When was the last time you saw a stranger smile at you?

Coming out of a year of COVID-19 lockdowns and masks, seeing your neighbor’s beaming face may still be a rare and precious experience for you.

Today, however, your wait to see a cheerful smile is over! There are millions of people from around the world who are eager to line up, look you in the eyes, and flash you a huge grin.

“Thank you!” they would say. “Because of you, I received my very first Bible this year.”

Although you and I are blessed to tug open the ribbon bookmark in our Bibles every morning and spend quality time with God in his Word, over 2 billion people are still waiting for the opportunity to hear God speak to them in a language and format they understand.

You are tackling this spiritual drought head-on through your generous support of American Bible Society.

In fact, despite the logistical setbacks of COVID-19, American Bible Society and our partner Bible Societies around the globe completed Scripture translations in 66 languages used by 707 million people last year. That’s 10 percent of the entire world population!

Allow us to introduce you to just a few of the people groups who are singing and dancing because you gave them the greatest gift in the world—the Word of God. Because of you, they now know that God loves them, and they’re smiling from ear to ear.

Uganda

“Does God ever speak Kupsapiiny?”

That’s the heartbreaking question Rev. Kiptoo Masaba used to ask himself whenever he traveled beyond the territory of his Sebei people in Uganda. “I was amazed at how other people read their Bible and preached in their own language,” he says.

But thanks to your prayers and support, Kupsapiiny speakers in Uganda have now received the New Testament and Psalms in the language of their heart. Now Rev. Masaba and the Sebei people can declare with confidence:

“Today, for the first time, I can say yes, God speaks our language because we have received his word in our own language. Thank you!”

Mongolia

Your prayers and support empowered the Mongolian Union Bible Society to produce a complete Mongolian Braille Bible in record time.

Saikhantsetseg, a 19-year-old girl who lost her sight as a child, is extremely grateful for the new Braille Bible you provided her. Saikhantsetseg read from the new Bible at the dedication ceremony and explained that although she enjoys listening to the audio Bible, being able to read the Bible for herself makes it “more interesting and alive.”

Thank you for bringing God’s Word to life for Mongolia’s Blind population!

Nigeria

Paul Ajisafe, Chairman of the Okun New Testament dedication, says that praising God in his heart language of Okun gives him a “special feeling.” It was not long ago that Bible translators were humiliated and even killed in Nigeria. Paul urges his fellow Okun Christians to open and use the Okun New Testament for worship and meditation.

Then, just two weeks after the launch of the Okun New Testament, more than 200 Igala Christians gathered to celebrate their new Igala Common Language Bible.

“I am optimistic that the Igala Common Language Bible will bring total salvation to Igala Land,” said Bishop Dr. John Ibenu at the dedication ceremony. “I therefore appeal to you all to not keep this Bible on your shelves but to read it and be guided by its counsel.”

There are more than 500 languages spoken in Nigeria. Of those, 26 have the full Bible and 60 have the New Testament. Thank you for bringing salvation and life transformation to the most populous African nation!

Vanuatu

“It is a miracle!”

His voice thick with emotion and his eyes filled with tears, Father Francis Gilu from the island nation of Vanuatu rejoiced when he received the New Testament in his heart language of Hano, which is spoken in the West Pacific.

Now in his eighties, Father Francis is one of the original Bible translators who contributed to the project, which spanned more than four decades and overcame countless setbacks. Cyclone Pam in 2015 destroyed the homes of the Hano translators, who were forced to live in tents for months.

Thank you for bringing the message of Jesus into the Hano language!

Burkina Faso

“It is a blessing for us to have the Bible in our mother tongue,” says Céline, who speaks the Dagara language in the West African nation of Burkina Faso.

“This translation will enable us to better understand the Word and, even more importantly, put it into practice,” she says. “I am happy to have my own Bible in my own language. I will be able to read it, understand it and even share it with my children and others around me.”

Thank you for making it possible for Dagara speakers to be hearers and doers of the Word!