When the nation of Israel had gone astray and had forgotten about God, Ezra “read the scriptures aloud … in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:3). In the end, there was such deep conviction and a turning point back to the Lord in response to the message of the scriptures. Such is the power of the spoken Word of God!
Many people in rural Africa are illiterate and rely on other people to read God’s word for them. This is compounded by the fact that Bibles are very few and often in a language they cannot understand. The dedicated pastors do their best to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them but this is never adequate. These are mostly nomadic communities in Turkana, Pokot and Maaasailand, scattered over vast lands with rough terrain and hostile weather. This greatly limits the reaches of the pastors.
Christian Mission Aid intervenes by providing audio Bibles—solar-powered devices with vernacular recordings of the scriptures—making it possible for illiterate people to directly hear the life-changing Word of God in their own languages. The gadget is highly portable and the fact that its solar-powered makes it self-sustaning. The pastor can carry it with him and reach out to the people wherever they are be it the market places, pastures, schools, churches or even on the road. It is a peculiarity that attracts a lot of attention from the local people, thereby offering an opportunity to hear the Word of God.