“A Gideon Bible was given to me once when I was in prison. That New Testament & Psalms little Bible I still have to this day, because the Chaplain of the prison gave it to me over 15 years ago.
That little Bible gave me hope and it helped me see I needed Jesus back in my life, and through the giving of your little Pocket Testament, I turned back to Jesus and I am still with Him today.
Be blessed and thank you for helping me to find my God and King Jesus, through that little Testament that I still have.
In Jesus’ Love
John”
Room for Love
Guest Contributor
Room for Love
The most familiar words in all the letters to the Corinthians lie in 1 Corinthians 13. In an effort to remind ourselves of the impact of these truths, consider these verses and themes Paul writes about to the church in Corinth.
Love can be such a sloppy, sentimental word these days. Fortunately, in verses 4-7, Paul solves the problem by describing love in a very practical way, focusing on the behavioral descriptors rather than emotional. He tells us what love looks like.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endure all things.
Years ago, I was given a wonderful illustration of this passage while visiting a British public school’s religion class. The headmaster shared how he had been taught 1 Corinthians 13 by comparing love to the perfect description of a gentleman. Now, a gentleman is not just a man. He is a well-bred, well-mannered man. The headmaster said, “Just replace the word love with a gentleman.” So, looking at verse 4, I begin to understand what he meant. A gentleman is patient and kind. A gentleman doesn’t envy or boast; a gentleman is not arrogant or rude. By verse 13, you realize the lesson is over: so now faith, hope, and a gentleman abide; but the greatest of these of a gentleman.
To know why Paul writes as he does, we must go back to Corith and look at the Corinthians for whom the letter is written. The descriptors of love Paul includes is simply a list of the characteristics they lack.
Love is patient with people; puts up with hurts without retaliating. Patience is a quality you needed to survive in Corinth.
Love is kind. Love does not envy. It isn’t jealous of others’ success or gifts. Paul had to write and say, “But there is jealousy amongst you, which is why there are factions and groupings amongst you.”
Love doesn’t boast. Paul reproved the Corinthians for boasting among themselves. They were divided and full of themselves versus unified as the body of Christ and full of Him.
Love is not arrogant; however, the Corinthians were. Five times Paul warned them they were puffed up. They had an exaggerated self-perception. They overrated themselves and it let to attention-seeking behavior. Knowledge puffs up. But love, he writes to them, builds up.
Love is not rude. The Corinthians were in danger of this. He already had to write and warn them not to lead a woman on and arouse her affections and then refuse to marry, which would have been improper behavior under some false idea of love.
Love doesn’t insist on its own way. Yet, the Corinthians did just that. Their one way was really all that mattered to them. That is not love. Love is prepared to give up for the sake of others, even what we think we are entitled to.
Love is not irritable, not touchy. You know those people with the smooth smile on the surface but they’re like a volcano waiting to erupt underneath? It is almost impossible to relate to them, because you are walking on eggshells all the time. This is not a picture of Biblical love.
Love keeps no record of wrongs. Yet, don’t we all do this in one way or another? I say I forgive you one day but the next day I’m reminding you about what I forgave you for. We carry our personal score cards of injuries received, and it creeps into our language in words like always and never. You always do that. You never do this.
Love doesn’t rejoice at wrongdoing; yet, our culture often does, doesn’t it? Often the media rejoices in finding some new wrongdoing to put in front of us, and we rejoice at reading it. Do you enjoy the endless discussions of what is wrong with people, or church, or institutions? Love doesn’t rejoice in wrongdoing; it rejoices with the truth because love is moral.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. This part of the chapter reminds me of a couple I knew well. Terry was an alcoholic and many times I had taken empty bottles of alcohol off him. I got a phone call late one night from his wife. He had been drinking again and I went to see them. When everyone had calmed down and she walked me to the door, I could see the tears in her eyes and the sense of frustration in her face as she said to me, “Hugh, I can’t trust him. I feel awful about it.” I said to her, “You can’t trust him at the moment, it is not loving to trust him.”
You’ve been let down by someone and the skeptics say, “Well you won’t make that mistake again, will you?” or, “Never trust a man. Never trust a woman.” But love does. We need to understand that in the Greek and Roman world of the day and the prevailing culture, love was not a public virtue. Philanthropy, yes; but not love.
Paul encourages the Corinthians to love always, in spite of past hurts; to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things. One thing I’ve observed is God doesn’t use the most gifted people, but He uses the people who love other people without putting up walls.
When we say, “I love you,” we often mean, “I find you lovely.” Well, God loves the unlovable. Spiritual gifts from tongues to healing can be, and have been, duplicated by pagans. This quality of love cannot be replicated. It is what makes God’s church. It gives the glimpse of His character and His glory. Paul’s last arrow flies in the final paragraph as he writes in verses 8-13 that loves is as diamonds are, forever. But, gifts are not.
Destined to Love
Tom Wright, a New Testament scholar and Anglican bishop from England, spoke on these verses, “The point of this paragraph is the Church must be working in the present on things that will last into God’s future.” Faith, hope, and love will do this. Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, so high prized in Corinth, will not. They’re merely signposts to the future. When you arrive, you no longer need signposts. Love, however, it not just a signpost. It is a foretaste of the ultimate reality. Love is not merely the Christian duty. It is the Christian destiny.
Paul is looking to Christ’s return and he is saying to these triumphant Corinthians the best is yet to come. He urged them to live for the coming of that day. So now faith, hope, and love abide. Having exposed the limitations of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, Paul turns to what is left on the table – faith, hope, and love. Each of them links us to the eternal kingdom in a way no other gifts are able to.
Our Ultimate Ministry
It’s not the nature of the God who redeemed us to provide this new creation world for us. We’ve found our value not in our gifts, not in our position, status, or service, but in this love. In all the plans, achievements, challenges, and opportunities, have you got love sorted? Or is your ministry still too important to you to have time for love? Have all the knocks and bruises of ministry left your protective wall too high to love? Are you so full of the now you’ve lost sight of the goal?
Simply love.
A Welcome Comfort for Hotel Guests
Hotel/Motel
Matthew 11:28
Each year, Gideons place over a million copies of God’s Word in hotels throughout the world. Bibles are delivered to hotels by Gideons, who also assist in placing the Scriptures in the guest rooms. There is no charge to the hotels, as the Scriptures are funded through donations to The Gideons International. Some hotel guests find such comfort from the Bible, they pack it up with them as they leave. If having that copy of God’s Word helps someone continue on their journey with Christ, then Gideons rejoice.
A single copy of God’s Word in a hotel room has the potential to touch up to 2,300 lives during its six-year life span. Over the years, we have received many testimonies from individuals who have encountered these Bibles and whose lives have been forever changed as a result.
The Door of My Heart
I was 24 when my dad was diagnosed with cancer. He had been referred to Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas. My dad was the one person in my life who believed in me. He was my encourager. As I watched this illness steal his joy for life, I began to suffer from anxiety attacks.
When I returned to the motel room one night, I was emotionally drained and full of fear and anxiety. Then, I remembered that a group of people leave Bibles in motel rooms, and I wondered if they did so all the way out in Temple, Texas. I looked in the desk drawer, and sure enough, there it was – The Holy Bible, donated by The Gideons.
I read the 23rd Psalm from the Bible. Before the night was over, I had accepted Christ as my Savior, and I began to feel a strength that I knew was not from me. For the very first time in my life, I understood what it was like to have the “peace that passes all understanding.” I was like a beggar who had found bread.
For the very first time in my life, I understood what it was like to have the “peace that passes all understanding.” I was like a beggar who had found bread.
I remembered someone saying you could hide the Word of God in your heart and use it anytime, so I memorized the 23rd Psalm that night and called on God through that verse in the days that followed.
Over the next several years, I lost my dad and survived a divorce. Today, I am married to a wonderful Christian man, I work at Scott & White Memorial Hospital, and I serve as a pastor.
It’s amazing how a God so holy could reach so low and touch my world, but He had a plan for my life. Many people played an important part in showing me that plan – friends, family, my dad – and a group called The Gideons, who left a Bible in a motel room in Temple, Texas.
Submitted by Phyllis Davis, Pastor, First United Methodist Church of Evant, Texas
The Difference Between Life and Death
Some stories are from those who checked into a room when they felt all hope was lost, only to discover the peace and joy that comes from reading the Good News.
At the age of 45, I lost my job and began drinking heavily. Eventually, my drinking problem and my overall demeanor became so terrible that my wife of 27 years left me, and my children stopped speaking to me. I lost our home, both our cars, and essentially all our possessions. I was a homeless man left to wander the streets. I ate out of garbage cans. I drank anything with alcohol in it. I was truly a lost soul.
I stayed that way for three long years until I finally decided to check into a Samaritan Shelter. While there, I learned where I could buy drugs. One night, when I decided I had suffered all I could stand, I bought a large amount of heroin. My intention was to inject the entire amount at once in an effort to kill myself. With the money I had left, I checked into a hotel. As I sat on the bed with the drugs next to me, I opened the nightstand drawer in hopes of finding a notepad on which to scribble a few last words. Instead, I found a Bible.
As I sat on the bed with the drugs next to me, I opened the nightstand drawer in hopes of finding a notepad on which to scribble a few last words. Instead, I found a Bible.
I turned to John 3, a Scripture reference I remembered from many years ago when I attended church. When I came across John 3:16, I set the Bible down and prayed, “God, if you came to save the world, please save me.” At once, I felt as if a light was shining on me, and I knew that I was not only loved, but my life meant something to God. I flushed the drugs down the toilet, and I gave my life to God.
Today, I am employed at a convenience store as a clerk. I live in a small apartment, and I have reconnected with my wife and family. Together we attend of small country church outside of town.
Thank you, Gideons, for providing that Bible. For me, it was the difference between life and death.
Anonymous email received 2/1/2016
A Blessed Effort
Others have told us they were overjoyed to find a Bible waiting for them in the hotel nightstand while far away from home.
Dear Sir:
It is 9 a.m., and I have been up for over 24 hours. I just walked into my hotel room after completing five beverage services and two meal services on my way from Miami to London, and my first thought when I walked into my room was, “Is there a Gideon Bible in my bedside drawer?”
I have been a flight attendant for almost 40 years. In each city where I spend the night, I have always counted on having the Gideon Bible in my hotel room and have not been disappointed.
I do not know if you have ever thought about the thousands of flight attendants you have ministered to in all these hotel rooms for all these years since aviation began. Having God’s Word in each room is an amazing miracle and I, for one, cannot say, “thank you” enough.
I know of no other organization in the world that fulfills Matthew 28:19-20 better than The Gideons. God has blessed your efforts, and they have been such an inspiration to me. You have blessed countless flight attendants who have many “homes” away from home and can always count on His Word to be there.
Submitted by Melony, from Miami, Florida
We thank God, as well as our members and donors, for making it possible to reach the hearts of so many through the placement of His Word. On behalf of the many hotel guests whose lives have been touched by these Scriptures, we offer a special thank you to hotel owners and managers for allowing Gideons to place God’s Word in their hotels.
From Prisoner to Pastor
Testimony
I was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Both my parents were heavily involved with drugs and alcohol. When I was younger, my mom took us to church, but that soon ended. So did my parents’ marriage.
After they divorced, I stayed with my mom who constantly changed jobs and boyfriends, moving us from home to home. I never felt grounded or secure. I remember being abused and frequently called worthless.
I began smoking and drinking at age 11, and I continued abusing substances through grade school. I was kicked out of high school my sophomore year and left home at the age of 16. I spent the nights anywhere other than my mom’s place. I ended up living in some very bad places, among the worst kind of people.
By my 21st birthday, I was in Denver, Colorado. My life was reaching the pinnacle of addiction, depression, and violence. I despised myself and any person who appeared to have a better life than I did. Consumed by so much hate and self-loathing, I would often get in fights just to feel something other than my own existence. I tried killing myself on several occasions—always ending in failed attempts. I was out of control.
At a party one night, I shot a full clip of ammunition into the car of someone I thought had stolen from me. I was duly arrested and prosecuted for two counts of attempted murder.
There I was—21 and facing up to 72 years in prison. I had no friends, no family, and no hope. However, there in my jail cell, I saw a Gideon-placed Bible. I had never read a Bible before. As I opened it up to the book of Matthew, I learned about Jesus and His love.
There I was—21 and facing up to 72 years in prison. I had no friends, no family, and no hope.
Matthew Chapter 5, verse 4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” I had never felt comfort, peace, or true love in my life. So I prayed for the first time and asked God to let me taste these things before my life was over.
In that moment, I felt the Father’s arms wrap me up and His love burned so hot through me I began to weep from my very soul. I was forever changed in one instant. I vowed to follow God and His love and to give my life to Him no matter what the rest of my life would bring.
I was incarcerated for nine months. During that time, I went to addictions classes, continued my education, and earned my GED. I awaited my sentencing without an attorney. I only had Jesus. By the grace of God, I was sentenced to four years of probation and released the very next day. I was a free man.
I was forever changed in one instant. I vowed to follow God and His love and to give my life to Him no matter what the rest of my life would bring.
After my release, I completed a year-long intensive program to aid my progress in resolving my addictions. I continued to feed my soul with the knowledge of Christ.
Today, I am a licensed pastor in Colorado with Teen Challenge, and I am newly married. In just a few short years, my life has been transformed from one of pain and suffering to a life of joy and service to the King. I daily thank God and His unrelenting love to call out my name in that jail cell and speak truth to me through His Word.
Edited by The Gideons International
A Road Trip Leads to a Hotel Bible
Testimony
On a cold, dreary night in the 1970’s, a young hotel executive was driving to Washington, D.C. With his career taking off and in love with his future bride, one might think there was nothing Shahn Wilburn lacked. However, deep inside his heart, Shahn knew something was missing. On that night, he began to ponder the question, “If I were to die, where would I spend eternity?”
Raised in the rural community of Kimballton, Virginia, Shahn grew up going to church with his parents. He regularly attended Sunday School, adult worship services, and church ice cream socials. Important values like responsibility and working hard were instilled into Shahn by his parents. In the summer of 1966, he started his first job working as a dishwasher at a resort. He continued working summers there while he attended school. Upon graduation from college, he entered a career in hotel management, quickly rising to sales manager of a major hotel property.
Somewhere in all of his ladder climbing, Shahn had let church slip out of the picture. However, between his successful career and lovely fiancé, he began to realize just how blessed his life was. He began to feel obligated to “balance the good fortune” by going back to church. He also began trying to study the Bible.
It was during this season of his life that he found himself questioning what was waiting for him beyond this life. As he drove toward Washington D.C. on a business trip, the question, “If I die, where would I spend eternity?” kept circling in his mind. “The answer was obvious and one I did not relish,” says Shahn. “For the first time in my life, I felt as if my soul was laid bare before a holy God.”
“For the first time in my life, I felt as if my soul was laid bare before a holy God.”
As he approached the nation’s capital, rain was pouring down, and Shahn was pouring out his heart to God. “I remember praying and feeling a tremendous need to be heard by the Lord. After weeping over my sin and talking to God about my life, which at that moment seemed so empty, I sought assurance from God that He was listening.”
Shahn arrived at the hotel. He trusted there would be a Gideon-placed Bible in the drawer of his hotel nightstand. To his surprise, there wasn’t. “In nearly eight hundred hotel rooms, I suspect that was the lone room with the Bible missing.” He called the front desk and notified them his room did not have a Bible. Shortly after, the bell captain arrived at his door with a Gideon Bible in hand.
“There beside my bed, burdened by my sin, I needed to know God as I had never before known him. I opened to the inside page and read John 14:6, which says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
He read other passages that night as well, trying to determine exactly what his responsibility was in attaining his soul’s salvation. After all, he grew up learning anything worthwhile could only be accomplished by hard work. He came to discover that God’s plan of salvation was not based on what Shahn could accomplish, but rather what Jesus had already accomplished on the cross.
“I could not find that I needed to do anything but believe that Jesus died for my sins, was buried, and arose the third day to give eternal life to all who would accept Him.” Shahn dropped to his knees and trusted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. “It seemed as if a weight had lifted from me, and I felt at peace with God.”
“I could not find that I needed to do anything but believe that Jesus died for my sins, was buried, and arose the third day to give eternal life to all who would accept Him.”
When he returned home, he shared his life-changing decision with his parents, friends, and his fiancé, Juanita. In the months to come, he would grow in his walk with the Lord. That spring, the couple married and continued to grow in the Lord.
A career change allowed Shahn to balance work with attending Piedmont Bible College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Then, doors began to open for him to fill in part-time for some pastors.
God’s timing always fits a bigger plan. One of the doors that opened was with a small congregation of less than 20 people at Riverview Baptist Church back in his home county. Soon after Shahn’s first sermon, the pastor retired for health reasons. The congregation needed a pastor and offered the position to Shahn. He accepted.
Now, more than 35 years later, Shahn and Juanita are still serving at Riverview. The church has grown to over 1,100 people, several of whom are Gideons.
“And to think, it began in a hotel room with a Gideon Bible,” says Wilburn.
From the Girls’ Brigade
Over recent months, our members around the country have had the privilege of visiting Girls’ Brigade Companies to present them with their own personal copy of the New Testament & Psalms embossed with the Girls’ Brigade logo.
Many members have spoken of the encouraging time they have spent with the young people in these Companies and their leaders and it is great to be able to share now an encouragement from one of the Companies themselves.
Thank you to Girls’ Brigade Ministries for passing on this great encouragement:
“Hi there,
I am not sure which of your members went to visit our 1st Forest Hill Girls’ Brigade company in South London last night, but I did just want to share the email below from the Team Leader who wanted to pass on her thanks.
I have had such positive feedback from other GB companies, especially about how well your Gideon members talked and interacted with the girls, that it would be great if you could pass on thanks from us to all of them.
Every blessing in your amazing ministry
Rosie”
Morning!
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the connection between GB and the Gideons and for providing Bibles for our girls.
Our local Gideon reps came last night to GB, spent time talking to the girls and explaining about the Bibles, teaching them how to find certain passages and reminding them how the Bible can be of comfort to them etc.
It was so lovely to have them with us and the girls really appreciated their Bibles – they all ran out to tell their parents at the end of the evening – it was very special. There were lots of comments like “…and it’s just the right size for my pocket”, “I can’t wait to take it to Church” and “now I won’t have to take my big Bible out with me” etc. which was so lovely to hear. And the leaders all loved the design and the connection to GB. It was a great evening and much appreciated by all.
Thanks again
Rachel, 1st Forest Hills Girls’ Brigade
Included in the Testaments is a prayer written by GB member Leilani Mildren of Potter Street Baptist GB Team – 1st Harlow.
Her prayer is…
“Lord, I thank you for Girls’ Brigade. It’s a home from home, my place of peace, a sanctuary of safety. If I’m down it lifts me up. If I’m upset it calms me down. Lord, I thank you for the leaders, they do your work and channel your words to us, guide us and show us your way. Lord, I ask you to bless every member, current, past or yet to join. Help us to find your family and become a member. Help us to seek, serve and follow Christ. In Your name, Amen.”
Pictured is Leilani receiving her very own Testament from Susan Swindale of Stort Valley Branch.
We are extremely grateful for our relationship with the Girls’ Brigade and we thank them for the opportunity to visit their Companies and offer the young people a copy of God’s Word.
Easter Encouragement
“For we believe that Jesus died and rose again” I Thessalonians 4:14
The Son of God, who had never sinned – and who was least deserving of death – died so we could have life.
What an amazing story we have to share with people, of the sacrifice that Jesus gave for us, of the price He paid for our salvation and of the greatest love that anyone will ever see.
We can rejoice, knowing that Jesus rose again and He is alive.
Sharing the Gospel with the Gideon Bible App
The Gideons International provides a Bible App specifically designed for evangelism which allows people to access the Word of God in many different languages, both in audio and written format. For more information about the app click here.
The Gideon Bible App provides an incredible opportunity to break language barriers and share the Word of God with others even if you don’t share a common language, as this Gideon in Australia found out. This is what they shared:
How good it is to share the Word of God.
Yesterday a businessman got into a taxi in Victoria, Australia. He got chatting to the driver, as you do sometimes.
“G’day mate, howya going?”
It turns out that the driver was from Ethiopia and he was studying here.
“You know, would you like to hear something really cool? What is your native language?”
“Amharic” was the drivers response.
From his smart phone, in just a few seconds the businessman found the Gideon Bible App and went to the audio for John 3.
“Could you listen to this and see what you think?”
To his amazement the driver then heard the Bible in his own language. Wow! What a smile on his face after hearing the Gospel this way.
It was so good the driver immediately wanted this new talking Bible. So the Gideon Bible App was shared in a second through text link as they travelled along the freeway. The driver said he had an orthodox background but said he was not confident of his salvation. The Good News was shared and the driver shared his yearning to read and learn more from the Bible and a prayer was offered at the drop off point.
Later that day the Gideon was in Perth on his business trip and he received a text from his new driving buddy:
“I would like to thank GOD for sending you in my life. I receiving today in my life powerful word. Know GOD spoke to me. Thanks. It was encouraging and touched me. Thank you”
God is at work in this world. Share the Good News this Easter.
We thank you all for your support and wish you a very blessed Easter.
Further Update – Urgent Call For Prayer
Thank you very much to all who have been praying into this situation and to those who have helped share the call for prayer around the world.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…” 2 Chronicles 7:14
We want to share with you the response received from Hilton following an email sent to them on Friday requesting clarification as to their policy regarding Gideon Bibles. Hilton’s response was received on Friday evening so it has been encouraging to see how promptly Hilton have dealt with this matter.
We won’t quote the entire email received from Hilton but here are some very important and significant extracts:
I have taken extra time to review your letter and my reply on this subject.
Besides that I stated that we are driving to the reduction of printed material in our guestrooms, we (Hilton Brand or Hilton Worldwide) have not issued a specific instruction to remove any Gideon bibles from our guest rooms. At the same time, we are supporting the management of our environmental footprint better, in line with our environmental policy.
Reference on: “the decision of what is placed in the rooms are solely up to the brand management team of that location”…besides that we are mindful of our management on the environmental footprint – each hotel and its management can decide how to execute on this approach. This also includes placement of printed materials like the Gideon bible in a guest room which is at the individual property’s discretion.
Our team members in the hotel do work very hard to serve a range of requests from our guests – either pre-arrival and/or during their stay – if there is a request for a bible, I have not heard that this request was not served. If so – we can work on this.
As stated in previous Blogs, we must continue to promote the ‘Help keep a Gideon Bible in hotel rooms’ campaign:
“With God we shall gain the victory.” Psalm 60:12
Just as we took time to pray let us also take time to give thanks to the Lord for HIS unfailing love and faithfulness. As you read this please pause and give thanks to the Lord…and keep praying that all hotels will be open to receiving Gideon Bibles.
Time set aside
One of the National Office Team had the pleasure of meeting Pastor Gerwyn Roberts (pictured above) recently in his home near Conwy. This was their report of the time they spent together:
“We spent two and a half hours together and had a really Spirit filled time. I couldn’t understand until I met this delightful guy why I just couldn’t get another appointment for later that morning!
God knew why…because I was going to be heartily blessed by this pastor for an extended time.”
During that time Gerwyn shared the following testimony of how the Lord’s amazing power was evident to him and his family during a tough experience:
“It was a very difficult year so we as a family decided to go on a well earned break. This was back in August 2004 but things transpired a bit differently to what we expected on a family holiday in Florida.
To begin with things were going great with visits to Disney World, Sea World and so on. But life has a way of stopping you in your tracks, what I call ‘life’s speed bumps’. And what a speed bump! Hurricane Charley was on its way straight through our resort in Orlando. Things were very tense all day; it was a very uneasy feeling seeing shops and houses being boarded up in preparation for the storms impact.
My wife Lynne, our 8 year old daughter Naomi and I were boarded up in our hotel room waiting for it to strike and then it came. The noise was deafening hearing windows smashing and people shouting, “God help us!” We were powerless, so in desperation I turned and opened the drawer in the bedside unit and found a Gideon Bible so I opened the Bible and it opened at a page that had a verse marked. The verse read “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on our own understanding” Proverbs 3:5. We felt the real presence and protection of the Lord as we held onto that Bible.
In the morning we opened the door to our room and what we saw was like a scene from a disaster movie. By God’s grace we came through, and thanks to whoever placed that Bible, it was a life saver indeed.
We were given the Bible to take home with us, which has pride of place in the study. We as a family will never forget that frightening night on August 15th, and yes, God’s Word has the power to still the storm!”
Update – Urgent Call For Prayer
Further to the ‘Urgent Call For Prayer‘ Blog on Friday 11 March, we want to update you on the situation that is developing with Hilton. Again, please share as widely as possible.
Firstly, thank you very much for the tremendous support we have received and for all those who are praying into this situation; the response on our social media sites has been very encouraging:
- Over 26,500 people have read the original Blog in 53 countries, literally all over the world.
- 12 March was our highest viewed day since the Blog began with 2,793 views, which was then replaced with 13 March (2,822) and 14 March (4,082)… then yesterday (15 March) with 4,723 views.
- The Facebook post has presently reached over 6,500 people.
We have heard that Hilton has been ‘bombarded’ with emails. The following response was received by one Pastor who contacted Hilton:
Dear Mr…
Thank you for contacting Hilton Guest Assistance regarding the concerns of the Gideon Bibles in our locations. We greatly apologize for any frustration with this matter.
As each location is operated separately, the decision of what is placed in the rooms is solely up to the brand management team of that location. While it is unclear if this concern is for a specific location or all locations, I have noted your concern for our brand team to ensure that they understand the importance of these items to our guest.
We thank you for sharing your comments. Should you have any additional questions relative to this matter, please reply to this email or call our office at 1-888-240-61532.
Best regards,
Specialist
Hilton Guest Assistance
Hilton Worldwide
This response from Hilton is encouraging; however, as well as PRAYING we must continue to promote the ‘Help Keep a Gideon Bible in hotel rooms’ campaign:
We want Hilton to “…..understand the importance of these items to our guest.” If we don’t tell them, who will?
As a reminder, please set time aside to pray between 12 noon and 1.00pm on Friday 18 March; those who are able and feel so led are asked to consider fasting their lunch on that day.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…” 2 Chronicles 7:14
If you haven’t read the ‘Urgent Call For Prayer’ Blog you can do so here