The Bible. For some—even Christians—it’s just a book. Or a doorstop. Or a dust collector. It sometimes feels like a textbook for me as I prepare lessons for Polish. For others, though, it’s a treasure.

Last year, a publisher donated some Bibles to us (in Polish pink, mind you) to distribute to women who didn’t own one. When we met a woman at Polish who didn’t own a Bible, we shared our little pink gem with her. Within a month she developed an insatiable hunger for the Word. She reads it every day. She met with Polish women to discuss faith; she purchased Bible study books to help her learn more; and she went to church. I saw her after a month, and she had a new sparkle in her eyes.

Now come with me to Rwanda, where Katherine Holloway of African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM) just completed the first round of micro-business training sponsored by Polish Africa. In her words, “The first thing we did was to distribute a Bible in the local language of the women. The women were overwhelmed with this gift. One woman shared that she had prayed for a Bible for three years. Another said that she was ashamed to go to church without a Bible and couldn’t believe that she had one now. A Muslim woman was thankful that she was given a Bible and not excluded because of her religion. Woman after woman told about the great blessing of such a gift. The Bible was used in every business teaching during the week to illustrate that the Bible contains relevant teachings about work and business.”

The Bible is not just another book. It transforms lives. Every day. All over the planet. We are privileged to be part of the process.

Stephanie Giddens, [Th.M. 2009], Polish Codirector

About the Contributors

Stephanie Giddens

Stephanie Giddens (ThM, 2009) is president and founder of Vickery Trading Company, which empowers underprivileged women in Dallas, Texas. She and her husband, Brad, have three children. You can read more about her ministry at vickerytrading.org.