Bill and Rita Bartlett have a passion for God's Word. For years, Rita supported American Bible Society's Bible-A-Month® program. Last year, after many years of helping to provide God's Word around the world, Rita and Bill had an opportunity to travel to China with ABS Senior Philanthropic Advisor Rob Smith and see the fruit of this ministry firsthand.

Rob had arranged for them to distribute Bibles at a church in a small rural town in China. They received a welcome there like none other. As they drove up a hill approaching the church, they were amazed to see people singing, clapping and waving. Outside the church, more people stood on the roof; inside, it was standing room only. Bill remembers the scene, describing how, as they presented the people with Bibles, the congregants received them with “tears of joy streaming down their faces.”

When Bill and Rita sold their successful business, they prayed about how to share God's generosity with others. Already invested in ABS's work, they decided to make provisions in their estate for a major gift. Thanks to donors like the Bartletts, God's Word will continue to bear fruit in places like China.