Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – A Talking Bible for Those Who Need to Hear

By Paul Hoekstra and Ed Compean
October 2008

To hand the new non-reading Christian a book on the basics of the faith and send him or her home to study is not only ineffective, it is inappropriate. For example, imagine how frustrating it would be to have possession of an office or home safe, with complete and adequate resources locked inside, yet not be in possession of the combination necessary to unlock the door. So it is for the non-reading Christian who desires to grow in his or her faith.

Laura has a love for God’s word and a burden to carry on the work her husband, Alberto, had begun before he suddenly died.

Everything that is taught to a non-reading person must be presented in oral form. One-on-one discipleship requires great investments of both time and effort by a missionary or teacher, as well as by the new believer. When a missionary has to use precious time teaching basic reading skills, time is lost, thus hindering the spread of the gospel and inhibiting critical discipleship and personal spiritual growth.

The Talking Bible in Mozambique
Sitting on a mat under a shade tree in Pembra village, Laura Alberto Massingi speaks softly of the things of God with the group of ladies gathered around her. Questions are asked, gentle answers are given. It would seem Laura has few worries. In actuality, Laura has a love for God’s word and a burden to carry on the work her husband, Alberto, had begun as a pastor in the small Mozambique village before he suddenly died from a ruptured appendix in 2004. Even in her initial grief Laura said she was confident the church Alberto was the pastor of was important; however, she was worried how the work could carry on: “I found myself needing to continue spreading the gospel and teaching the Bible, but I was not sure how.”

According to the government of Mozambique, there are approximately 1.5 million Matswa people who speak Xitshwa in Laura’s mostly rural area of Mozambique. It is estimated that less than thirty percent of those people are literate, and that is why Laura feels a distribution of Talking Bibles in 2006 has been critical in helping her continue the work her husband began and the resulting transformation of many lives in Pembra.

Paul Hoekstra (left) lives in Escondido, California, with his family and serves as vice president of Talking Bibles International. Ed Compean (right) lives in Nairobi with his family as a church planter and lecturer at Disciple Support Ministries Bible Institute in Kibera and Mathare Slums.