Our group meeting picked up this burden and are going to a local park twice a month. We've also just been encouraging one another to realize all the opportunities the Lord places in front of us every day and all the time. We need to realize and then seize on those opportunities. Recently a Spanish-speaking high school student was waiting for a ride on the sidewalk in front of my house. He received a Bible. This morning, our local firemen were checking their hoses in the parking lot where we meet on Lord's Day. They received 2 Bibles for their firehouse. My son had a baseball tournament in Arizona not too long ago. We went to visit the Angels' practice Saturday morning and my wife and I were praying for opportunities to hand out Bibles. One of the guys working at the practice facility received a Bible. And one of the Angels' relief pitchers received a Bible! As others were asking for his autograph, I asked him if I could give him something, a study Bible. And he said, “Yes! I need a new Bible, mine is falling apart!” Praise the Lord for this burden. Man is open! God is working! But do we realize and seize upon all the opportunities God has and is creating for us? May we all pick up this burden. May this country be set free through the release of the Word of God!

Our small group prayed together about how to enter into this burden and felt we could start by moving our home meeting to a nearby park once a month and use that as an opportunity to hand out New Testaments. We brought the idea to the church for prayer, and this week we went out for the first time. About 8 families/couples went out with our TSUF shirts, New Testaments, ministry books, and tracts, and met at a local park for dinner and singing. Since our kids were with us, and most people at the park were gathered at the playground with young children, we focused mainly on children’s songs. One man approached us asking if he could join the worship, and another—who had been away from his faith—spent a long time in conversation with one of our brothers. Another person shared that they enjoyed the singing and received a tract. We were able to give out three Bibles and were encouraged to keep practicing. We hope to continue doing this once a month with our small group.

I am realizing more and more how easy it is to contact people that the Lord puts in our environment. I was invited to a gathering by a friend and I didn't really know anyone else there. I struck up a conversation with the girl next to me and I learned that she was a believer. We began to have some very sweet fellowship where she opened up that she was looking to read the Bible with others. I later discovered that she was a serious student of the Bible and that she used an app to study the Greek as she read through the New Testament. I told her about the Recovery Version and about getting a free copy online from BfA. After leaving that gathering, I felt a strong sense from the Lord to follow up with her. Together with some other sisters, we prayed for her, that the Lord would honor her seeking heart and would open up an opportunity to meet with her again for some kind of Bible study. The following weekend, she joined me and a few sisters from my small group and we read through Philippians chapter 1 together. I had ordered a set of New Testaments from BfA and I had one in my drawer. As we were all getting into the verses together, I gave her the New Testament and she really appreciated it. She then asked, “Is this the RCV?” She had heard of the Recovery Version (abbreviated as RCV) recently from a widely acclaimed Christian apologist who had added the Recovery Version to his list of Bible translations that he considers to be close to the original wording and structure of the Bible. We spent an hour really diving into and fellowshipping over Philippians 1, enjoying those verses. The fellowship was so sweet. I was so touched by the Lord's sovereignty in this whole situation: how He placed this person in my path very unexpectedly and divinely arranged for us to sit next to each other. It made me realize that we need to be those who are always ready to share the gospel and the truth to those around us—our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and those we encounter in our communities. Like Acts 1:8 says, “You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” We can/should start with those in our vicinity, our “Jerusalem.” There are so many opportunities to witness for the Lord to those we encounter in our daily lives. Also, through this experience and other experiences I've had with people, I've realized that It's one thing to tell people to go to bfa.org to order a free New Testament for themselves, but when you have a copy of it on hand, and you can show someone exactly how use it and are able to infuse life into that person. Nothing can replace that in-person contact and shepherding. While the Lord can do a lot through these Bible distribution events and many Bibles can go out, He is also moving in our own personal universe. That's where the follow-up care can take place and the God-ordained way can be carried out: in the homes and among the small groups.

I received the burden from the initial fellowship regarding prayerfully considering persons to give Bibles to one per week. Week 1: a coworker who recently went through a tragic situation. She warmly received the Bible and shared how she has been a Christian her entire life, but until recently the Lord has never been so real to her. Week 2: a doctor I work with, an older Indian man whom I have developed a very good working relationship with and friendship. I gave him a Bible this week and he received it with a big smile and said, “Thank you, I will read this.” I was skeptical at first about the openness of people in the United States but now realize the fellowship is correct—people are very open and need us to bring them these truths.

Over the last day and a half on the Coastal Carolina University campus, we gave out 300 Bibles and books. Several students received the Lord, and many were open to sit down and read God's Word.

More than 100 saints went out to distribute the Recovery Version Bible and ministry books and to announce the jubilee of grace at the Martin Luther King Day parade in Charleston. About 800 Bibles, 800 Basic Elements of the Christian Life, vol. 1, and 800 Spiritual Nourishment books were distributed.