Today was our fourth day of handing out Bibles. We worked with three other vehicles to cover a larger city. This took quite a bit of coordination between the teams. Spiros, a Greek driver of one of the vehicles, helped us break up the city into quadrants for us to tackle together. As we were introducing ourselves to each other and planning, Spiros reminded us that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. How encouraging! Meeting other believers from other countries has been wonderful. We are quite diverse: from South Africa to Romania; from Australia to Canada. It’s a joy to sit under teaching and sing in worship each evening with brothers and sisters in Christ that we just met!
As we deliver the Bibles, I’ve been surprised as to how many people are sitting outside their homes or are working in their gardens. Today I had the privilege of giving a Bible to a gentleman sitting on his front porch. I said “Ine thoro,” (“It’s a gift”) as I held out the Bible and he cautiously took it. I was afraid he’d hand it back to me so I proceeded to walk past him and put additional Bibles at the entryway of the other apartments behind him. When I was finished I turned around and saw him reading the Bible! (My teammate down the street snapped this photo of him.) I was surprised and overwhelmed with joy!
At our worship time tonight, Ellie, a member of the follow up team, shared how a woman who received a Bible at her house last week reached out to Operation Joshua. She was thrilled to have the Bible and even picked up extras that were accidentally delivered to vacated homes to give to her loved ones! Today the follow up team visited Helene and Kostas (her husband), read scripture with them and prayed for them. Helene and Kostas’ enthusiastic reaction to receiving the Bibles reminds me of what a treasure the Word of God is. I hope and pray that I never take for granted how the Bible is so readily available to me in a language I can understand.
Please continue to pray for those receiving the Bibles. Pray that they would open them and read them. And pray that we, as Bible deliverers, would do the same with our own Bible. For how else can we know Christ, our Lord and Savior, if not through God’s Word? (John 5:39). Thank you for your prayers and encouragements!
Laura
The Orchard - Balkans 
How wonderful, precious sister! You all are piercing the darkness with the light of God‘s gospel. ✝️
I pray, in Jesus’ name, that each Bible received would be welcomed down deep into the heart and soul of each recipient! The word has power to work and save. Paul once wrote to believers in a nearby city: “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” 1 Thessalonniki 2:13
Thanks so much, Mike, for your prayer!