The Bean Family

The Bean Family

Event
12/20/20

Beans'Talk December 2020

Download a printable version of the December 2020 Beans'Talk with photos.

The last two Bibles get out!

For months now hundreds of boxes of the last two Bibles have been in storage in Peru, waiting for travel to open up. At last it did! No huge gatherings are allowed, so our partners in Peru rented a truck and took the Bibles to key towns and villages. They went to the South Conchucos area over Thanksgiving and to the North Conchucos area just last week.

The church in each town they visited made a point of inviting pastors and leaders from the smaller communities nearby. In the evening, they had their celebrations. Each pastor received a copy of the Bible for themselves, and also as many boxes of Bibles as they wanted to sell back in their churches. Some of the churches were packed, with people even standing in the back. We weren’t able to attend, but Mark recorded a video of himself with his greetings, an explanation of how the translation was done, and a short Bible teaching. Our Peruvian colleagues kept up a steady stream of photos, video clips and comments on WhatsApp that allowed us to follow along each day. Some of the presentations we were even able to watch live-streamed on Facebook.

Serendipity

Sunday the 13th, as Bibles were presented in Pomabamba, the pastor honored this elderly woman by asking her to carry in the first copies. Noting the impromptu opportunity, the leader challenged all the literate Quechua speakers to remember to read their Bibles aloud for the benefit of the illiterate. It was a powerful moment.

Responses to Facebook ads

Thus far over a half million people have been reached by the ads for the Bible apps we’ve placed on Facebook. More importantly, many people have accessed the Bible on their phones, 945 people in just the past month!

On the air & other opportunities

● Since the first of November Mark has been sending video recordings of him teaching in Quechua on Sundays for a regional television station in Peru to broadcast.

● A neighboring Quechua group asked Mark for help adapting his series of 75 Bible studies for them. They’re up to number 40.

● Thanks to Quechua partners recording Old Testament books chapter by chapter, Mark is able to include some audio in one of the Scripture apps. That is huge! It will help people who read with difficulty to access God’s Word more easily.

● Wycliffe recently published some of our story. Find it here: https://www.wycliffe.org/blog/posts/here-i-am-send-me

Praise and Prayer Requests

*Praise: The last two Bibles have begun circulating in their respective areas! Pray for people to take to heart the challenge to practice reading as well as to read aloud to others.

*Praise: Our daughter Emily, her husband Blake, their toddler, and baby all made it to Ohio so we can care for them here a couple months while she continues to recover from a difficult childbirth. Pray for patient endurance to wait expectantly for the slow process of healing.

May you enjoy a very special Christmas this year,

Mark & Patti Bean