South Sudan is no easy place to live. War has torn families apart, driven people from their homes, and left people living in fear. The country faces a famine and people struggle to find food. Violence continues to escalate.

Those with the most reason to fear are the children—especially those who have been abandoned or orphaned. South Sudan can be a frightening place for a child like Wilma.

“Every day when you get up, you thank God that you are alive,” explains Edward Kajivora, head of the Bible Society in South Sudan. “At night, you can hear shooting. There is a lot of fear.”

Wilma remembers the pain when her mother left her. She never saw her mother again and fears she is dead. “It was not easy for me without my mother,” she says. The teen felt alone until she met Jesus. “Jesus is my helper and comforter,” Wilma says.

Thanks to our financial partners, Wilma received a Bible from the Bible Society.

“The Bible helped me a lot. I feel happy about having a Bible,” she says. “I read my Bible three times a day! It gives me the importance of being loved by God, despite the loss of my mother.”

The faithfulness of American Bible Society’s financial partners helps place Scriptures in the hands and hearts of children like Wilma. God’s Word gives them hope for a better future.