Fiji Bible Project Update —February 2013
$376,397.61 has come in. 82% of the needed funds. $87,602.39 still needed to pay for everything. Pray we finish strong. First Two containers to arrive in Fiji the first of April, 102,000 Bibles. Looking to be distributing in June and July. School is out much of May. Pray for labourers.
Alan Brooks
Fiji Bible Project Update — January 2013
Thank you so much for your interest in the Fiji Bible Project. We have reached 70% of the needed funds to do all the secondary and primary schools. We have ordered and paid for the secondary schools' Bibles and need $139,200 more to do the primary schools.
Today, I received an email and a phone call within a 30 minute time period. The email was from Brother Steve Stone, BIMI Far North Director. He preached in Nova Scotia recently at a church on Hawk (an area in Canada). They committed to pay for 1,000 Bibles. Then I received a phone call on Monday, January 7, 2013, from Brother Craft in Germany. His people gave a special Christmas offering of $7,500 designated for the primary schools in Fiji. I also received a text message from Dr. Millar at First Baptist Church, Steinbach, Manitoba, stating that they will be sending $950 from their Sunday school for the Fiji Bible Project. Dr. Millar also asked to be able to go to Fiji and help hand out Bibles.
Since the first of the year, I have received phone calls, emails, and text messages telling of donations that have been pledged of close to $30,000 more! I believe with all my heart that God wants all of the children to receive God's Word. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11). Maybe this update will be a source of encouragement to you as it was to me. PRAISE GOD!
Fiji Bible Project Update — November 5, 2012
We are at 60% of the needed funds ($277,406.39). One hundred two thousand Bibles have been ordered and the money ($251,520) allotted. These Bibles would be in Fiji by the first of April. We will then be dividing them and transporting them to the secondary schools to wait for teams to come and distribute them. The secondary schools will receive full King James Bibles and the primary will receive King James New Testaments. We need $186,593.61 to put New Testaments in each primary school student's hand. Each Bible or New Testament will contain the attached plan of salvation and steps for Christian Growth.
The Stephen Koch family is finishing their deputation and hope to be arriving in Fiji by May to help coordinate the school assemblies with me. As soon as possible, we will begin setting up the times of delivery from May until done.
If we can raise another $186,593.61 by the end of January, we can finish this project. The secondary schools will be done and the primary if funds come in.
Many churches are taking Christmas offerings or collecting for their missions conferences in the spring. My prayer is that God will raise up all the funds so that we may do all of this project.
Download PDF of end pages.
Fiji Bible Project Update — October 3, 2012
God has graciously been touching the hearts of churches and individuals to help fund the Fiji Bible Project. As of the end of September, God has brought in $179,700! This is 38.7% of the needed funds.
We are constantly traveling to help promote and show the need. Until December our schedule is relatively full and I am beginning to schedule meetings for the first of the year. Distance is not an issue. Please contact me if you are interested in my coming by to present the work. As one pastor said to me, "There is something about a passionate, personal plea."
The window of opportunity to complete this project is small and leadership in third world countries can change overnight. The prime minister has planned a general election for September 2014. I certainly do not want what happened in Egypt to happen—Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph (Exodus 1:8).
Recently, God allowed me to speak in a school in Mississippi. They had set a goal of $4,800 but by God's grace they brought in $8,000! Their desire was to adopt a school district but they have now been able to do far more.
While speaking in Florida, I met a precious man of God who suggested that people take their old prescription pill bottles and fill them with quarters to help raise the funds for Bibles. He said, "People need the gospill not all of those pills!" Many times we do need the medicine to help us but this is a great way to recycle those pill bottles. Maybe Sunday school classes or school classes could collect quarters for Bibles. Just eight quarters will pay for one Bible.
We are encouraging churches to start a savings fund for a special Christmas offering for Bibles. We celebrate the gift of our Lord's first coming during this season. What a great testimony to give the gift of God's Word to those who need it. Please pray that many will help us.
Could you help us by influencing others? We will gladly send DVDs and brochures to anyone interested in helping. It seems that every time churches or individuals see the DVD or read the brochure they desire to get involved. If each of us could share the burden and speak with at least five other people, just think of what God will do. Please contact me by phone, text or email and we will send out information or more items that you may use to share.
Fiji Bible Project Update - 9/27/12
God's people are responding to the need. By God's grace and the goodness of God's people, we are at 24.7% of the needed funds. The month of September looks to be the strongest to date. Recently while I was in Montana, Rocky Mountain Baptist Church's Sunday school presented me with a check that they had collected during the last few months. What a joy it was for me to see the generosity of the young people!
We look forward to the time when we will be able to give out these KJV Bibles to each of the school children in Fiji. Our BIMI website has added the primary school districts and numbers and also several of the Special Education schools. Pray with us that others will help by sponsoring these schools. Also, pray as we continue to contact Fijian missionaries and national pastors so that they will be available as local contacts and follow-up.
The prime minister has called for a general election in 2014. Be praying that we will be able to totally fund and finish this project before that time. Thank you again for helping and supporting us. If you are interested in a DVD for yourself or for others, please let me know. I am also available to come to your church or school and present this unprecedented opportunity that the Lord has given to us to reach all the school-age children of Fiji. Contact me for available dates.
Our immediate goal is to order
102,000 Bibles (two containers). This will allow us to give a Bible to every secondary school student in Fiji. Once we have given Bibles to the secondary school students, there is the potential of distributing 130,000 more Bibles to the primary school students. Our plan is to print, ship and distribute Bibles
as God provides us with the finances to do so.
In what many would consider a "chance meeting," I had the privilege of spending a few minutes with Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji. But just as Ruth happened to glean in Boaz's field (Ruth 2:3), God is directing the affairs of this project. This "chance meeting" has opened a door of great opportunity!
When I returned to the States, God impressed upon my heart to correspond with the prime minister. Eventually, a request was made concerning the students in the schools and giving each of them a Bible. This is similar to what we have done in Indonesia and the Solomon Islands. To my utter surprise, I received a letter from the Permanent Secretary of Education requesting that we give Bibles to all of the students!
After further correspondence we have learned that there are approximately 100,000 students in the secondary schools. This number does not include the primary schools that have 130,000. This means that we have the opportunity to hand out 230,000 Bibles, which makes the Fiji project one of the largest that we have ever attempted.
I was able to travel to Fiji in late April of this year and met with many of the government officials. They are doing all that they can possibly do to help us with this project. God allowed me to speak in five churches in Fiji and I have already received three offerings. One church and their school (Nausori Baptist Church and school in Nausori) have led the way with an unbelievable amount of faith. After I spoke on a Thursday night gathering, the church voted to donate all that they had in their savings account to help buy Bibles ($16,000 Fiji). This converts to almost $9,000 US for Bibles! The pastor (Cory Mears) stated that he was glad that the United States wanted to help but felt that "We Fijians should lead the way to help our own people." This was a tremendous encouragement and statement of faith. It has and will continue to be a shining example to the US churches.
We are also preparing a special DVD presentation of the project that will be available sometime in June of this year. I have enclosed a special brochure on the project and ask that you pray for this outreach. Please contact me about coming to your church and sharing with your church what God is doing in Fiji.
There are many things that can be done to help raise the needed funds. Two dollars will put a Bible into a student's hand. Several pastors have given many ideas as to how this might be done.
1. Brother Roy Ackerle, veteran missionary with BIMI, has used a plan called "Tuck a buck a week away." If everyone in the congregation would simply bring one dollar for Bibles every week on Sunday or Wednesday night, just think of the Bibles that could be purchased! This is not a heavy burden but is something that almost anyone could do.
2. A church or a Sunday school class could decide to sponsor a whole school. All the schools on the islands are listed on the right. The schools vary in size. The goal of helping one school can easily be reached.
3. A Christian school might want to adopt a school or a school district in Fiji and raise the funds to put a Bible into every student's hand. Lists all the schools and districts on the islands are listed on the right.
4. A Vacation Bible School could work to sponsor a school district as a mission's goal.
The Bible clearly tells us to be witnesses
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. One of the men who travelled to Fiji with me on this last trip was able to determine with Google Map that when Luke wrote Acts 1:8, the islands of the South Pacific were the farthest distance from Jerusalem. Isaiah 24:14–16 states:
They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. Will you help us fulfill the command of Acts 1:8 to be a witness and help the songs of glory to our God be heard from the isles of the sea?
Just as Ezra was sent by Cyrus to Jerusalem to build the house of God, God through the prime minister has asked us to come and preach the Gospel to the students—the future of Fiji. God has obviously led for
a great door and effectual is opened unto me. My request is that you will pray and help us fund this project. Again, just $2 will place a Bible into the hands of a student in Fiji!
Alan & Donna Brooks
