The Bible Society of South Africa celebrated the launch of the Isindebele Bible in November 2012. This was the last of South Africa's official languages to get its own Bible. A girl is shown holding a copy of the new Bible.

Bible Societies around the world are helping to spread God's message of hope and love to those who need it most. Here are prayer requests from a select group of Bible Societies that ask you to lift them up in prayer.

Angola
Give thanks for the presence of the Bible Society, through which people can quench their thirst for God's Word. Pray for those involved in the governance of the Bible Society. Pray, too, for the ongoing translation work in Kikongo, Umbundu, Luchazi, Songo, Umbangala, Nkumbi and for the new translation project in Nyaneka, due to begin in 2013. Pray for the strengthening of our relations with churches and ask that we may find relevant ways to take the Bible message to young people.

Guinea
Praise God for his support during 2012. We give thanks that we were able to install a new board and that some churches organized a Bible Day, which raised funds for Bible work. We ask for prayers for the funds required to complete our building and to launch the Good Samaritan program and literacy work. Pray also that the new board will share the Bible Society's vision for developing Bible work in this country.

South Africa
Thank God for the launch of the first Isindebele Bible. There is now a complete Bible in all the official languages of South Africa. Pray for our Bible translation projects, new translations in isiZulu and Afrikaans, as well as a special translation for deaf people who use English as a medium of instruction. Pray with us for the success of our Bible-based literacy project, which we will roll out nationwide during 2013. Pray that this material will improve people's literacy skills and their Bible literacy.

Swaziland
Please pray for our church membership drive and for our resource mobilization strategies for Bible printing. Pray, too, for the recruitment of regional church representatives. Thank God for our partnerships, for our weekly radio program, for progress with our Study Bible project and for the launch of a public address system at Mankayane Hospital for broadcasting the Bible.

Zambia
We praise God for a successful year in 2012 as we received the Scriptures we required to undertake our distribution work. We also praise him for the expansion of the Good Samaritan program. Pray for the impact of the first Bible in Mambwe-Lungu. Pray, too, for increased membership this year and more customers for the Scriptures. Ask for the successful implementation of the 2013-2017 strategic plan.

Zimbabwe
We thank God for our strong staff team. Pray for us as we distribute the Word of God, asking that people who receive it may read it, have their lives transformed and their hopes fulfilled. Pray for good relations with the board, churches and para-church organizations. We also continue to seek your prayers for the ongoing translation of the Chikunda Old Testament. Ask that we may be able to develop a strategy to get more people interested in funding Bible work, and ask for God's guidance as we plan to open distribution points in other towns.