You Have to See This Picture! | | Dear Family, It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope this picture represents thousands and thousands of opportunities! | | When you look at this image, you see a small boy in Iran selling socks. He is more than likely poor, and he may not even attend school. As you can see, he's actually not doing a very good job selling since he is obviously distracted by his phone. In some ways, he is not a lot different from our children or grandchildren who are constantly looking at their phones! Phones like his are very cheap in many parts of the world including in the Middle East, and they come with a MicroSD card for music and video files. Now the rest of the story... A little while before this picture was taken, a mission worker came up to the boy and befriended him. He asked him some basic questions, and then asked: "Would you like to watch an animated movie?" The mission worker gave the boy a MicroSD card, and when he put it into his phone, The Pilgrim's Progress animated movie started playing in his own language (Farsi). "What is this animation?" the boy asked. "It's a great animation." The missionary told him, "You are going to love it!" "But I don't have any money to pay," the boy answered sadly. "It's free. It's my gift to you!" the mission worker told him. The small boy smiled wide in surprise. "Really?" He asked, "I can really have it for free?" This happens every day in Iran. Mission workers share the Gospel through MicroSD cards containing Christian content including our film, The Pilgrim's Progress. We recently granted free permission for 10,000 MicroSD cards with the film to be distributed in Iran alone. | | The opportunity to distribute Christian content on the 5 billion phones around the world is unprecedented. Think of it this way: it took over 500 years to print and distribute 5 billion Bibles. It has only taken a few years to manufacture and distribute an equal number of phones that can all contain the Bible and other Christian programming. Video content also breaks literacy barriers! Those who cannot read, or who are not interested in reading will be able to engage with the Biblical content presented to them in this format. The opportunity to bring the Gospel to every nation, every tribe, and every people has never been better. Unfortunately, the vast majority of funding for Bibles and Christian content is still focused on printed Bibles. | | The opportunity to bring the Gospel to every nation, every tribe, and every people has never been better. | | It can take a while to change our perspectives about effective Bible distribution. I was speaking to a mission leader this week who told me he was an "old school" donor who gave primarily to the production and distribution of printed Bibles. But, when he saw this image and understood the power of digital media, he admitted that he had to reconsider his focus. While The Pilgrim's Progress is now being distributed around the world in over 25 languages, the primary vision is to distribute iBIBLE in the same way. The Pilgrim's Progress is the forerunner that is proving this method works, and the opportunity is great. The workers in Iran could not have easily handed this boy a Bible. That would have put him at great risk, and could have even caused him to be arrested. His family would have been angry. The mission worker could have easily been arrested, beaten, and imprisoned. And we don't even know if this boy can read. | | The workers in Iran could not have easily handed this boy a Bible. It would have put him at great risk, and could have even caused him to be arrested. | | However, an animated film like The Pilgrim's Progress opens the door. It is non-threatening. The boy will more than likely show his parents, and they will watch it together. It can easily be shared with other friends and family members as well. | | This week, we contracted to have the first six episodes of iBIBLE translated and dubbed into Farsi. The mission workers are eager to have it, and we want to distribute the episodes in Iran to test the impact. The episodes will be copied onto the MicroSD cards, shown on satellite TV on three different satellites, and shared on social media. The cost is only around $4,400 for this whole process. We are praying for a sponsor to help us with the cost, but I didn't want to wait. After seeing this image, I wanted to begin distributing iBIBLE in Iran as soon as possible. So, we have already started the process; the hope is to have the first six episodes of iBIBLE translated into Farsi in the next few weeks! If God is leading you to sponsor the first 6 episodes in Farsi, please write to me by responding to this email. "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together." —John 4:34–38 [ESV] Thank you for joining with us in the harvest of souls! Have a blessed Sunday. Steve Cleary CEO/Founder RevelationMedia | | Become an iBIBLE Producer Today Support the production of iBIBLE by becoming a monthly donor of $35 or more, and you will receive free rewards. Become a part of history by supporting the animation, production, and distribution of the world's first complete animated Biblical narrative that will be brought to the whole world for FREE. Sign up today as a Producer, and you will receive an iBIBLE t-shirt, a copy of The Pilgrim's Progress film, and a newly updated second edition of The Pilgrim's Progress storybook. | | | | |
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