September 2003

The BfA Update is intended as an encouragement for all those laboring in the distribution of Recovery Version New Testaments throughout America. We hope that, for everyone’s mutual encouragement, you all will send us reports of your experiences.

From the office:

• Bible Factory Outlet, a chain of Bible bookstores located in outlet malls, has invited Bibles for America to display gift offer brochures and distribute free Recovery Versions in each of their 60 stores during National Bible Week, November 23-30. BfA volunteers will visit some of the larger stores on Saturday, November 22 for distribution activities. Displays will advertise the gift offer in smaller stores where store employees will help distribute Recovery Versions to store patrons.
• One of the Bibles for America motor homes completed a three-week tour last month to distribute free Recovery Version New Testaments and gift offer brochures throughout the Northwestern U.S. The tour began when volunteers from Washington and California converged in Billings and distributed 1,263 Bibles and 5,000 brochures at "MontanaFair 2003" August 8-16. Twenty volunteers from southern California, including 13 teenagers, drove for 22 hours to help man the BfA booth for two days. Two volunteers from Seattle drove for 14 hours to help for one day. One volunteer testified that the prayer and fellowship among the team of volunteers were inspiring, refreshing, edifying, encouraging, and very touching.

Following a week in Billings, the motor home traveled to Wyoming (Sheridan, Cheyenne, Kemmer, and Mountain View) and Idaho (Boise and Moscow) before returning to Washington (Pullman, Ephrata and Tacoma). In total, 2399 Recovery Versions and 10,000 gift offer brochures were distributed.

From our volunteers:
Junction City, Kansas:
On August 9, a team of 11 volunteers visited at a Wal-Mart in Junction City, Kansas to distribute Recovery Versions and gift offer brochures. Although the Wal-Mart management asked us to stay in a specific area in the parking lot, through much prayer we gave out 50 Bibles in four hours. The volunteers, located both at the display table and in and around the Bibles for America motor home, were amazed as person after person joyfully received their free Recovery Version. Here are just a couple of their stories:

• A young serviceman, due to leave for overseas just a few days later, was overjoyed to receive a Bible that he could take with him. After flipping through it and reading some of the notes he exclaimed, "Wow! This is my best Bible!"
• Three young men, all employees of Wal-Mart, were in the parking lot collecting shopping carts the entire time we were there. They had avoided us all day, but shortly before the team left, a young volunteer spoke to them, and all three received Bibles.

In addition to the 50 given out at Junction City, BfA volunteers gave away numerous Bibles and gift offer brochures in Fort Riley, Manhattan, Wichita, and other cities in Kansas.

Northern California:

While on a camping trip in August, a BfA motor home crew member from northern California and his wife were immensely encouraged by the positive response to the pair of magnetic "Bibles for America" signs they had attached to the sides of their car. On two separate occasions, people approached them to inquire about the Recovery Version. After the couple shared with them about the Recovery Version and its wealth of footnotes and cross-references, they joyfully filled out reply cards to receive Bibles. One woman was amazed that the Bible was free! The volunteers were both impressed by how these signs were such an easy and effective way of spreading the Word of God.

Another volunteer obtained two magnetic BfA signs for her car, only to discover that her car was mostly made of plastic so the signs would not stick to the car doors! Because her trunk was made of metal, she put one magnet on it, thinking that the sign would probably be hard to see and therefore not do much good at attracting attention. On the contrary! In just two weeks she had given away 4 Recovery Versions. On one occasion, after grocery shopping, a teen-age employee helped her to her car with her bags. As the volunteer hesitated before she opened the trunk, the girl caught sight of the magnetic signs and told her about a dream she had had the previous night. She said, "I dreamt that the world was coming to an end, I was drowning in water, and I got saved!" The volunteer quickly showed her the Recovery Version and some footnotes. The girl, excited and eager, filled out a reply card to receive her Bible. The volunteer related how, "as I watched, she was running back into the store to help the next customer, pushing the cart with one hand and opening the Recovery Version with the other!"

From Bible recipients:

• "As a preacher working on a college campus, I felt a prayer had been answered when several of my students came to my office joyful that they had received a new Bible, a New Testament Recovery Version from Bibles for America, some that did not have one. I’m praying for you." — Compton, California
• "Your New Testament Recovery Version gives a lot of supplementary information which is great for fully understanding the New Testament. Your reading schedule will also help me get through the New Testament and give me time to read the footnotes. Thank you for these wonderful study materials." — Frewsburg, New York
• "I found the Recovery Version study Bible to be very helpful for interpreting and understanding Sunday School lessons." — Beavercreek, OH

For your prayer:

• Please pray for the distribution of free Recovery Versions and gift offer brochures at Bible Factory Outlet stores November 23-30. We look to the Lord for the means to carry out this distribution, and pray that He will lead many hungry and seeking people to receive the Recovery Version.
• Please pray for the upcoming motor home tours this fall along the East Coast, Northwest, and Midwest. May the Lord open the venues, especially retail stores and college campuses, for volunteers to distribute the Recovery Version!

May God continue to bless America with the Recovery Version!!

Previous Issues:
August 2003, June 2003, April-May 2003, March 2003, February 2003

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