TBS Spreading the Word in Zambia
Hundreds of Bibles, New Testaments, and Golden Thoughts calendars have been freely distributed in Zambia through a TBS grant. Of the 300 Scriptures sent to a grantee in Zambia, a third were Royal Ruby Bibles and two thirds were New Testaments.
This landlocked tropical country in the heart of Africa has a rapidly growing population, currently around 18.3 million. Nearly all Zambians identify as Christian, which means a ready reception for the Scriptures. Yet while there is a literacy rate of 87% most people are too poor to afford a Bible. Wages are around 15-20 times less than in Western nations. Zambia is also one of the world’s youngest countries.
The distribution of the over 1,000 Golden Thoughts calendars included youth ministries in the mid-north district of Kitwe in the Copperbelt. The recipient noted that ‘We have appreciated receiving the calendars. Thank you so much as we remain looking forward for more Bibles.’ The calendars were also distributed at conferences and training sessions.
English is an official language in the country (used for business and education). TBS has a translation project in Bemba, one of the other official languages which is spoken widely throughout the Copperbelt region. There are many other languages, however, in which we would long to provide accurate and trustworthy Scriptures.
We are thankful to the Lord for the donations that mean we can provide the Word of God freely around the globe in these ways. We pray that these 300 Scriptures and 1,000 Golden Thoughts calendars would be a great blessing for the recipients.
