A small tent for six people, no electricity, no money for food . . . it was no way to live, but it was reality for Katrina’s* family.

“We lived in a tent,” Katrina says. “It was very crowded, all six of us cramped in a small place. It was very cold and uncomfortable. We didn’t have electricity. I washed laundry by hand in the river. It was terrible.”

Katrina and her family live in a former Communist country in Central Europe. Many people like Katrina’s family face challenges such as violence, abuse, suicide, divorce, alcoholism, depression, and more.

“I was living in the dark,” Katrina recalls. “In my heart and in real life. I felt worthless, that nothing good is in me, and that I will never in my life do something worthy. I didn’t believe that I can have any future.”

There were a lot of fights with other families, and neither Katrina nor her husband knew how to deal with money, or how to take care of themselves and their children. Just when things were at their most desperate, a local church reached out to them and offered help, along with God’s Word.

“It was the perfect moment when I needed it the most,” Katrina remembers. “I received a Bible and I was very happy. It was the first Bible for me and my whole family. The Word gave me comfort. The Bible gave me a sense of certainty. Someone finally gave me real food . . . spiritual food.”

Faithful Bible Society friends are helping to place a new Bible translation, called “Life with Jesus,” in the hands of Katrina, and others like her. This translation, which is 50 percent complete, is geared for the unchurched and young people, those who normally have difficulty understanding the Bible. Now, Katrina uses God’s Word to learn how best to live. “I found all the answers to my daily questions. I felt filled with power and energy,” she says. She also shares the hope of Scripture with others.

“I share the Gospel with other people because Jesus brought me back to life! When we were baptized, others made fun of us. But when they saw the changes in our lives, how satisfied we are, how our life has come together, they began to ask us why this happened.”

Now, four other families have accepted Jesus Christ! We are so thankful for our generous financial partners who made this new beginning possible through the power of God’s Word.

*Name changed for privacy