2012 is here.
It seems hard for me to believe, but it’s been four years since I last met with a group of high school seniors at the local Starbucks on Tuesday nights for a totally unscripted evening of talking about the Bible, their upcoming high school graduation, what it means to be a believer, their college plans and who knows what else.
We’d order coffee, tea and frappucinos and laugh at the people who would come up to the stop sign out front, thinking there was an exit to the strip mall there. But, there wasn’t. So they backed up. Sometimes several cars a night.
Some nights someone would come with a specific question. Soon we would be paging through a Bible and discussing the verses that offered answers to the question – or at least brought us slightly closer to an answer.
On warmer nights, we’d sit at the tables on the sidewalk so that we could keep talking while the employees started their cleaning as closing time approached.
I cherish these memories, but realize that it doesn’t – and can’t – happen in some parts of the world.
Maybe there’s no youth leader. That’s OK. For centuries, the church managed to disciple the next generation without this thing we call youth ministry.
Maybe there’s no Starbucks. That’s OK. Any comfortable gathering place would do.
Maybe there’s no Bible.
I’m not OK with that.
Yet, it is the reality for 340 million people around the world who speak one of the more than 2,000 languages that don’t have a single verse of the Bible in the language they know best.
I’m SO not OK with that.
Neither are an amazing group of bloggers.
Today, these women are banding together to support OneVerse. As OneVerse bloggers, they are committing to raise awareness for the need for Bible translation. They’re also working hard to raise money to support the Vidunda translation project in Tanzania.
They’ll be linking up their posts today on the Seed Company blog.
Won’t you click over and join them?
Read their posts.
See why they’re not OK with the idea of 340 people living without the Word of God in their language.
Join them in support the project. You can click the OneVerse button on my sidebar to go directly to a page that will allow you to make a donation.
And, I’m more than OK with that.
I’m excited to visit you blog and be a OneVerse blogger with you. Great post!
Posted by Katrina Ryder | 4 January 12, 11:22 amThat image of the small group really got me thinking. There are so many memories I have that I just take for granted because they seem so ordinary – small group, Bible reading in church, daily devotionals, etc… It’s staggering to imagine that there are people for whom Bible access isn’t even a possibility yet.
Posted by Amy | 4 January 12, 1:47 pmWhat a great visual . . . seeing as though we work with youth. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by Granola Mom (@GranolaMom4God) | 4 January 12, 7:51 pm