“For Daniel Ramirez, a resident of Montevideo, the largest city in Uruguay, the loneliness hit him after his wife died. She had been everything to Daniel. Unable to have children, their lives together meant everything to them.

Daniel and his wife were homebodies. Instead of joining and attending a church, they preferred listening to sermons and teachings on Christian radio. Church came to them, and they felt connected to their Heavenly Father.

And then, unexpectedly, his wife died from complications of high blood pressure. At 59, Daniel found himself very alone, and nothing was the same. He tried listening to the radio, but without his wife, it was no longer fulfilling. He tried new activities, but nothing healed his loneliness.

“I used to go to a square to feed the pigeons to not feel so alone,” he said. It didn’t work.

One day, during his walks around the city, Daniel stepped into the office of the Bible Society. Could he have a Bible, he asked. It could be damaged or torn. He didn’t care. He just wanted a Bible to read. He hoped it would help him find solace in his time of grief.

Thanks to generous financial partners of American Bible Society, Daniel was given a new Bible of his very own. The Bible Society also recommended he join a church near his home.

Today, Daniel says he is reading his Bible — the first Bible he ever owned. “I only find comfort and company reading the Bible,” he said. And we are grateful Daniel is finding the solace he sought through the gift of God’s Word.