Maria had nothing to live for. The 16-year-old from Bolivia was tired of the abuse from her uncle and cousin. She was tired of the pain, the fear, and the emptiness inside. But Maria had a plan.

“I decided to commit suicide by jumping off the bridge,” she remembers. “I felt dirty on the inside. I felt like my life had no meaning.”

So she decided to jump off a bridge. If she jumped, she convinced herself, she would be free from the pain and fear. But first Maria wanted to say goodbye to a friend at school.

That day, a special guest named Veronica came to Maria’s school to talk about God. She told Maria that if she accepted Jesus, He could give her new life. Then Veronica gave Maria a Bible. “It was my first Bible,” Maria says. “While I was reading the Bible, God talked to my heart.”

That Bible, placed in her hands by a Bible Society worker named Veronica, saved Maria’s life.

“If I had not received the Bible that dark day, I would not be here, because that day I had decided to commit suicide,” Maria says. “Now I have a new opportunity to live. I have the opportunity to learn more about God. To have a Bible is like having God near to me. It helps me keep going through life and not feel alone. There are many wounds to heal, but I am sure that God will use the Bible to heal me.”

Maria is alive because someone like you cared enough to help provide God’s Word. Continued prayers and support are critical for Maria and other at-risk and orphaned children like her around the world. In 2015 millions more children, abandoned or traumatized, will need the peace and hope that only God’s Word can bring.

American Bible Society needs the donations of caring friends to reach out to the least of these children through:

• Bible and Scripture distribution
• Bible-based healing programs that help heal hearts of young victims of trauma by engaging them with Scripture
• Training resources that equip national pastors and leaders to reach at-risk children with God’s Word
• Camps and other programs for teens and other at-risk youth to engage with Scripture.

With millions of orphans and at-risk children still waiting for their own Bible, your support is needed. Every $5 you are able to give means that a child will experience, first hand, the love and care of God, as they read about Jesus in the Scriptures you help provide. Help change a child’s life for good!

American Bible Society President Roy L. Peterson says, “I am grateful to friends like you for their support and prayers. Together, through His Word, we can continue to let people know how much God cares.”