Dear Friend,
Happy New Year!
2024 was a fantastic year for Reach Beyond NZ and I am looking forward to even greater things in 2025.
I want to start the year by sharing with you something that is very exciting. A very under reached group is a group of about 8 million people in Russia and the countries that were, historically, part of the USSR. This is the group that use Russian sign language. We have been working hard to get the SuperBible and Heroes of History comics translated into Russian sign language. We have 24 of the comics done with video showing the sign language. This is ground breaking evangelism. It is what HCJB and Reach Beyond has always done.
We have received a huge number of comments from deaf people - Christians and from non-believers as well -saying that this project is awesome. People send their thanks and greetings to the team and they say that they understand much better now the Bible history and Christianity in general. Here are some of those testimonies:
“Hi. My name is **** and I'm deaf since I was born. Because of a lack of education, I wasn't able to read and write until I was 14. The only thing I knew was sign language. Then one friend of mine helped me a lot with it and now I'm able to read and write elementary things. Your cartoons have opened for me a different world. I could understand them all and the Bible became one of my favorite things. I'm waiting for the next episodes and I want to see what will happen next.”
“Thank you for this. It is very good, colourful and interesting. The language is good and I understand everything. Very good, thank you. It is the first time when I see Bible stories and I love this so much. If I could help, let me know.”
“Wow! So good, guys. Me and my wife - we are deaf, but our kids are not. My kids love it and my wife and I love it too. We watched all the cartoons and it is good that they also have a sound. It took just one week to watch them all by evening.”
“I'm pastor of a church for deaf people and I praise The Lord for these materials. We use these for our Sunday kids’ school and also at home groups' learnings. It helps a lot to teach people about the Bible. I have no idea who you are but you have done a great job on this. I'll be praying for you and your team and we all here are waiting for a continuation.”
All I want to say in response to those comments is “Praise God” and “thank you” to you for praying and giving so that we can do what we do”. Without your prayer, financial support and encouragement we could not do what we do.
OH, and I have some great video footage of our time in the villages in Ghana that I would love to show it to your church, or homegroup. It is such a privilege to tell the stories of lives changed and of all the other wonderful things that are happening here in NZ and around the world as the ministry of Reach Beyond fulfils its mission of Sharing Jesus, Giving Hope and Transforming Communities.
If you would like to chat with me, please contact me on 021985810 or rgrainger@reachbeyond.org.
Blessings,
Russell Grainger
NZ Office CEO
Reach Beyond is an international mission organisation with specialised skills in media, healthcare and community development. We’re passionate about reaching the unreached with the Gospel.
© Reach Beyond NZ, 2022