You might think that Qi Zhenhao has little to smile about.

He lives in a rural village in China with few conveniences. Qi spends long days doing back-breaking work on the farm to scrape together a meager existence for his family. But Qi recently received a gift that made him feel like the luckiest man alive.

Thanks to American Bible Society’s financial partners, Qi received his very own Bible!

“I now have hope,” Qi beams. “My wife and children are now believers so we read together when I am home, and of course each Sunday we ride the tricycle to church. When it rains hard we cannot work the fields. Those are my favorite days. Then we sit everyone down inside and read, talk about and learn together more of God’s ways and plans. This is our best family time.”

China is the world’s most populous country and the church is growing exponentially. According to estimates, a million believers like Qi join the church each year.

Much of the growth in Christianity is due to God working through local, faithful believers over decades. Now, their faithfulness is bearing fruit throughout China, and the demand for Bibles has increased as a result of their testimony. But many have no access to God’s Word because there are not enough Bibles available or because they cannot afford one. (Roughly 50% of China’s population—700 million people—live in rural areas and survive on less than a dollar a day.) That is why our continued work in China is critical.

We’re grateful to American Bible Society’s financial partners for placing Scripture in the hands and hearts of our Chinese brothers and sisters.