Sri Lanka

Bible smuggling and translation

Mohana is labeled the 'black sheep of the family' when she chooses to become a Christian

By the editorial team

Share article

This fall, around 20 Danes will travel to Sri Lanka to participate in Bible distribution to poor Christians. The trip to Sri Lanka is a collaboration between Felix-rejser and the Danish European Mission. The need for Bible distribution is very high in Sri Lanka, as Christians are subject to deep poverty, which means they cannot afford to buy a Bible themselves.

Through the Bible, Mohana understands God's love and salvation

One of the people who has already received a Bible is a woman named Mohana: Mohana faced many big problems when she accepted Jesus as her savior. As the child of a devout Hindu family, she was expected to live as a pious Hindu.But after finding Christ, Mohana found it difficult to live up to these expectations.

Mohana quickly became the black sheep of the family and a disappointment to the whole family. But family problems weren't the only thing Mohana was struggling with. She was also trying to understand her heavenly Father's infinite love and gain an understanding of the salvation she had just received.

But even though she longed to own a Bible to read about it, she couldn't afford to pay the high prices that the stores in town charged for a Bible. All she knew was that God loved her, and that was her only strength.

"I came to know God at a time when I was facing many problems in my life. The Savior's love for me gave me the strength to overcome all my problems and face life knowing that I am a child of God," says Mohana, who was overjoyed when her pastor offered her a Bible one day.

"The Bible I received (due to the support of Danish European Mission donors) was a great encouragement to me. It helped me get to know God better and learn more about His promises. It was this Bible that helped me understand God's love and accept His salvation."

Bible encourages Mohana's brother during illness

However, Mohana not only received a Bible for herself, but also another, which eventually led to her entire family coming to faith in Christ.

It all began when her brother was injured in the civil war and suffered excruciating pain. The civil war lasted for more than 25 years, claimed the lives of up to 90,000 people and only ended in 2009. When Mohana's family admitted her brother to the hospital in Vavuniya, they were told that if the pain didn't go away, they would have to amputate his arm.

Her brother was in the hospital for almost a year, receiving treatment in an attempt to save his injured arm."We had no one to lean on during this difficult time. Our family was helpless and poor, and we had no one to help us. It was my pastor and other believers who supported us during this time."Mohana says that the pastor and leaders of the church regularly visited her brother and prayed for his healing.

One day, the pastor gave him a Bible, which he started reading while he was hospitalized."The Bible was an encouragement to my brother in the midst of his pain and strengthened his faith in God," Mohana explains."Today, he has fully recovered from his injuries and my whole family has come to believe in Jesus."

How encouraging and touching it is to read.Is there anything greater that a person can experience than accepting Jesus as their savior and experiencing God's love?

You can be part of what God is doing in Sri Lanka at this time. More and more people are coming to faith, but the new, poor believers desperately need Bibles. Thank you for helping to ensure that the desire of the poor Sri Lankan Christians can be fulfilled. A Bible costs DKK 30,-.

Support Sri Lanka: Bibles for poor Christians