In front of her bamboo house,
Maya holds the first Bible she has ever owned

In a persecuted region of Asia, Maya was forced to leave her home village and now lives deep in the jungle.

One day, 200 Bibles were delivered to a community sunk in deep sorrow and despair. Maya had longed to read the Bible but had never been able to own one, and this was the very first Bible she had ever held as her own.

Losing Everything, Fleeing to the Jungle

My name is Maya. I come from a village a little way removed from the nearest town.
But since 2022, my family and I have no longer been able to remain in our village, and now we live in the jungle. We built houses of bamboo, and we have been living here for more than three years.
I am 32 years old now, and I received Christ when I was 25.
After I received Christ, I began to long more and more to read the Bible.
One day, the military attacked our village. More than twelve people were killed, and we had to flee suddenly, escaping with nothing but our lives.
Daily life in the jungle was extremely hard.
We managed at least to build bamboo houses to live in, but the people were deeply discouraged and in despair. The young people in particular felt they had no future, and within three months, fifteen of them took their own lives.

200 Bibles Arrived in the Midst of Despair

Then one day, a pastor brought Bibles to us.
In town, he had received 200 Bibles free of charge, and he distributed one to every household.
For me, this was the first Bible I ever owned.
When I received that Bible free of charge, I was so overjoyed that I praised God with tears streaming down my face.
From that day on, I began to read the Bible every day. As I read, the Holy Spirit touched my heart and has been teaching me so many things.

Sorrow and Weeping Turned to Songs of Praise

After the Bibles arrived at our camp, people began reading them every day, and little by little, their hearts turned toward God.
About a month after we received the Bibles, our jungle camp was transformed into a place where God was praised and worshiped.
Through the reading of the Bible, the sorrow and weeping of the people were turned into songs of praise.
Today, every family praises God and reads the Bible each evening in their own home. At times, we all gather together to share the greatness of God and what we have been taught through our reading.
The pastor led us in building a bamboo church building, and when it was completed, we rejoiced together.
Now, every Sunday, we gather and worship God together.

The Hope the Bible Brought

My favorite passages are Psalm 23:1–6 and Psalm 91.
The psalmist says that God is our shepherd and that He always leads me to green pastures. And those who dwell in the Lord and trust in Him are always safe, for God protects them from every evil.
Today, our jungle camp is filled with joy.
Even the soldiers from among our own people, who bring us food and cooking oil, are amazed when they see us. Though we have lost everything, we are joyful and content.
All of this joy has filled our hearts through the reading of the Bible.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who worked and gave so that Bibles in our own language could be delivered free of charge. May the Lord bless you more and more.

The first Bible Maya had ever owned is still opened today, and through God’s Word, the sorrow of her people has been turned into songs of praise.
We give heartfelt thanks to all who have remembered the work in Asia and supported it through their giving.