Voice of the Martyrs Korea announced today a plan to distribute 5,000 Bibles to Egyptian Muslims in 2022, through a partnership with local Egyptian Christians and their sister mission, Voice of the Martyrs Australia.

The partnership follows what local Egyptian believers and we VOM sister missions are calling a successful distribution of 2,000 Bibles to Egyptian Muslims in 2020.

For underground Christians, “mission” means Bible distribution and gospel proclamation to unbelievers. Whereas missionaries from Korea and the West have shifted to humanitarian aid, business-as-mission, and friendship building models of mission, underground Christians in places like Egypt are remaining completely focused on distributing the word of God to people who haven’t yet heard the gospel. It is a personally costly outreach for them, but they continue to say to us, “Give us the tools—the Bibles—and we will complete the work of the Great Commission.” We believe that is why God is primarily using local believers rather than foreign missionaries on the front lines of mission in closed countries: They are risking their lives to spread only God’s word.

Consider the testimony of “Nour”, an Egyptian who was formerly Muslim but who became a Christian through receiving and reading a Bible.

Nour’s husband kicked her out of their home and only allowed their children to visit her once a month. But every time they visited, Nour’s 15-year old daughter, Mariam, could see a change in her mother’s chracter, as Nour had become a much more loving person. Mariam kept asking her mother the reason for the change, but Nour did not want to share out of fear that her husband might cut off all visits from the children if he found out she had shared the gospel with them.

But the situation changed during the Coronavirus.

Nour’s husband’s mother got COVID and had to be admitted to the hospital. Nour’s husband had to stay at the hospital with his mother, so he sent the children to live temporarily with Nour. At that same time, one of the local Egyptian Christians we were partnering with asked if they could store Bibles at her house. So the Lord sent Nour her children and the Bibles at the same time! When Mariam found the Bibles, she asked her mother why they were there, and Nour answered, “To be distributed to those who are having hunger in their heart to know the true loving God.”

Mariam asked for a Bible to read before she had to return to her father’s home. She read the Sermon on the Mount and was amazed by Jesus’ teaching. She kept on reading the whole day, and when Nour came in that evening, Mariam’s face was covered with tears. Nour asked her what had happened, and Mariam said that she wanted the life that Jesus had come to give people. So they prayed together, and  Mariam committed her life to Jesus. That is the power of God at work through Bible distribution by local believers in closed countries.

The Bible distribution to Muslims has also opened up a door to evangelize Egypt’s “Coptic” Christians, who often have little to no exposure to the Bible or the gospel message.

One of the local believers in Upper Egypt talked to a Coptic priest and shared his plan to distribute Bibles to Muslims in the areas surrounding the priest’s church. The priest was very happy and excited to hear about the project, and so our local partner shared some of the Bibles with the priest to share with his congregation members as well. The priest wrote a thank you note that said, “We are very thankful and appreciative that you have given us the Holy Bible to be distributed through our church meetings. May the lord reward the labor of your love.” Our local partner told us, “The power of the Word of God is opening spiritual gates for Muslims and nominal Christians to know the Lord Jesus as a personal Savior for them.”

The cost of providing each Bible is 7,000 KRW (or $5.50 USD), with the total project cost of 35,000,000 KRW for distributing all 5,000 Bibles in 2022. Voice of the Martyrs Korea is accepting donations for the project until January 31. Donations can be made at www.vomkorea.com/en/donation  or give via electronic transfer to:  

국민은행 (KB Bank) 463501-01-243303 

예금주 (Account holder): (사)순교자의소리  

Please include the phrase “Egypt” on the donation.