October 2008 - Daniel


In one of the most beautiful episodes in the New Testament, Jesus encounters a blind man in Mark's gospel. And when Jesus places His hands on that blind man's eyes, we read,

"Then his eyes were opened . . .

his sight was restored . . .

and he saw everything clearly!"


Since we began ministry nearly four decades ago, God has enabled us to provide freely more than one million Audio Bibles to blind people around the globe.

And how our hearts wish Jesus would reach down and open the eyes of every single one of the people we've served . . . restore everyone's sight . . . make each one see clearly!!! (Our hearts overflow with love for the folks God has allowed us to help.)

But God doesn't seem to work quite like that - even in Jesus' earthly life, He didn't heal every blind person. And that has been the case with our friend, and Audio Bible recipient, Daniel Shelley, who literally does not even have eyes for God to reach down and touch.

Retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer that strikes retinal cells, stole Daniel's left eye when he was merely eight months old - the cancerous eye had to be removed. When he was two, Daniel's right eye also had to be removed because of severe burning from intense radiation that doctors had hoped would salvage his lone remaining eye.

Now at the age of forty-six, Daniel reflects on his growing up as a child in California - without sight and even without eyes. It is easy to see how Daniel could have become bitter in heart and rebellious in attitude toward God. And so he did.

Daniel says his heart was so hardened toward God - he even can recall hurtful conversations he had with people in which he tried to sour their spirits toward God! For instance, he adamantly told one girl whose relative had just passed away that there was no God - and that her relative was simply gone . . . forever . . . with no God . . . and no hope. (And that death itself was dark . . . hopeless . . . God-less . . . for all of us.)

But that Daniel is not the Daniel you would meet today. Today's Daniel still lacks his

sight - and his eyes. God has never touched and restored them. But God has touched Daniel's heart and drawn him into relationship. And Daniel loves God's Word - and his Audio Bible - passionately.

Daniel says his Audio Bible gives him a chance every day to hear God express Himself. And Daniel listens to his Bible every day - often. He says he considers his Audio Bible one of life's few true necessities - and that his heart and mind would be defenseless without it.

Despite Daniel's obvious limitations, God has enabled him to excel in so many areas. Fluent not merely in English - but also in German and Spanish - Daniel listens to the Bible in all three languages!

With the background of a music major in college, he now plays piano and guitar - and writes music - all for the glory of God. He listens to his Audio Bible, then tries to take the rich truths of God's Word and build them into musical expressions . . . because this once bitter-hearted, rebel-souled man has now been touched deeply by God - - not yet in his eyes, but in that part of him which will matter most for all of eternity, in Daniel's heart!

August 2008

Captain Jim George

The key to changing the world is closer than you think . . .

It’s one thing to want to change the world. Quite another to actually do it.

Captain Jim George knew the difference. And God used him as a world changer.

Working on a freight ship his entire professional career, there was not a port in the world Captain Jim did not visit. But his real work was of the Lord. Everywhere he went, he shared the Gospel, handing out Audio Bibles provided by friends like you.

A real “people person,” he also established key in-country contacts that enable us to deliver Audio Bibles in 138 countries worldwide.

It was during one of his visits in Poland that Captain Jim met Ben Nowakowski. A longshoreman, Ben was not a believer at the time and I can only imagine his reaction to Captain Jim, hardened and weathered by a life at sea . . . but whose eyes reflected the gentle warmth and kindness of his heart.

Captain Jim and Ben stayed in close touch and eventually Ben came to accept Christ as his personal savior. But his story, and Captain Jim’s world-changing influence, doesn’t stop there . . .

Following Captain Jim’s guidance, Ben later moved to the United States and now works for this very ministry overseeing the production of all our Audio Bibles, both domestic and international. In fact, if you ever have a chance to visit us here in Florida, you will treasure meeting Ben. He loves hosting and touring groups through our production facility.

I’m telling you Captain Jim’s story of influence because I believe it serves as an important reminder that God can use you and me to be world-changers, making an eternal difference for millions.

I realize the possibility of you and I boarding a ship and taking the Gospel to every corner of the globe is remote. What I encourage you to remember is that there is no way this side of heaven you can possibly know the ripple effect you are having through your generous support of Audio Bibles for the Blind. But God does . . . just as God knows Jim’s ongoing ripple effect.

July 2008

The Lord could have taken him . . . twice.

And I sincerely believe Keith is still on this earth for a reason. And that begins with telling you his story −so you can know how you are helping to impact lives for eternity through your ongoing, generous support of Audio Bibles for the Blind.

A few years back, Keith was rushed to the hospital for severe headaches. Little did he know, he was suffering an aneurism . . . HIS THIRD! A fourth would kill him.

As his brain swelled, his vision failed. Eventually, surgeons removed a portion of his skull to relieve the pressure.

God spared Him that day. And then again when, three years later, he was struck by an SUV. While his vision was poor, God was getting his attention and the eyes of Keith’s heart were finally opened toward Jesus Christ.

“These perceived tragedies are the most positive events I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Keith explains. “They drew me to the Savior. The first time I ever thanked God for anything was after being hit by that SUV. I thanked God for my life.”

And today Keith is thanking God for generous friends like you who helped provide him with his very own Audio Bible.

He uses it every morning for his devotionals and is working to study the entire Bible in just one year.

“Now I want to do everything in my life for the glory and honor of God,” he says.

This is the kind of impact you are helping to make through every Audio Bible you help put into the hands of someone like Keith. You see, God works through the generous hearts of friends like you to help make a life-changing, eternal difference.

I encourage you to pray about what kind of difference He’s leading you to make today.

With 2,500 people crying out for God’s Word every month, we need your help. Only through your generous support — and that of all our friends — can we continue rushing Audio Bibles FREE OF CHARGE to those who need them most.

Whatever you can share will help change a life like Keith’s.

Untouched by resentment or bitterness, Keith uses his Audio Bible to give him unique and lifesaving perspective.

“Through His Word I’ve learned about things like the power of forgiveness, my own faith in God and why He placed me here and allowed these struggles,” he explains.

“My physical body was saved by God but most important, my soul was saved by Him. Nothing could be more important.”

And few things could be more important right now than helping to answer another cry from a hurting soul like Keith . . . someone who still longs for God’s Word in a format they can use daily.

June 2008

It happened in an instant. An unstoppable, unavoidable, unpredictable moment that Willie Thompson wishes he could forget, but never will . . .

The day he could no longer read his beloved well-worn, dog-eared Bible.

I’ve never seen Willie’s Bible, but from what I know about him, it’s safe to say it also probably served as a spiritual journal. I can imagine the notes in the margin from sermons long past . . . the brief recordings of answered prayer . . . the scribbled pleas for God’s help in moments of desperation.

Willie’s Bible was more than a book . . . it was a testament of his faith . . . his rock . . . his salvation . . . and his guide.

Glaucoma robbed this 62-year-old former furniture delivery man of his precious treasure, devastating him.

“My parents brought our family up in church and in the knowledge of the Lord,” he explains. “Loving God and loving the Scriptures! We always spent time getting to know God through His Word.”

For years, Willie relied on others to read the Bible to him when they had time. But his daughter tragically died and his wife became so terribly ill she now relies on an oxygen tank. Reading out loud has become a near impossible chore for her.

Matthew 19:26 comes powerfully to mind: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

You see, just when it looked impossible for Willie ever to enjoy the Bible again, God, in His infinite wisdom, made it possible. Working through the generous hearts of friends like you, God orchestrated the delivery of Willie’s very own Audio Bible . . .

“Your Audio Bible is now the only way I can get into God’s Word for myself,” he smiles. “At last it’s now easier to spend time with God and gain insights into His Word. I needed easy access to the Bible because it’s my spiritual food.”

Yet so many here at home and throughout the world still hunger as Willie did. Some like Willie are visually impaired. Others are too ill to hold a Bible on their own. So many are depending on Audio Bibles for the Blind to satisfy the longing in their souls.

And we are depending on generous friends like you to help us answer God’s call to deliver His Word — FREE OF CHARGE — to those who need it most.

Please help by sharing a gift today. Only God knows the total return on your investment. But you can rest assured it will be significant. Willie is living proof.

Once delivering furniture for a living . . . Willie is now delivering God’s Word to churches and congregations each week!

“I use my Audio Bible from you each and every day,” he explains. “I enjoy listening to the Bible and preparing my sermons. I love your ministry for giving me a Bible again for my very own.”

May 2008

“We are not able to describe
the joy that you have caused . . .”
Xmarik, a believer in Belarus

Everywhere, from one end of the earth to another, people are crying out for Audio Bibles. They are the visually impaired – commonly longing for God’s Word . . . and hurting without it.

From America to Poland to Belarus and beyond, we hear their pleas . . . 2,500 a month! All desperate for Audio Bibles. All depending on this ministry — on you and me — to respond. internationa

As Helena in Poland told us: “It has always been my dream to have my own recorded Bible and a player for listening. But that dream could not have come true if it was not for your wonderful love filled hearts.”

This is the impact you have helped make for men and women across the earth through your generous support of Audio Bibles for the Blind.

And as we enter our 35th year of ministry, I want you to know that it is only by God’s grace and the gifts of friends like you that we have been able to distribute Audio Bibles in 138 countries and in 70 languages.
In all, we have delivered more than ONE MILLION AUDIO BIBLES — entirely free of charge — into the waiting hands of those crying out for God’s Word.

Someone like Litvinenko in Israel who says:
“I am very grateful for the cassettes with the New Testament and the Psalms. It is my joy and my happiness to have those cassettes and to be able to listen to them.”

Or Jarmila in the Czech Republic who told us: “Oh, what joy it is to see our blind listening to the Word of God. Most of our blind had no one to read for them so you can only imagine their happiness, since you made it possible for them to listen to the beloved Word of God any time they want.”

This is why we’re here. This is what we’re all about. This is God’s calling. And I’m deeply grateful for your listening to the gentle tug at your heart today because Isaiah 62:7 instructs us:

“Give the Lord no rest until He completes His work . . .”

And His work is far from complete.

As a good friend and partner of Audio Bibles for the Blind, you know as well as I that we serve as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. We are His mouthpiece. We are commissioned to proclaim the Good News from one end of the earth to the other.

And with so many more crying out for Audio Bibles, I must come to you and ask . . .

Will you share a generous gift to put God’s Word into the hands — and heart — of someone free of charge?

Maybe you can share enough so two people – or three . . . or many - who have no chance of reading God’s Word will come to know His love through Audio Bibles. Please pray and share as God leads to help make an eternal difference for the ones who reach out to us who are blind, visually-impaired, and print handicapped.

Whatever you can share will help, thank you!

I encourage you to hang your map where everyone can see it. May it remind you of the impact you are helping to make through your generous support of Audio Bibles for the Blind. Also, please pray about what you can do to help us provide more Audio Bibles to those hurting without it through your gift today. Thank you!

April 2008

A special message
from Violet to you . . .

“I’ll love meeting you and seeing you in person in eternity some day.”

Violet wanted us to forward this message to you. At 88, her health is deteriorating and her vision has failed her. Yet, thanks to Audio Bibles for the Blind and friends like you, she has never known a day without God’s Word.
“I love my Audio Bible,” she says. “It meant everything to me from the moment I received it. I can’t remember not living without Jesus and access to God’s Word.”

And that’s saying a lot! You see, Violet’s family left Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. They sold their farming equipment and headed West in a Ford Model-T they converted into a covered wagon. Her family received 640 acres of free government land in New Mexico.

Her father started the first church in the area. She met her husband at a church revival in the mining town of Mogollon where they were both baptized in a cattle tank, married and lived their lives.

In later years, Violet lost her husband, a pastor, to cancer. But to this day she holds onto the missionary zeal she and her husband shared in New Mexico.
“The most important thing to me and my husband was not to leave an earthy inheritance, but to leave a heritage of following Jesus,” she says.

That explains why she was so willing to share her precious Audio Bibles with her son-in-law, a policeman, so he could listen to them in his patrol car.

“Audio Bibles for the Blind covers almost the entire world,” Violet says. “Not more money, cars, or worldly goods matter. Nothing we seek here matters until you read and absorb and believe what God’s Word says. God’s Word points the way for us. If we follow it and Him, then we are ready to face this life and all of eternity.”

Amen! I could not have said it better myself. And it’s in that very spirit that I’m writing you today . . .

Every month, 2,500 people come to us, requesting God’s Word, seeking His will and the way through this life and all of eternity. But only through your generous support — and that of all our friends — can we continue rushing Audio Bibles FREE OF CHARGE to those who need them most.
Whatever you can send today will help make an incredible difference here and for eternity. Violet explains . . .

“When I first lost my sight, I got the Bible tapes and played them every night, one after another. And then again every day. I wore many of my tapes out.”

But thanks to the gifts of friends like you, we replaced those tapes at no cost to Violet.

So many like Violet are crying out for Audio Bibles. They are the visually impaired, the sick, even many who do not yet know God. From the United States to Haiti to Belarus and beyond, we hear their pleas. All desperate for Audio Bibles. All depending on this ministry — on you and me — to respond.

Violet told us: “I walk by faith, not by sight.” In many respects, so do we here at Audio Bibles for the Blind. And I have every faith that God will continue to provide for this ministry — His ministry — through the generous hearts of friends like you. Please pray about what you can do to help us provide more Audio Bibles to the lost and the lonely through your gift today. Thank you!

February 2008
I want to introduce to you a real-life miracle. kimanderson

Her name is Abby. And she is an undeniable example of how God uses you, me and so many others through Audio Bibles for the Blind to achieve His will on earth.

I’m certain Abby would agree.

Having grown up with a severe leg deformity in a Chinese orphanage, Abby’s only attention from other children was when they taunted and abused her. Isolated and lonely, Abby befriended an elderly woman who lived in the same facility. She called her “Granny.” The bond between them was inseparable . . . or so they thought . . .

Abby’s fourteenth birthday was just around the corner – literally only two weeks away. In China, when orphans turn fourteen, their “security” in the orphanage system is shattered – China labels them “unadoptable.” And they are officially pulled from all adoption lists. The clock was ticking on Abby.


But neither Abby nor Granny knew what the Lord was orchestrating in the United States. . .

Steve and Kim Anderson had already raised two children of their own, but felt God’s tugging at their hearts to do more. After much prayer and discussion, they followed the Lord’s leading to China — specifically to Abby’s orphanage.

Still, their intention was to adopt a toddler. But when they heard about Abby’s plight, and then met her, God changed their plans! In no time, she was on a plane headed to America!

But the story doesn’t end there, as Abby explains, “My life is a miracle. God began that miracle before I even believed in Him.”


kimanderson2Seeking the best possible avenue to witness to the young girl, the Andersons contacted Audio Bibles for the Blind. Thanks to the gifts of friends like you, we were able to meet their request for an Audio Bible in Chinese. Abby listened to it regularly, became involved with Steve and Kim in their local church, and came to Christ more than two years later.

But God wasn’t finished yet . . .

A couple of friends of the Andersons were planning to visit China and invited Abby to join them. Abby jumped at the chance to see “Granny” again. . . .

But she had another, deeper agenda, as evidenced by the Audio Bibles carefully packed in her luggage. When Abby arrived at her former orphanage, the staff warned her not to “flash” her Audio Bibles around. The area was intensely Muslim. It could be dangerous.

But that did not deter the courageous young girl. She was told she would have only two hours with Granny. It might be the last time they would meet on this side of eternity. Abby knew what was at stake so she did not waste any time witnessing to Granny and telling her about Jesus.

She gave her the Audio Bibles friends like you helped provide along with a cassette player and plenty of batteries. And Abby encouraged her Granny to listen to the Audio Bible over and over to learn about Jesus.

As I’ve said before, only God knows how your generosity and prayers will be used through Audio Bibles for the Blind.


What I do know is that I must count on you to help us continue fulfilling God’s will through this ministry. I think Abby described our efforts best when she told us, “My walk with Jesus is not just Sunday, but every day.”

Your giving to Audio Bibles for the Blind is evidence of your walk with Jesus. It’s not just on Sundays. It’s every day. IT’S TODAY!