Rhonda Mathias, Vacation Bible School teacher, shares how the children in her church raised enough money to get Bibles to 125 children in Africa.

“Our VBS (Vacation Bible School) concluded in June 2021 with a very exciting $500 raised for Oasis, mostly in dimes and quarters from piggy banks, for the children’s Bibles in Africa (God’s Word for Africa project).

I’ll describe our process in case other churches would like to do this!  On the first day of VBS in our large group session, I had a stack of Bibles from my house of all shapes and sizes that I gathered from the shelves, about 15 high, just to show the overabundance that we have here in America.

Nearby on the front table was a large African pot for the donations, and the sample (New Living Transalation: Africa Edition) Bible from you and a globe.  I described other education settings in Africa where children were gathering together to learn about Jesus, just like us.

Then I showed a map of Africa with the four countries highlighted (where you had told me the Bibles would go) and the short video clip of the kids singing, that you had sent to me.  I showed them the sample Bible you had sent and asked them how much they thought it would cost, referring to the top Bible in my stack of American ones that said $16.99.  They were shocked when they found out it was only $4 for the African one.

I challenged the 120 kids there, ‘What if each of you could do jobs around the house this week or use money you have saved and purchase one Bible for a child in Africa that doesn’t have one?’ So that was our goal, one Bible per VBS attendee ($480) and I loved it because that price point feels so do-able for kids, and it is such a tangible, visual thing to give towards.  Each day during one of the songs in the opening and closing sessions, kids could march up to the pot and put their money in — lots of emptied ziplock baggies of coins.

We also had a missionary pilot visit on Tuesday of VBS week and the kids were giving to that family also — so of the $740 they raised during the week (!!!), $500 is being sent to Oasis and the rest to the missionary pilot.  We exceeded the one-Bible-per-kid-in-attendance goal! “

Thousands of children in schools and Bible clubs across Africa are ready to be equipped with their own Bibles. Help shape their faith by giving to our goal to get 30,000 New Living Translation: Africa Edition Bibles to kids in Africa this Christmas season.