Li had been hungry all her life.
Born in the upheaval of the Great Famine and the Chinese Cultural Revolution, little Li woke up hungry. She went to bed hungry. She watched her family struggle to survive. And she watched others starve.
Fifty years later, the hunger still crept into Li’s mind.
When Li heard about a local church that gave away free food, she couldn’t believe it. But she went anyway—and received a generous meal after the service. She went home with a full stomach, but she knew from experience that she would be hungry again soon. So she went back to church the next Sunday. And the next.
One Sunday, the pastor stopped Li after the service. He said he was impressed by her faithful attendance. He asked her how long she had been a follower of Jesus.
It was the moment Li had been dreading.
“I am not a Christian,” she told the pastor. “But I like the free food.”
She expected the pastor to get angry or even throw her out. Instead, he packed her an extra portion of food to take home. He also told her that the Jesus she had been hearing about each Sunday once called himself the Bread of Life.
Touched by the pastor’s kindness and intrigued by this Bread of Life, Li started listening more closely to the sermon each Sunday. The more she heard, the more she believed that Jesus really could satisfy her hunger—the deeper hunger she had all along.
This is exactly what I’ve been searching for, Li thought. A Savior who feeds hungry souls like mine.
Li put her trust in Jesus and was baptized. Then, thanks to you, she received what she considers her greatest treasure: her very first Bible!
“I found this book was bread from God,” Li said. “With it, I fed my soul.”
You’re Continuing Decades of Life-Changing Ministry in China.
Li’s story is just one of hundreds I’ve heard since beginning my role as president at American Bible Society. And it’s one of many millions that God has written through your generosity in partnership with us!
This spring, I joined our United Bible Societies partners for an unforgettable visit to China. I traveled to five cities in 11 days and saw a glimpse of the ministry you make possible.
For more than 160 years, friends like you have answered the need for God’s Word in China. In our earliest years of ministry, our supporters sent a staggering 1 million Bibles to China. In times of war and political turmoil, they prayed fervently for Scripture to transform hearts and lives. Your commitment to this nation and to people like Li is truly inspiring to me.
Today, the work continues.
There are many in China who have never heard the name of Jesus. There are brothers and sisters in Christ who have never owned a Bible. And there are entire languages that do not yet have the Word of God.
When I consider the feast of Scripture translations, Bible resources, and media that we have available to us here in the United States, I find myself asking God to turn my heart toward those who are still hungry for the Bread of Life.
And I praise God for supporters like you as we work together to spread God’s Word throughout the world.
Because of You, People Like Li Are Receiving the Bread of Life.
One hundred years ago, most Bibles were shipped to China and carried from door to door.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), Christianity was outlawed, churches were shuttered, and Christians were persecuted for following Christ.
But today, thanks to you, most of the Bibles in China are printed inside a country where owning Scripture was once illegal!
In 1987, American Bible Society supporters helped launch the Amity Printing Company, which is now the world’s largest Bible printing press and the only printer authorized to print Bibles for use by the churches in China.
During our visit this spring, I learned how Amity has become a force in global Bible distribution. To date, they have printed more than 260 million Bibles in 229 different languages—serving not only our Chinese brothers and sisters, but many millions of people outside China, too. And with an established presence in China, Amity is a key partner in answering the need for God’s Word in this nation of 1.4 billion people.
Even 40 years ago, this would have seemed impossible. But God has used this unlikely partnership in an unlikely place to further his kingdom and provide food for hungry souls. And you’re part of that. Thank you!
While in China, I also saw how you’re making a difference for language groups that have not yet received Scripture. With more than 300 languages spoken in China, this nation is still at the forefront of Bible translation efforts. And thanks to you, no community is forgotten—no matter how small.
I’ll never forget the moment we arrived in one rural village. As we drove down the road, people lined our path, singing a song of thanksgiving for your gift of Bible translation.
During the church service we attended later that day, people showed me their handwritten portions of Scripture. Compared to my complete Bible, these worn pages seemed like mere crumbs, yet I’ve never seen people hold something with more care.
I heard my brothers and sisters recite long passages from memory and could almost see on their faces how sweet the words tasted. As I sat listening, I considered how rarely I’d hidden God’s Word in my own heart.
Everywhere I looked, I saw a deep love and hunger for God’s Word—all from a community that doesn’t have the full Bible! What a powerful example for us.
Thanks to you, this community—and others across China—are closer than ever to receiving God’s Word in the language that speaks to their hearts and nourishes their souls. I can only imagine the joy they will experience when they hold your gift in their hands.
There are many more moments I could share: pastors who have been equipped with theological training and study resources; church members who no longer need to share one Bible, but joyfully attend church each Sunday with their own copy of God’s Word; and new believers like Li who are growing in their faith and sharing Scripture with others. But there are no words that can describe the ministry you make possible better than Scripture itself:
“My word is like the snow and the rain that come down from the sky to water the earth.They make the crops grow and provide seed for planting and food to eat.So also will be the word that I speak— it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do.”
ISAIAH 55:10–11
God’s Word—the gift you give—is like rain that produces a plentiful harvest in hearts hungry for the only Bread that can satisfy. Despite ever-changing restrictions, massive need, and challenging boundaries to ministry, we can trust that wherever God’s Word goes, it will change lives.
Just look at people like Li!
“Since believing in Jesus, I have not only never been hungry, but I am no longer fearful or anxious about my needs,” Li says. She cites Matthew 6:25–27 as her favorite verses, adding, “I no longer worry about what to eat or wear.”
And now that she has her Bible, Li is eager to introduce others to the Bread of Life. “I can now share these verses with others to bring comfort to them,” she says. “I am so thankful for my Bible!”
You’re Setting the Table for an Eternal Feast.
My visit to China expanded my view of American Bible Society’s ministry and made me even more grateful for your partnership. Whether in China or in the next frontier of Bible ministry, I look forward to laboring alongside you to share the good news of Christ with all people. We truly cannot accomplish this great mission without you.
But my time in China also reminded me of the eternal difference you make when you give God’s Word.
At the end of the Bible, we get a glimpse of a great feast at the end of time: “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Happy are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb’” (Revelation 19:9).
By sharing God’s Word, you are not only ensuring that people feed their souls today. You’re sending God’s invitation to this great feast. As God takes your gift of the Bible and multiplies it beyond our wildest imagination, I trust that you will find many brothers and sisters seated beside you as we celebrate the Bread of Life, who satisfies our souls.
Read more stories in our full magazine here!
