Raised in a family of substance abuse, Pat first tasted beer at age six. Surrounded by addicts, he soon became one. He was selling drugs by 12, and collecting money for other drug dealers by 17. After committing several crimes and running from the law, he was arrested. During his time in prison, Pat was visited by a Gideon. As the words of Jesus were shared with Pat, his calloused exterior was penetrated by the tender words of God’s love. Pat’s life was restored as he surrendered it to Christ. He remains convinced of the restorative power of the Gospel, and he shares it wherever he can.
Captain “Siva” Sivaraman began flying planes at 18, and the young pilot’s talent was sought out early by Malaysia Airlines. As his promising career unfolded, his job regularly placed him in hotels. Over time, he began to take notice of the Bibles frequently found in these rooms, and he grew curious. As he began to read, the words spoke to him. “It was like a voice calling to me,” he said. Captain Siva began to encounter God slowly, yet steadily, through the Gideon-placed Bibles he returned to on many quiet, solitary nights.
When I was a child, I wanted to be a missionary. I thought it would be great to tell others about Jesus and to help people get to heaven through those efforts. However, that didn’t work out, and I’ve only been on one mission trip in my lifetime. It was a great experience that helped me appreciate what I had, and it deepened my desire to help others find salvation, but I still didn’t know how to approach strangers and ask them if they knew Jesus.
For years, I prayed for God to help me be a witness. I attended training sessions to help me learn more about witnessing. I carried cards and tracts with the Gospel, but I just couldn’t bring myself to talk to strangers. I knew there had to be a way God could use me to get His Word to others.
I knew there had to be a way God could use me to get His Word to others.
When I first heard a Gideon speak in my church, I knew without a doubt that The Gideons was something I wanted to be part of. They were organized in their witnessing and were giving God’s Word to others for free. At first, my husband, Steve, and I became involved by donating Bibles using the GideonCards provided in our church. It was a small way to get God’s Word to people who needed it.
Still, I wanted to actively tell people about Jesus and get God’s Word into their hands. When Steve was asked if he would like to be a member of The Gideons, I knew this was the way God would use us to witness.
The New Testaments have provided me with an avenue to talk to people about Jesus. It is so simple! By using the helps in the front to tell people that God’s Word has answers for any problem, I now have the confidence to approach strangers. People are hungry to hear there are answers, and it almost always gets their attention, which opens the door to witness.
Whether it’s being involved in distributions to medical clinics, handing out New Testaments from booths at fairs, uniting in prayer with other Auxiliaries, or individually talking to people about their need for a Savior, being an Auxiliary has been a blessing beyond belief! I know God is using these efforts to reach the lost and to encourage believers who are struggling.
Watching how the Gideons and Auxiliary talk to others, and how they hand out God’s Word with love and a genuine concern, has been a tremendous spiritual learning experience for me. It’s such a privilege to serve alongside such dedicated and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. I can’t even imagine how many people we will meet in heaven one day who will tell us, “You gave me a New Testament and now look where I am!” We will all be able to kneel at the feet of Jesus and worship Him together.
In April, Gideons and Auxiliary in Paraguay held an International Scripture Blitz in the capital city of Asuncion. The Asuncion metropolitan area is home to over 2.2 million people, most of whom are Roman Catholic. Less than five percent of the population is considered evangelical Christian.
An international team of Gideons from the USA and South Africa traveled to Paraguay to assist their brothers and sisters in sharing God’s Word during the one-week blitz.
The theme verse for the blitz was based on 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” The Scripture goal was 150,000 Scriptures.
There was great excitement to see how the Lord would show up throughout the week as Gideons and Auxiliary would share God’s Word in Asuncion’s schools, universities, jails, hotels, hospitals, military installations, and police outposts.
Pat Corkery was the blitz team leader. He joined The Gideons in 1982 and is a member of the King County South Camp, Washington. A retired senior manager of the Federal Aviation Administration, he has served in a number of blitzes including Italy, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Albania, Venezuela, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Pat was very inspired by the outstanding planning, preparation, and teamwork accomplished by Gideons and Auxiliary in Paraguay. Such planning helped the teams share more Scriptures that week than they could have otherwise. When torrential tropical rains flooded streets and caused many schools to cancel classes, teams still worked through the challenges and managed to place and distribute God’s Word.
Paraguay’s Auxiliary was also strongly represented throughout the week. One Auxiliary who is a professional optometrist helped open doors for Scripture placements in many of the area hospitals.
Prior to departing for Paraguay, Pat was praying for the team’s success. Specifically, he was praying about how he could be a servant leader for the team. “When I serve in a blitz, I want to be there to pray with them, encourage them, and help them solve any problems,” he says. “I don’t want to get in the way, so I serve them as we work together in the Lord.”
Sharing The Gospel With Paraguay’s Students
As Gideons arrived at the schools throughout the area, they were warmly welcomed by the schools’ principals and teachers. Going from classroom to classroom, the Gideons would often first present each teacher with a Scripture. Seeing their teachers gladly receive a copy of God’s Word inspired students to take a copy as well.
Gideons were allowed to then share with students that God’s Word is an expression of His wonderful love for them. They explained the different sections of the New Testaments, pointing to the Helps in the front and the plan of salvation and Decision pages in the back.
Don Asheim of the Bismarck Camp in North Dakota was sharing God’s Word at one of Paraguay’s university campuses. Don is a retired engineer and a member of Bismarck Community Church. He enjoys using his tech skills to assist others in his camp and state association in carrying out their ministry through The Gideons International. As a man who tends to be quiet by nature, Don was relying on the Lord’s strength to help him.
During a slower period of the distribution, Don noticed a young man sitting outside the campus gate. He walked over and gave the young man a Scripture, and then stepped back inside the gate and continued handing out New Testaments to students as they passed.A little while later, he noticed the young man was reading the New Testament. Don and his translator, Cesar, approached him. Speaking through Cesar, Don asked the young man if he had any questions.
“What is this book about?” asked the young man, whose name was Roberto. As Cesar translated, Don explained the Gospel and then pointed out the plan of salvation page. After walking Roberto through several verses, they asked if he would like to pray to receive Christ. In the moments to follow, the translator led the prayer as the Roberto accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.
Gideons in Paraguay were grateful for the warm reception they received at the schools. However, Pat has seen enough changes in his own homeland over the decades to know the climate for open evangelism in schools can change.
He shared a precautionary message with the team. “Don’t take this for granted. Pray and thank God for these open doors, and continue to ask that He’ll keep the doors open.”
Another blitz participant, Dennis Holcombe, is a retired CPA and a member of Mid-Cities Baptist Church in Westminster, California. At home, he loves sharing the Gospel with others as he offers them Personal Workers Testaments. In Paraguay, Dennis found many more opportunities for sharing God’s Word.
At one university campus distribution in Paraguay, Dennis presented New Testaments to two young men who volunteered to assist in translating for the Gideons.
“Are you a born-again believer?” he asked the first young man, who paused and then replied, “I don’t know what you mean.”
Dennis asked the second young man, “If you were to tell someone how to get to Heaven, what would you say?”
That young man hesitated and responded, “I don’t know.”
Dennis then took the opportunity to witness to the two men. Both responded by praying to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. A third young man was a mature believer and was close friends with the two others. He committed to disciple his two friends through daily Bible study.
Touching Lives Throughout Asuncion
As Pat Corkery spoke to a church congregation in Asuncion, his wife Cynthia, and their daughters, Susie and Linda, were back home in Washington watching the event live through the church’s online streaming video.
Throughout the week, team members like Pat received texts from family members and fellow camp members. “My camp is very interested in what we do in these blitzes and are very spiritually supportive,” Pat says. “It’s a blessing to be lifted up by them when away on these travels.”
At one hospital, Gideon Larry Wright approached a patient who was there with his wife. The couple was excited to see a Scripture being placed by the bedside. “Thank you,” they told the Gideons, “We were just saying how we wished we had a copy of God’s Word. And now, you’ve given us one.”
“Our God is an on-time God,” Larry replied.
The man explained he was awaiting surgery to remove a tumor. Larry and other Gideons gathered around the Christian couple and prayed. The couple thanked them for placing Scriptures and for bringing them a sense of peace as well.
On Friday, Gideons made a Scripture distribution to Paraguay’s military responsible for guarding the Paraguayan President, Congress, and the capital city of Asuncion. Prior to the distribution, a special ceremony was held including a military parade.
The National Evangelical Chaplain of the Armed Forces is Gumercindo Oviedo Sanchez. He accompanied the Gideons in each distribution to the military. He is very familiar with The Gideons International as he was a member himself, prior to becoming a chaplain.
“I have the honor, in my position, to express my most sincere gratitude for the provision and distribution of the Word of God,” he told the Gideons. He also commended Paraguay National Field Representative Guillermo Voucher for his diligence in fulfilling his ministry.
Gratitude for the Blitz Results
By the end of the blitz, Gideons and Auxiliary had placed and distributed 158,870 Scriptures, surpassing their goal for the week. They also shared the ministry of The Gideons in seven churches and received combined offerings of approximately USD$3,500. Additionally, the Lord led several new Gideons and Auxiliary to join during the week.
First-time blitz participant Richard Dykstra said, “The best way for me to express my overall experience is to say the only regret I have is that I did not do this sooner.” He says he hopes to serve again in a future blitz.
Pat also expressed gratitude for the relationships formed with fellow members of The Gideons while serving in blitzes. “The relationships you form with these brothers and sisters with Christ is like becoming a part of a family. We have a common purpose and vision. We love souls and the Lord,” he says.
Bill Sanders, owner of Lefty’s Barbecue, and member of the Crossville Camp of The Gideons International.
If you’re driving through Crossville, Tennessee, and ask locals to recommend a great spot for delicious barbecue, they will likely point you to Lefty’s Barbecue.
Lefty’s is owned by Bill Sanders, a faithful Christian. Bill also serves in the Crossville Camp of The Gideons International.
Bill grew up in Humboldt, Tennessee. The family regularly attended church and never worked on their hog farm on Sundays. Bill’s dad learned how to make barbecue from a man who was a local legend for his hickory pit-smoked barbecue.
The family re-settled a few hours east in Crossville, and Bill’s dad opened Lefty’s Barbecue in 1982. Bill worked there part-time in college. After graduating, he moved to Dalton, Georgia, and went to work for his father-in-law. It was a good job, and year after year, it provided for Bill, his wife, and their three children.
Back in Crossville, Bill’s parents were getting up in years. They kept holding on to the restaurant in expectation a planned highway project would result in the state of Tennessee purchasing their property. Such a purchase would fund their retirement.
However, delays with the highway project kept the parents’ retirement plans on hold. Bill’s dad passed away in 2006, and Bill’s mother struggled to keep Lefty’s going. After a few months, she called Bill and said, “Son, I can’t run this restaurant anymore.” She needed his help.
“That was where we were going to retire,” he says. However, the Lord had other plans.
Bill had just purchased nine acres of land in Georgia with a view of Lookout Mountain. “That was where we were going to retire,” he says. However, the Lord had other plans.
Trusting In The Lord’s Provision
Feeling obligated to help his mother, Bill left his job of 20 years and moved his wife and three children to Crossville in 2007. He wanted his mother to be able to retire, so he bought the business from her.
The restaurant was struggling. Bill worked around the clock to get the business running strong again.
On top of the pressure of operating the restaurant, Bill was still paying the note on his property in Georgia. With three children still in school and a slow economy, the pressures continued to mount.
When he finally did sell the property in Georgia, it was at a huge loss. “We were living week to week,” he says. “I had never experienced financial issues before. For the first time, I realized I was in a situation where I had to totally rely on the Lord.”
Bill’s trust in the Lord was about to be put to an even bigger test.
“I was working myself to death, seven days a week. I’d be sitting in church on Sunday morning, and my phone would be buzzing with work-related messages,” recalls Bill.
Nevertheless, he kept pressing on in faith. “You just roll up your sleeves and go to work every day. At the end of the day, you thank the Lord for His provision.”
Bill’s trust in the Lord was about to be put to an even bigger test. As he thought more and more about how to turn the restaurant’s business around, he realized there were some major business decisions he needed to hand over to the Lord. One day, he sat down with his mother to talk about some of those changes.
“Momma, I know Sunday is our busiest day. However, when we were growing up on the farm, we never worked on Sunday. We were taught to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. So why did you and dad decide to start opening the restaurant on Sunday?”
“Because we needed the revenue to survive,” she told him.
“But that’s not what you taught us growing up,” he said. “Being open on Sundays is making us a stumbling block to employees, and I don’t feel right about them using work as an excuse for skipping church.”
“Son, if you close on Sundays you’ll go out of business,” his mother warned him.
Bill continued sharing his other concerns. Back when they were raising Bill and his siblings, the parents were dead set against alcohol.
So he asked, “Why did you and Dad decide Lefty’s should serve beer?”
“Son we had to do that for this business to work,” she warned him again.
“Well I’m just not comfortable with it,” he said.
“Son, if you quit selling beer, you’ll go out of business,” she told him.
Bill lived with the nagging discomfort of remaining open on Sundays and serving alcohol for some time. In 2009, he reached a point where he knew something had to change.
In a moment of fervent prayer, Bill opened his heart. “Lord, I need to be more involved in church. I’m going to start closing on Sundays, as an act of obedience to You. If I go out of business, then I’ll know You want me somewhere else.”
That year, Lefty’s started closing on Sundays. Sales stayed the same. Customers quickly adjusted and began coming in more on Saturdays and Mondays. God quickly showed Bill loyalty to Him would be paid back in terms of loyal customers. Closing on Sundays also helped reduce employee overtime costs.
Still, the restaurant had not stopped selling beer.
An Invitation To Join The Gideons
Lefty’s Barbecue does a considerable amount of business catering events for churches and other Christian groups. In the summer of 2010, they catered an annual event of the Crossville Gideon Camp. As Bill was working the event, one of the Gideons said, “Bill, you should be a Gideon.”
Bill said he would consider joining. He was invited to a meeting of The Gideons, which increased his interest. He saw it as an opportunity to merge more of his business life with ministry. “Everything just seemed to fit,” he said.
However, he learned members of The Gideons International could not operate a business that sold alcohol.
Bill could have decided right then he wouldn’t join. Instead, he prayed, “Lord, I feel You led me to be a member of this Association. I believe this is just more confirmation You don’t want me to sell alcohol.”
Bill made the decision once and for all and stopped ordering beer for resale. Then, he joined The Gideons.
Experiencing The Blessings Of Being A Gideon
Closing on Sundays and stopping the sale of alcohol did not hurt Lefty’s business.
The newer Lefty’s location where Bill relocated the business after the state purchased the older property in 2012.
Some customers complain about the restaurant no longer selling beer. However, Bill takes it as an opportunity to share how he does it as an act of obedience to the Lord.
God’s faithfulness showed up in a tremendous way in 2012. The highway project finally came together. The state purchased the old Lefty’s location, and Bill was able to relocate Lefty’s into a much bigger building, just off the Interstate. Business has since doubled.
Like most legendary restaurants, Lefty’s has its own signature decor. As you enter the foyer, you’ll see baseball caps that have been donated by customers over the years. Inside the dining area, you’ll see his late mother’s cross-stitching designs hanging on the walls. If you were to walk around the work areas in Lefty’s, you would see Bible verses Bill has hung up.
Bill says serving in The Gideons has been a blessing to him in many ways. As a Gideon, he takes advantage of the opportunity to purchase New Testaments from The Gideons to give to his customers.
Bill is inspired by the Gideons he sees serving the Lord, even in their years of retirement. “They’ve shown me that because their work life is over doesn’t mean their Christian walk is over.”
“The Lord has made it clear to me, ‘Bill, I want you to continue to grow.’ Serving in The Gideons has given me opportunities to do so.”
“Because I work so much, I’m not able to get out as much as I’d like. This gives me an opportunity to witness here at my place of business. It’s been a blessing to my customers.”
Bill is inspired by Gideons he sees serving the Lord, even in their years of retirement. “They’ve shown me that because their work life is over doesn’t mean their Christian walk is over. In fact, it gives them even greater opportunities to share their faith. Christianity is a full-time endeavor. The more free time you have on your hands, the more opportunities you have to share Christ with others.”
From an early age, Ryan Ries was exposed to the allure of sin. As a young adult, he found himself far from God. Temptation grabbed hold of him, and Ryan followed it to extremes. Ryan was thriving in his career, experiencing every comfort and worldly pleasure, but he was decaying within.
Following a drug overdose in Panama City, Panama, Ryan found a Gideon-placed Bible in his hotel room. During his flight home from Panama to Los Angeles, he read it intently. When he landed, he was changed. He felt peace as never before.
Ryan asked the Lord to deliver him from his many addictions, seeking to surrender everything in exchange for a new life with Christ. Ryan now travels the world, speaking of the grace and mercy of God. His passion is to share how Jesus Christ is better than anything Earth can offer.
Guatemala is the most populous nation in Central America. Bridging Mexico and the rest of Central America, it is a country rich in resources and culture.
However, Guatemala has had the misfortune of much civil unrest and political corruption, depriving the people of safety and peace. A decades-long civil war, 1960-1996, splintered the nation and claimed many lives. The history of Guatemala bears many scars, brought by years of conflict imposed from within and without, but the people have shown impressive resilience and potential. Specifically, the Christian faith has remained strong in Guatemala, and the people are eager for more of the Gospel.
Gideons in Guatemala recently hosted an International Scripture Blitz attesting to this spiritual yearning.
Prior to the first day of the blitz, Gideons spoke at local church services. One Gideon recalled: “The church service at Fraternidad Christiana de Guatemala was a great experience. I knew I was among Christian brothers and sisters.” The Gideon’s presentations drew interest from the congregation, including a top general in the Guatemalan Army. This man was able to provide “unprecedented” access for Gideons to distribute New Testaments to the military. While in the Guatemalan equivalent of a Veterans Affairs office, a waiting man mentioned he had once received a Testament while he was fighting in the jungle with the military. During the civil war, he was shot in the back. Miraculously, the bullet did not hit him. It pierced the Testament in his backpack. He hadn’t had a Testament since, so Gideons were glad to share a new one with him.
Miraculously, the bullet did not hit him.
It pierced the Testament in his backpack.
The next day focused on grade school students. The accessibility to the schools was great, and the receptivity inside was even better. At one school in particular, Aldea Chichimecas, the principal and teachers were overjoyed to see the Gideons arrive, eager to have Bibles in their school. Gideon Damon Disch recalled, “One girl said she was so happy since she now had a New Testament in her hand.” Gideons were able to visit individual classrooms, speaking to the students directly with truth and encouragement.
The rest of the week included more school distributions resulting in many smiling young faces. Fredi, a blitz participant, was especially adept at interacting with the kids in one of the schools. A former teacher, Fredi joined the students while they were playing in a courtyard – he organized games, played soccer with them, and used Bible verses to teach them all the while. As students asked questions, he was able to share the Good News with them.
The Auxiliary played a vital role as well. Their presence in the hospital was deeply felt, from distributing New Testaments to staff, to praying with the sick and suffering. Such individuals Gideons and Auxiliary prayed for included a boy with a severe snake bite whom doctors thought might die, as well as the parents of newborns. Amid pain and poor conditions, the light of Christ brought hope in their darkness.
“Amid pain and poor conditions, the light of Christ brought
hope in their darkness.”
Members in Guatemala and blitz participants worked diligently in the preparation and execution of this successful blitz. The commitment of the camps was instrumental in making the experience smooth and efficient. Members in one camp distributed 60,000 Scriptures on their own. Overall, 230,000 Scriptures were placed and distributed over the course of the blitz. The mission of The Gideons International is cherished in Guatemala, which shows enormous promise for the future.
In December 1968, the world was in great need of a message of hope and peace. It had been a tumultuous year. War. Assassinations. Riots.
That Christmas Eve, the world witnessed history. The Apollo 8 spacecraft with its three-man crew became the first manned spacecraft to leave the earth’s orbit.
As with any journey into the unknown, there were no guarantees. The brave crew members realized their chance of becoming the first humans to see the far side of the moon was balanced against the risk they may not return home alive.
Robert Zimmerman’s book, Genesis, The Story of Apollo 8, details the events leading up to that historic Christmas Eve in 1968.
According to the book, a press conference was held a few weeks before the mission’s launch. A news reporter asked the crew members if they planned to make a “Christmas-type gesture from space,” given their lunar orbit would coincide with Christmas Eve.
The crew members didn’t have an answer. For the next several days, the question continued to nag at Frank Borman, the commander for the Apollo 8 crew. What message could they share that might help unite a world that had become divided in so many ways?
In Search Of The Right Words
With the Apollo’s launch growing close, Frank talked with his fellow crew members, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, about what message they should share with the world once they entered the moon’s orbit. Suggestions ranged from citing the words of a prayer to reading an adaptation of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The astronauts agreed, none of their ideas seemed fitting for such a momentous event, especially in light of all that had taken place in the world that year.
Help was sought from a professional writer, Joe Laitin. The challenge of finding the right words to say proved just as challenging for him. Hoping to draw inspiration from an artist’s rendering of the view that the astronauts would see from space, Joe began to write.
In the late hours of the evening, all he had to show for his efforts was a floor covered with paper wads. Then, in a moment of sudden inspiration, he thought, “Why not go to the Bible for the right words?”
Joe reached for a Gideon-placed Bible he had taken earlier from a hotel room. At the suggestion of his wife, Joe turned to the book of Genesis. As soon as his eyes landed on Genesis Chapter 1, Joe knew the words on that page would be the perfect words to mark the occasion.
The message was sent to the Apollo 8 crew. They all agreed the Genesis passage was perfect. Borman took the letter containing the Scripture and photocopied it onto fireproof paper. He stuck it inside the crew’s flight manual.
Incidentally, there were other copies of God’s Word aboard Apollo 8. After permission had been granted, Service Testaments from The Gideons International had been placed on board.
This photo taken from the Apollo 8 that historic Christmas Eve shows the earth rising above the lunar horizon.
For All The People Back On Earth
At 9.30pm Eastern Standard Time on the evening of December 24th, people throughout the world tuned in for the live TV broadcast from the Apollo 8 crew’s historic lunar orbit.
As viewers watched the grainy black and white images of the moon’s surface, they heard the voice of Major Bill Anders breaking through the static.
“For all the people back on earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.” Anders then began reading from Genesis 1:1,
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”
He read through the end of verse four, and Captain Lovell took over reading with, “And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night…”
After Lovell finished with verse eight, Colonel Borman picked up. “And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered unto one place.” He continued through the end of verse 10, “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
Borman signed off saying, “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas. And God bless all of you, all of you on the good earth.”
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
On that December 24th, Scripture pulled from a Gideon-placed hotel Bible was read live to an estimated one billion people in 64 countries, one of every four people on the planet at that time. No single event had ever drawn such a large TV viewing audience.
At some point in history, a Gideon placed a hotel room Bible as part of a mission to reach the lost with God’s Word. When Apollo 8 left Earth, it was carrying Scripture pulled from that Bible. That Christmas Eve in 1968, in the dark expanse of space, those two missions came together, while the world watched and many celebrated the birth of a Saviour who came to Earth to redeem us from our sins – the greatest mission of all.
Watch the historic broadcast of the reading of Genesis by the Apollo 8 crew members on December 24th, 1968 here https://vimeo.com/195973358
The following story came from Roger Meagor in the Worcester Branch of The Gideons International and it tells of how God used a tragedy to spread the Gospel through Friends of The Gideons.
Alan, one of our church members, was knocked off his bike on the last day of March. He was airlifted to the QE Hospital in Birmingham where he stayed for two weeks. He had damaged three of his vertebrae which left him paralysed from the neck down. In spite of this he witnessed to the many people he met there, supported by his wife Janet who visited him nearly every day.
He was airlifted again by the same helicopter crew to the spinal injuries unit at the Albert Jones & Alice Hall Orthopedic Hospital at Gobowen, near Oswestry. In spite of being confined to his bed and unable to do anything for himself, he and Janet were witnessing again to the different people who were attending to him. He soon gave away the seven Gideon New Testaments he had with him.
He and Janet became Friends of The Gideons which enabled Janet to obtain a good supply of New Testaments.
As time went on he had his 65th birthday and regained some feeling in his arms and legs which meant he could be hoisted out into a purpose designed wheelchair which he operated with his chin! In August he was discharged from the hospital at Gobowen, but before he left he offered each of the medical staff he had met a New Testament & Psalms, several accepting one.
He and Janet are now living in a suitable bungalow near Cirencester with two residential carers as well as other medical personnel coming to see him. The carers change frequently but before they leave they are given a New Testament as well as being witnessed to whilst they are living there. As the carers come from a range of different countries, Alan and Janet are having an international Gospel witness without leaving the house! As Friends of The Gideons they have given away twenty eight New Testaments over the last seven months and have just asked for some more.
We have “good news that will cause great joy” to share and Alan and Janet responded to God’s call on all our lives to be witnesses for Him. As you share the good news this Christmas we trust that you will be blessed and encouraged as you join us in our mission of winning lost souls for our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have made it once again to the end of another year. Most are ready to simply relax and get through the holiday hustle. Yet we will soon find ourselves busy again when the new year gets underway. Is there room for us to rest in a lasting way this Christmas? When we look to Christ, we find peace and contentment instead of anxiety and exhaustion.
Christmas provides the counter-cultural opportunity to simplify. Before we sought any comforts of the world, we were sought first.
In the book of Isaiah, a Deliverer is promised – one not simply for the Jews of the day, but for people of all ages. Centuries later, a Child of infinite importance was born in the humblest of conditions. In Luke 2:10, we find one account of the prophecy being fulfilled: “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’”
The Good News was that Christ came for us, to effectually and entirely release us of our burdens and sins. In doing so, He imparted to us a peace that is not interrupted or affected by circumstances. For believers, Christmas is a powerful celebration of this reality. He has come to us, and we have Him now. In Jesus Christ we find a supreme delight, better than the world’s offerings, and safe passage through life’s trials.
The consumerism of the season can persuade us we still need many things, but we have a Redeemer who supersedes all lesser interests. We have a Savior whose power and tenderness reassures us of His promises. His incarnation ensures He can sympathize with all our earthly cares, and His accomplishments provide a guarantee of salvation. To confidently proclaim this truth could be our highest achievement this Christmas. If you are in Christ, you are complete.
In this hopeful state, Christmas loses any superfluous modern additions and regains its transcendent power. Gazing on Christ provides every opportunity to rejoice in the blessings of a fruitful year, every needed consolation for a difficult year, and every possible hope for the new year yet to come. The news received by startled shepherds thousands of years ago is the same good news for us today.
‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 ESV
On that December 24th, Scripture pulled from a Gideon-placed hotel Bible was read live to an estimated one billion people in 64 countries, one of every four people on the planet at that time. No single event had ever drawn such a large TV viewing audience.
