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Project Update - Arrival of 10,000 Bibles at CLC Mozambique

An update from Petra Nemansky on December 15:

"Here in Mozambique we are excited to tell you that we have now received the long awaited Bibles from Brazil. It has been a bit of a stressful time for us, but all worth it in the end.

The ship came two weeks later than expected and arrived one week before our Bible launch event which was planned for 9 December. The clearance from custom took a bit more time, and the Bibles were not ready for pick up from the harbour until the Friday before our launch. However, somehow the truck driver had underestimated the load and arrived in the harbour with a truck that was too small. He went back to get a bigger one, but by then the harbour office was closed. So, he returned on Saturday morning at 8am, thinking that he could deliver the Bibles to the shop a few hours later. But there were lots of cars having to go through customs, so it took much more time. And then, when he wanted to deliver the Bibles he got confused as the boxes were marked with the address of the Bible Society in Maputo, and not our address, so he could not find us! Finally, the truck arrived at 2pm, exactly the time when our event was starting. In Europe, project managers would get a heart attack, but here, people are much calmer about schedules. Some guests even said that it was exciting to see the Bibles being delivered during the event.

However, it was quite a stressful time, we could not make the displays we wanted to make and had to start an hour later. But in the end, we were all excited to have the Bibles, and many organisations are very interested in the product, which is really great. Now our 'real' work is starting to distribute the Bibles all throughout Mozambique." Petra Nemansky

Please also find attached, the PDF which we sent out to our "Customers & Friends of CLC" database yesterday. There are some photos there and more information about the Bible itself.

So, we have received the Bibles, but please do note that the fund for the project is still open.

We have paid the first three instalments to the Bible Society fo Portugal and the fourth and final instalment is due in February.

This photo was taken this morning (15th December 2017), outside the door of our bookshop. We are supporting the GLS (Global Leadership Summit) today in the seminary chapel and tomorrow with a book table in the seminary foyer as well as through the bookshop of course*, and we thought it would be fun to have a Christmas tree made of Bibles! (in photo Petra Nemansky and Liz Patten)

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March 2018 Project Update

While fundraising in Europe began, the local CLC team started to make people in Mozambique aware that these Bibles were expected to arrive before the end of the year. Flyers were printed to explain what this Bible translation is all about and why the local CLC team is convinced it will help the church reach more people for Christ. A simple booklet with the book of Proverbs was also printed in this translation so that the team could give them away, explaining the benefits of the soon-to-arrive Bible. In the shop in Maputo as well as in Beira, posters were put up in anticipation of the arrival of the Bibles with texts that we hoped would catch people’s attention. Read more here:

https://clc.org.uk/post/thank-you-because-bible-everyone-clc-mozambique

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‘Sola Scriptura’ for Mozambique

In the UK we can buy a Bible simply by visiting a Christian bookshops or by ordering online. However, this is not the norm in many countries of the world. Many people cannot buy a Bible so easily, nor they cannot afford to buy one. Mozambique is one of those countries.

Mozambique is a large African country with an area of 309,413 sq. miles (more than three times the size of the UK) and a coastline of more than 1,500 miles. In this vast country there are only a few Christian bookshops, and CLC has two outlets – one in the capital Maputo and the other in Beira. Economically, Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world.

The Difficulties of Distributing Bibles in Mozambique

• The Language
  Although the majority of Mozambicans speak one or two local languages, children learn Portuguese in school. However, the Portuguese Bibles that are available are translations that are not easy for someone for whom Portuguese is their second language. They are also difficult for those with a poor level of reading skills

• The Price
  There are no Portuguese Bibles printed in Mozambique. They all have to be imported either from Portugal or Brazil. The publishers in those countries source the Bibles from printers in India or South Korea. Inevitably this increases the price of the Bible by the time it gets to Mozambique, and this is not helped by the local bureaucracy and currency fluctuations.

A Solution

There is a Bible translation – The Bible for Everyone – that is written in an everyday language. This version of the Bible is perfect for a project that seeks to make the Word of God available to the widest possible number of people.

 

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