Bibles for the World
This is a new venture for Mustard Seed.
HOW MUSTARD SEED GOT INTO BIBLES DISTRIBUTION MINISTRY
IN THE BEGINNING
Mustard Seed Ministries has had a website since around the year 2000. One day in the latter part of 2013, 50 Muslim youths [late teens from Kenya] emailed and asked us for Bibles in the Swahili language. The pastor, who wrote the email, was from Eldoret, Kenya and he said that these youths were new converts to Christianity. They wanted Bibles to further understand what Christianity was all about.
We decided that we would send them Bibles. It was the least we could do to help them on their Christian path. We explored the Bible publishers in the world who were in the international Bible business. We found that our best fit was Biblica [the International Bible Society]. They have offices around the world and their main office is in Colorado Springs. We send our funds to Colorado Springs and they take care of the exchange rate between currencies.
Biblica has the same mission as we do at Mustard Seed [to get Bibles out to Christians in the 3rd world] and they wanted to partnership with organizations like ours. We seem to work well together. They give us a competitive price for Bibles we purchase in volume and warehouse the Bibles at their bookstore. They also send out the Bibles to churches that we specify with a spreadsheet each month. They are in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.
GETTING STARTED
The word soon got out that we were giving free Swahili Bibles and the churches and prison ministries began to contact us. As we experienced how to deal with these new ministries, we recognized that we would have to get organized. We would have to have a set routine for dealing with these churches and prison ministries. We learned a lot as we interacted with these ministries.
Is there a need for Bibles in the 3rd world today? We in America have several different translations of the Bible in our bookcases and they begin to collect dust. This is just the opposite in the 3rd world. "The Voice of the Martyrs" has stated:
Every Believer in Jesus Christ should have access to a copy of the Scriptures. This goal is achievable in our lifetime. No road is too difficult, and no risk is too great when our brothers and sisters are crying out for God's Word.
Here is the way we deal with the churches today:
1. We have a very comprehensive sign-up sheet for new ministries. Beside their basic information we ask for (1) a pledge that they sign telling us that what they have said is true, (2) a picture of their congregation with them in front, and (3) a personal testimony [in 200 words or more] about how Christianity has made a difference in their life.
2. We decided that we would have to buy in volume. Today we order 4000 Swahili Bibles in Kenya and 4000 English Bibles in Nigeria [Jay and Ronda Grube have taken this country several years ago] at a time. Thus far we have in inventory and distributed about 15,000 Bibles. We buy other languages from Biblica as needed.
3. We also found out that the churches would like to know what is going on. We have a bulletin board for Kenya and Nigeria where the ministries can see where they are in line to receive Bibles. We can also communicate with them by putting notes after their names.
4. We found that the rural people of Kenya have five different languages to deal with. We buy these different languages in 40 to 100 Bibles at a time [which increases the price per Bibles since we are not buying in volume]. Swahili is by far the most popular language spoken in Kenya.
Here are a few of the many requests that we have received from the various ministries.
“Warm greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I’ wish to thank God for the good work He is doing in you and through you to our brothers and sisters in the faith. We thank God for the powerful ministry He has entrusted to you. I’ and my congregation are thrilled for the anointed and inspiring messagesand lessons we have been receiving from your Swahili Bibles which we have been borrowing from friends here in KENYA. My heart is filled with alot of joy as I’ write to you this letter. Your swahili bibles has been so refreshing , encouraging and rebuking everytime I’ go through them
”As cold water to a thurst soul so is good news from a far country.” (Proverbs 25:25)
Your Bible Ministry” has made our faith to become stronger, our love for God has increased tremendously.I thank God because through your ministry many eyes (including mine) have been openend so as to see “the riches of his glorious inheritance in us” and also to his love for us.I’ want to assure you that I’ and my congregation shall never cease praying for you and your family.PLEASE NOTE THESE STATEMENT: I’m a full time pastor who is pastoring two churches in rural areas where most of the people are very poor who cannot afford to buy a bible including myself, we only depend on borrowing bibles from other ministers of the gospel , Bro. Bob Sutter, please consider Our Request,God knows your heart man of God !!
I’ therefore kindly take this opportunity to request you some of your Swahili Bibles in quantities for my new believers who have never read Swahili Bibles and they cannot even afford to buy for them self
May the Lord richly bless you and reward you in all you do.”
PRINCE OF PEACE MINISTRY
P.O BOX 4444
WEBUYE, K E N Y A, EAST AFRICA
“The Swahili Bibles which you have been sending to some of the pastorshere in “ kenya” have generated new strength in the converts and in the entire churches as well,your ministry of ( Mustard Seed Ministries ) is one of the most wonderfully ministry in the world, changing thousands of lives”
"WELLS OF LIFE GOSPEL MINISTRY"
LANGAS, KENYA
“Here in Pakistan thousands of people who have no their own Bible or could not afford it, that’s why they are un-aware about the truth of God. it will be great help for me if your could send me Bible to reach-out the needy people in Pakistan ”
At this point we are limited only by funds to provide more Bibles to more of the people of Africa and then other countries. We have had requests from other countries throughout the world. Here are a few of the replies that we have received.
“Greetings in the precious name of Jesus.I was very happy to hear from you once again. I write to thank you from the very bottom of my heart, for your gift of Swahili Bibles, which I received safely, by the grace of God. Truly, no words could express our sincere thanks and gratitude for your wonderful gift of the swahili Bibles.
We simply praise and thank God for answering our prayers, in supplying to you with these funds to buy Swahili Bibles for these poor people who could not afford, and we pray together earnestly for the Lord Jesus to shower his abundant blessings on you and your blessed ministry now and always, for what you have done for those former Muslims Youth who got saved just two months ago.They are now busy reading those bibles.”
Munias Town, Kenya
“It gives me great pleasure and Joy to write and thank you for how the Lord used you in donating 50 copies of Swahili Bibles to these female inmates here in Kitale town prison.This is wonderful .In fact, We’cannot say earnestly enough how we felt when we got those Swahili Bibles Just just before Christmas.After Reading in these Bibles They sometimes feel as if it were sent directly from God.It is wonderful to have such Bibles at this end time.”
"LIGHT HOUSE GOSPEL MINISTRY"
K I T A L E, K E N Y A
“Dear Bob,
I thank God and the Lord Jesus Christ for your care and your ministry. I would like to let you know that I finally received the package of Swahili Bibles from Nairobi. May God multiply you and all the material you sent to me to do the will of God that the Lord has put in your hands, praise God and may God Keep multiplying this great work to evangelize the world. Keep sending us more literature as funds permit brother Bob. It will be used to win many souls.
Yours in His Holy, Wonderful, eternal Name,”