Today we're partnering with Talking Bibles International (talkingbibles.org) and giving you the opportunity to send a gift this Christmas with eternal value, God's Spoken Word! And, get this, we're going to send Bibles to people in India who can't read! Yep, half the world can't read – over 400 million people in India can't read – but we're going to send them Bibles anyway – Talking Bibles!
Talking Bibles can manufacture, transport, and place a Talking Bible in the hands of a local Pastor in India – in their native language (Telugu) – for just $72. Send two for $144, five for $360, or ten for $720!
Sponsor 20 Talking Bibles for $1,440 and get a two night's stay at the Homewood Suites in La Quinta!
To give a Talking Bible, call 800-572-8800 or give online at talkingbibles.org. We're joined today by Mark Hoekstra (L), the creator of the Talking Bible, who has spent lots of time in India, and his brother Paul Hoekstra (R) ("hookstra"), Vice President of Talking Bibles.
• The Talking Bibles team will be leaving in two weeks to begin their journey to India. When they arrive, a Pastor Paulkeeshore will meet them at the airport, and he has the expectation that they'll be bringing many Bibles with them. Pastor Paulkishore is begging for our help to – for the first time – place Talking Bibles onto the fishing boats, where the men spend so much of their time, in hopes they become fishers of men!
• Talking Bibles International (talkingbibles.org) has sent over 109,000 audio New Testaments to 38 countries in over 100 different languages!
• 400 million people in India can't read, and they live in 640,000 villages, and speak 1,652 different languages. Talking Bibles has already placed audio New Testaments in over 25,000 of these villages in 23 different languages – but there's so much more work to be done. Over 1,500 local pastors are waiting for their Talking Bibles right now.
• Each "Mechanical Missionary" Talking Bible looks just like a Bible, is just 3x5, comfortably fits in a shirt or pants pocket, runs on three AA batteries, and functions as a "Mechanical Missionary" that partners with the local pastor, allowing him to "adopt an entire village", and since it plays loud enough for a group of 20 to hear it at the same time, friends end up inviting friends and family over, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, there're "book of Acts" results; new believers get baptized and churches pop up where there had only been spiritual darkness.
• We all know that it's easier to learn by hearing than simply by reading. If given the choice, we'd rather hear a message than read one. So, for people who can't read, imagine how sharp their listening skills are! People in oral cultures have phenomenal memories, they can repeat a story in great detail after hearing it only once. And they love stories! So when people hear the Bible, when they hear the words of Jesus, they spontaneously tell others without any urging, embarrassment or difficulty.
• The common response when a Talking Bible makes its first appearance, is for people to quickly invite all their friends and family over to listen, and soon there's "Book of Acts" results – people get set free, new believers get baptized, and churches pop up where there had only been spiritual darkness.
• Though proselytizing invites persecution in many areas, pastors are often able to play the Talking Bible over public address systems in the local dialect and with great success – literally whole villages hear the Word of God all at once.
