Teacher Zhang points out a difficult Chinese word from Matthew 11. Photo courtesy of UBS/China Partnership.

Thousands of rural villagers, including an 80-year-old man in teacher Zhang's class, are learning to read by attending Scripture literacy classes. Since 2006, seven rounds of classes have been conducted, training some 25,000 villagers across rural Henan to read the Chinese Bible. “The response for these classes was overwhelming,” said one of the Scripture literacy teachers, Ms. Zhang. “The majority of these students were women and older folks who have had little or no formal education at all. As we progressed, their attentiveness in class, diligence and hunger for learning touched my heart so much that they spurred me on toward giving my best in teaching.”