of a dad figure, a mom figure, a couple of siblings, a house, an animal, and then one by one began crossing them off, because all of them had died.”

“That’s what they’re dealing with right now,” concludes Yoder, “and it’s on all phases of the spectrum, from young children all the way to adults, because even some of the adults don’t know how to express what they’ve seen, the trauma that they’ve experienced in this horrible tragedy of war.”

With stories like these piling up, the need for the Gospel is urgent. Keys for Kids materials are designed to meet that need!

Yoder describes, “What Keys for Kids Ministries does through our devotionals is it points kids to that they need a Savior to save them from their sins, and they can have a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

It gives them Someone and something to hope in, because their hope is not in this world — it’s in Christ, in Him rescuing them, saving, and drawing into relationship with Him.

Keys for Kids Ministries‘ partners in Ukraine have requested one million devotionals to share God’s Word! Join them in this goal.

Pray also for sustainable peace in Ukraine, and for provision in the years of restoration — physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological.

Header photo courtesy of Hans via Unsplash.

“Hearing these statistics that more people are claiming faith is a great thing. Now the question is, what will they do with that?” Keys for Kids’ Greg Yoder says.

“A lot of people can say [they] are followers of Jesus, but if you don’t read or listen to the Bible, how are you going to know the Jesus that you are serving?”

(Photo Courtesy Keys for Kids via Facebook)

Discipleship is a critical part of the Christian life. “It’s almost catastrophic to lead someone to Jesus and not follow up with discipleship,” Yoder says.

“Frankly, it’s on the churches because we haven’t been adamant about discipleship. It’s been, ‘Let’s get them saved, and then we’ll wipe our hands and move on to the next one.’”

Keys for Kids provides free devotionals and an app to support family devotions, making discipleship more accessible. More about that here.

“We want to make sure that we’re teaching them the truth that can only be found in God’s Word, in Christ alone,” Yoder says.

According to a 2023 study, over 90 percent of parents have no plan for their kids’ spiritual development. “There is a craving, a hunger for kids to know spiritual things,” Yoder says.

“We know kids are going to find some kind of spiritual truth. It might not be the truth that we know in Scripture.”

Request your free Keys for Kids devotional today.

“We just hope we’re a conduit to help these young people be apologists and ready to dive into their faith,” Yoder says.

Header and story images courtesy of Keys for Kids. 

Torrential weekend rain carried into Monday and Tuesday, slowing recovery efforts. More than 130 lives have been lost after devastating floods swept through the Texas Hill Country starting on the Fourth of July. Dozens of people are still missing.

Keys for Kids’ Greg Yoder says, “A ton of Christian camps were affected by the flooding. It hits us right where we live. This is one of the core parts of who we are.”

(Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids)

Through its Keys for Camps program, Keys for Kids provides partnering Christian camps with year-round devotionals and follow-up material. More about that here.

“We’re a part of the Christian Camp and Conference Association, and we have (partnering) camps all over the country. I don’t believe we had any camps affected in this region [of Texas],” Yoder says.

“However, we have talked to many of these [camp directors] and interacted with them at some of the conferences we attend.”

Trust despite tragedy

The Texas flooding tragedy is prompting many kids — and adults — to wrestle with their faith. Yoder sees this as a teachable moment for parents. “This could be a great opportunity to help them understand that God is in control,” he says.

“We have to remember that God is sovereign, even over this.”

As recovery efforts keep the disaster in national headlines and tragic tales about flood victims emerge, some children may fear a disaster at their own summer camp. But object lessons can help turn that fear into faith.

“We don’t know what the future holds; we all have different roads,” Yoder says. “Our roads may be paved smoothly. Some of our roads may be full of potholes and even washouts, but we can’t be in fear.”

A free online devotional from Keys for Kids teaches kids how to trust God.

“Fear is an issue that kids deal with all the time, so we’ve come out with a devotional called ‘Conquering Fear.’ It’s one of the most downloaded kids’ devotionals on YouVersion today,” Yoder says.

Header image depicts the flooding of the Guadalupe River near Kerrville, Texas. Photo taken on July 5, 2025. (Wikimedia Commons)

“It’s all political. They claim not to be terrorists, and yet they’re terrorists,” Keys for Kids’ Greg Yoder says.

“When you come down heavy on villages because they don’t agree with you religiously, that’s terrorism, and that’s happening throughout Afghanistan.”

The Taliban government continues to suppress anything that doesn’t align with its ideology. Recently, officials raided a production facility run by Keys for Kids partners.

Gospel worker reviews material before recording in the studio.
(Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids)

“The good news was everybody who was supposed to be recording was out for dinner, and everything they were working on had been backed up,” Yoder says.

“The people there, security, etc., warned the Christians not to return. But the issue is now, where do we go to resume the production?”

Around 43 percent of Afghanistan’s 41.5 million people are children under the age of 14. Keys for Kids and FMI are introducing them to the hope only Christ can offer.

Believers are about 25 percent done translating Keys for Kids resources into Dari, one of Afghanistan’s two primary dialects. They’re also working on a Pashto translation, and these materials are being loaded onto Keys for Kids Storytellers.

“Through these solar-powered MP3 players, we have a Bible in audio, but then also these Keys for Kids stories that introduce biblical truth and how to apply that biblical truth to everyday life,” Yoder says.

“It brings in Bible verses to help them understand who Jesus is. In the Islamic faith, Jesus is known as the only perfect Prophet, even though we know he was the Son of God. Teaching that concept is very, very critical,” he continues.

“There’s no hope in Islam. They believe they have to do certain things to earn their salvation, and there are no guarantees. But we talk about the free gift of salvation to all who believe.”

Despite growing pressure, hope remains strong. Kids — and adults — are finding comfort in the Gospel.

“Even the simplistic form of our theology of who Jesus is resonates with adults,” Yoder says. “We just got word that 12 churches have been planted in Afghanistan since the Keys for Kids Storytellers have been distributed by our partners, FMI.”

There’s still much work to do. Consider partnering with Keys for Kids to help bring God’s Word to Afghanistan. “There are 15,000 Keys for Kids Storytellers in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and it’s just a drop in the bucket of what’s needed,” Yoder says.

Header and story images courtesy of Keys for Kids. 

According to the United Nations, more than one in six children globally live in war zones, and millions face starvation in conflict hot spots. Last year, the UN verified 32,990 grave violations against children — the highest number ever recorded.

“You can’t help but think, ‘Oh, my word. This is huge, and these aren’t just numbers. These are sons and daughters,’” says Greg Yoder with Keys for Kids.

Keys for Kids produces free devotionals for children and young adults, some of which help young readers process trauma. These devotionals focus on what the ministry calls “tough topics.”

(Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids)

“It might be a war-like situation. It may be an earthquake or some other natural disaster, where there was trauma throughout their community, or maybe it was through the loss of a loved one,” Yoder explains.

Each story is rooted in Scripture and points children toward healing and hope in Jesus.

The impact is already visible in war-torn Ukraine. “A young boy was reading about the peace that passes all understanding while he is in the basement being attacked by drones and missiles, yet he found hope in Jesus Christ alone because that’s what Scripture provided for him,” Yoder shares.

However, the need is far greater than the current supply. “One of the things we’re struggling with right now in hard-hit places like Ukraine is that we don’t have any more resources in our warehouses,” says Yoder.

“We don’t have anything to give these hurting kids.”

Here’s how you can help. Pray for Keys for Kids as they bring the hope of Christ to children in desperate need.

“Pray that God will provide in the most miraculous ways financially so that we can provide the hope needed in many of these places,” Yoder requests.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Duncan Kidd/Unsplash.

It’s a familiar issue for Keys for Kids. “Eighty percent of people around the world are oral learners, so this is not something new and unique,” Keys for Kids’ Greg Yoder says.

“I think it’s just being precipitated by more and more young people using technology in a way that prevents them or keeps them from reading.”

Keys for Kids produces daily devotionals for children and young adults. Summer reading programs for both age groups began on June 1. More about that here.

“We want to encourage young people to read. And not just to read our devotionals. We want them to be reading God’s Word,” Yoder says.

“If you do this for about two weeks, you’re creating a habit, and we want to create a habit where young people [are] in God’s Word every single day. If we can encourage that by giving them a small prize, we know that kids will continue to do it even after the contest ends.”

June prizes
(Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids)

It’s not too late to join! Check out the prizes and get more details here.

“Even though it started on June 1, you can still sign up and earn some cool prizes as the summer goes on, all the way through the end of August,” Yoder says.

Pray that reading the Bible daily becomes a new lifelong habit for kids and teens involved in the program. Pray young people will fall deeply in love with Jesus as they read His Word.

“Our kids are our first mission field, not only our kids but the kids in our lives. Nearly 70 percent of all people who come to faith in Jesus Christ do so before their 14th birthday,” Yoder says.

Header and story images courtesy of Keys for Kids.