Can You Help?

Well, I don’t usually steal so blatantly from someone else’s blog… but I read this on my dad’s today and wanted to share the opportunity with those of you that don’t also read his blog (that’s you mom).

So the following is a letter written by a missionary named Roger Dickson. (I actually met him in Swaziland, Africa in 94.) He’s a humble man and a great missionary.

It’s pretty hard to read all the way through, but I dare you to. And then ask yourself what you can do to help.


AFRICA INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS
P.O. Box 1919
Bellville 7535,
South Africa
Dr. Roger E. Dickson

MISSIONARY TRASHES PLEAS FOR BIBLES!

I AM A FRUSTRATED MISSIONARY! Maybe my wife, Martha, and I are in a unique ministry. Africa International Missions is a continental effort to help anybody, anywhere in Africa. So the pleas come in from everywhere. And what do I do with the pleas for Bibles for which you have NO MONEY JUST TO PAY THE POSTAGE BILL TO SEND THEM OUT?

YOU THROW THE PLEAS IN THE TRASH AND BEG FOR FORGIVENESS!

You think I'm kidding. Not on you life. We receive so many pleas for the word of God that there is no possible way to answer them. And so, we just throw the letters in the trash. Here are some pleas that went to the trash:

"Sir, we have Bible group discussions every Sunday before church starts to study the word of God. But sir, we do not have Bibles to use for the group discussions, which has been one of our major problems to study the Bible. Christians cannot learn the word of God without the Holy Book. Therefore, as the deacon and the leader of the group, I am standing on behalf of my group to beg you to send us some Holy Bibles to make available to our group." Hanson Ofoe Agu, New Town, Ghana

We threw this plea in the trash.

"We walk in the villages and preach the word of God. Many people come asking questions and then repent of their sins. But the problem which we face is that we need Bibles. Please send us Bibles for us to preach the word of God well." Patrick Mubisa, Chitipa, Malawi

Straight to the trash!

"I came from a Muslim family by the grace of the Almighty God. I gave my life to Christ. Since then I have a big problem with my family who sent me out of school and out of the community. The last message I heard from my friends before I ran to Gambia was that my family wanted to kill me because I changed to being a Christian. The purpose for my writing to you is to plead for Christ sake ... send me a Bible and Christian literature for me and my wife." W. M. Majaro, The Gambia

Yes, this one went to the trash!

"The village where we are has been greatly struck with diseases, which has resulted in many deaths, leaving many children homeless and many orphans. We are writing to request your help or assistance for materials. Right now, we are greatly requesting for 70 Holy Bibles. Our members cannot afford to buy Bibles and many have not opened a Bible since they were born. Beloved brother and sister, we are greatly praying and fasting for you to help us out with this great gift anyone could receive. We really have many numbers of false religions. We want to try our best to reach all of them with the truth of God's gospel." David Gbuyi, Gunedogun Village, Nigeria

TRASHED!

"I am your brother and a believer also. I am nine years old this year. I worship at the above church mentioned inside this note. In God's name, I am begging you people with all my mind and the love of God, provide me with one Bible through your good office." Eze Nnadozie, Benin City, Nigeria

TRASHED!

"Please, I am an evangelist here in Ghana who preaches in the market and at truck stations. I preach also by moving from door to door from different houses for the salvation of lost souls. Through the preaching, many people have been converted to God. The majority of the people don't have Bibles. They come to church empty handed. So when there is the need to open to the Bible to search for the word of God, there is no way for them. Please, I am pleading with your ministry to come to my aid by sending me 20 Bibles." Emmanuel Kwamina Ephraim, Ketan Sekondi, Ghana

TRASHED!

"My name is Maureen Watch Eze. We fellowship in a Bible believing church. The church has about 100 members with a man of God who is also a devoted man of God. I am serving as a worker in my church, leading the Sarah Group Evangelical Team. The Sarah Group comprises of women above the age of 60 in our church. Our aim is to reach out to souls for Christ, especially those above 60. Most of them appreciate welcoming mothers of the same age, and thus we have won many souls by God's grace. My purpose for writing today is to make a request for Bibles. We are 23 in the Sarah Group and 15 of us do not have a Bible and cannot afford to buy one. I am appealing to you to kindly send us 15 Bibles." Maureen Watch Eze, Benin City, Nigeria

Had enough?

"Please, I am a man of 42 years of age and my wife and I have five children. But sir, we do not have a Bible to use for church service. We are not the only people who go to church without a Bible. Most of the members of the church do not have Bibles to use, and our preacher always tells us to bring our Bibles to church. But we do not bring them because we do not have them. The fact is that most of us just do not have Bibles. And as a true Christian you need to have a Bible to use for daily learning and studies since without the Bible you cannot learn the word of God. I am asking you to come to our aid by sending some Holy Bibles to make it possible for everyone to have access to them to use for their studies. God bless you for having it in your mind to grant us the word of God. I cannot wait to see the parcel of the Holy Bibles you send to us. God bless you for your kind heartedness towards human-beings." Maxwell Agbarkey, Ashaiman, Ghana

What kind of missionary would trash such requests from a continent pleading for Bibles? A missionary with funds to do so, that's who.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU RECEIVED REQUESTS AS THIS DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY, BUT COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

That's right, just go out to eat and spend $15.00 for the meal. You just "ate" THREE BIBLES that we could have been sent to requests as the above. So, before you blame the missionary who trashed the request, remember, "Thou art the man, also."

(Yes, this is one of those email messages that should be passed around like all that other stuff. If you can pass on some joke, then surely you can pass on something as this. If your heart aches for Africa like ours, then do something.)