"I was born in Shanghai and grew up in a Christian family.

"The only Bible in our household belonged to my grandmother. She kept it carefully in the chest of drawers next to her bed.  I remember her sitting on the verandah every day reading her Bible.  She taught me to treasure the Bible.  From that Bible she taught me Christian values, but above all she taught me the spiritual discipline of prayer and Bible reading.

" When the Cultural Revolution came, our church was closed and my grandmother's Bible was destroyed. Nevertheless, I still trusted and depended on Him, all the time praying privately in my heart.  When the Cultural Revolution ended the churches were re-opened, and I received a Bible which still directs my life.  My greatest wish is that more Bibles will become available in China so that the millions of Christians who does not have a copy, will receive a Bible of their own."  This is the story of elder Fu, one of the Christian leaders in China.

The United Bible Societies, of which the Bible Society of South Africa is full member, in partnership with the Chinese Christian Council and the Amity Press, is helping to making Bibles available for the millions of Christians in China.

Bible Societies mainly help with funding to make the necessary Bible paper available. It is planned to distribute 3 205 000 Bibles among Christians in China this year.  Nearly R22 million, which includes Bible paper, is needed to make these Bibles available.

The official records state there are 30 million Christians in China but the unofficial estimate is 100 million. Most of these Chinese Christians live in rural areas and are extremely poor.  More than 90 million Chinese people survive on the equivalent of one American dollar a day.

This year the Bible Society of South Africa aims to contribute R380 000 so that more Christians in China can receive their own Bible.

~ 3 February 2012 ~