Recently, we shared how missionaries David and Helen Ekstrom used The Story of Jesus to reach the next generation in Guatemala with the gospel. Helen writes:
These [The Story of Jesus booklets] have been used especially in the public schools and have been a very effective tool to present the gospel. A good group of the students have professed to accept the Lord. We are grateful for the opportunities to give the gospel freely here in Guatemala.
Now, children and families in Guatemala are hungry to know more of God’s Word.
Christian children in Western nations are likely to own their Bibles. But among children in the highlands of Guatemala who may have never owned a book, using a Bible is a privilege.
So through a global mission initiative of David C Cook, sponsors have underwritten the printing and shipment of Spanish Action Bible New Testaments.
With 120,000 New Testaments already delivered to schools in Guatemala and more on the way this year, Helen’s team plans to maximize the use of each Bible toward a goal of reaching the nation’s 5.3 million children. The Action Bible New Testament is distributed with careful accountability for every copy, specifically and only for educational use in classrooms and church programs. While participating churches include various Protestant and Catholic traditions, the lessons must focus simply on the Bible.
As word of this ministry spreads across the country, requests for The Action Bible New Testament are on the rise. Bibles supplied to each classroom are so precious that each copy is used by several different teachers during different class periods throughout the week. Each school or ministry is expected to retain and care for its inventory for two years.
By the grace of God, these children are learning to treasure the Word of God on the printed page and imprinted on their hearts. And as the gospel reaches and redeems children and their families in Guatemala, it brings eternal hope to the Mayan peoples who live in the land of eternal spring.
Please Pray
A prayer request found among a collection of Helen’s letters still resonates: I would appreciate your prayers … that this material will be used by the Lord to reach many children.
Kind thanks to Windy City Community Church in Chicago, Illinois, for access to their archive of letters from David and Helen Ekstrom.
