Audio Bible Stories
Answered Prayers – Wendy
Wendy, a visually impaired person, wanted to serve God. Her church had a 24-hour prayer ministry, and she felt called to offer her services for the wee hours of the morning—the hours the church had difficulty enticing others to cover. She was excited to be able to serve in this way . . . until she found out she couldn’t do what was being required of her.
Each prayer warrior was asked to read portions of a particular prayer book, but Wendy’s vision impairment made it impossible for her to read. She was devastated and wanted badly to do this important work for her church!
But she didn’t give up. Instead, she prayed that the Lord would provide some other way for her to meditate on His Word and to still be equipped for the prayer ministry.
That same week, as Wendy and her husband returned home, they noticed a package from Audio Bibles for the Blind. Neither of them could recall placing an order for anything. At first they thought they should send the suspicious “thing” back and refuse to pay for its contents, but then, encouraged by her husband, Wendy decided to open it.
Imagine her delight when she found an Audio Bible tucked inside! Even though she couldn’t read the prayer book, she could listen to and reflect on God’s Word. God had answered her heartfelt prayer. She could join the prayer ministry after all!
From Wendy’s perspective, it had taken God less than a week to answer her prayer. But God had actually “started” the process long before she lifted her request to the Lord—before she even knew of her own need.
In fact, years earlier, Dr. Snell, Wendy’s ophthalmologist, stopped by our Audio Bibles for the Blind booth at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. She was intrigued by our ministry, and we later sent her an Audio Bible. Dr. Snell’s office even placed a display explaining our ministry in the patient waiting room.
Since then, God has given Dr. Snell numerous opportunities to introduce her visually impaired patients to Audio Bibles for the Blind. But for some reason, when Wendy stopped by her office for a routine exam, Dr. Snell forgot to tell her about our ministry.
Knowing that Wendy could really use an Audio Bible, she ordered one for her and had the Audio Bible sent to Wendy.
When Wendy returned to Dr. Snell’s office for a follow-up appointment, they each shared their own side of the story and were both able to appreciate the beautiful way God weaves our lives together to accomplish His will.
But there is another part of the story that goes back even further. Before we could ship that Audio Bible to Wendy, someone like you had to help support our ministry.
Wendy, like so many others, wasn’t able to afford an Audio Bible, but because of help from friends, like you, we didn’t have to turn her away or add her to some long waiting list. We were able to send her an Audio Bible at no cost whatsoever. Our desire is simply to ensure that our Audio Bibles reach the people who really are in need of them … regardless of income.
Your gift today could be an answer to prayer for a blind or visually impaired person tomorrow, next week, or maybe even years from now. But whenever and however God uses your gift, you can be assured that it will help change the life of a blind or visually impaired person for all eternity!
Please give generously as God leads you. Your support is greatly appreciated.
A Child’s Christmas Wish
Christmas is a time for sharing with family and friends. It is a time to show our gratitude by sharing our blessings with others. For those who know Jesus Christ as Savior, it is a time to remember the “Reason for the Season,” and the gift that God gave. The Christmas Story comes alive! As we gather together, we reflect upon the importance of the meaning of that day so long ago.
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 – (KJV)
Skylar, an eight year old boy who was born blind, had a life long desire: he simply longed to read the Word of God!
Last December, Skylar and other visually impaired individuals were guests at a local Lions Club Meeting. There were informed of the various programs and services available to them. Skylar was particularly interested when the presentation was made for Audio Bibles for the Blind.
Skylar got really excited when he heard that Audio Bibles were available for people just like him! Skylar exclaimed, “That’s what I want for Christmas!”
His family, pleased that their son wanted to read the Word of God, inquired as to how they might get a free Children’s Audio Bible. Knowing the time was short, we assured them that Skylar’s gift would be on its way the next day.
What a joy it was for us when we heard it did arrive in time for Christmas!
A child with a Christmas wish is not unusual. When a child’s wish is for their own Audio Bible, it reminds us of why we celebrate this joyous season, and makes the work we do worthwhile.
For boys and girls like Skylar, Christmas will come alive, because you cared enough to give. On their behalf, we thank you, and wish you a blessed Christmas Season.
Luke 2:1-14 (King James Version)
1. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
download as PDF | donate
My Faith Calls for Hope Against Hope
“If you want to see your son alive, you better get here.”
The words every parent prays they never hear became a reality for one mother. Her son, Josh, was comatose and barely clinging to life.
One night, when a party got out of hand, Josh fell from his friend’s balcony and hit the concrete 25 feet below. He should have died that night. At least, that’s what the doctors and nurses said.
Josh spent more than 3 months in a coma on life support. Time and again, the doctors tried to convince his mother to “pull the plug.” Josh was completely unresponsive, they said. There was no hope.
As Josh’s mother agonized over what to do, she heard, deep in her heart, the promises of scripture:
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed” (Romans 4:18, NIV).
“So, too, am I giving you hope,” was the whisper in her heart.
What happened next was the first in a series of miracles the Lord would use to save Josh. As a faithful friend to Audio Bibles for the Blind, you are a part of Josh’s miracle.
In the final hours before Josh would have to be removed from life support, the unthinkable happened: he opened his eyes. Hope against hope, Josh was alive. But surviving was only the beginning. He would need to learn to live again.
After the fall and the coma, Josh’s body had shut down completely. He’d suffered multiple strokes and heart attacks. His brain and body were severely damaged. From his ABC’s to taking his first steps, Josh would have to relearn everything.
When Josh was finally stable enough to go home with his mother, reality––and despair––set in. Yes, he was alive, he thought, but barely.
Josh’s left wrist was broken, his right arm was curled up from strokes, he was in a wheelchair, and his left eye had been removed.
“I was moping,” Josh said. “I said, ‘I’m nothing. I can do nothing. I can’t even feed myself. I can’t bathe myself. I’m nothing.”
But once again, Josh’s mother had faith beyond imagination. “First and foremost you’re God’s child. You’ve been redeemed by the blood,” she told Josh.” Secondly, you’re my son, you’re a brother, you’re an uncle, you’re a friend. Why don’t you just be the best that you can be?”
From that moment on, that’s exactly what Josh has done.
Before long, Josh contacted us at Audio Bibles for the Blind and requested a copy of God’s Spoken Word. The accident had taken away his left eye and most of his vision in his right eye. Holding a book was nearly impossible after the multiple strokes. And still, Josh longed to delve into scriptures and learn to be the best that he could be.
“It’s so much easier now,” Josh said of having his very own Audio Bible. “I’m so grateful.”
God miraculously saved Josh’s life after the tragic accident at his friend’s party. But the real miracle is how God restored life to Josh’s heart and soul. Through God’s Spoken Word, Josh has found “hope against hope.”
You are a part of that hope.
When you contribute to Audio Bibles For The Blind, you restore life to the hearts and souls of the blind and print handicapped. You give hope to those who have surrendered to despair.
Each and every day, we have more and more stories pouring in, stories just like Josh’s where young men and women suffer a tragic accident and have their whole world shattered. We need your help to meet their needs, and to mend their broken hearts with promises of God’s Spoken Word.
From the heartfelt cries of the Psalms to the eternal hope of the Gospel, every single Audio Bible holds the salve to soothe the deepest wounds.
Josh did lose everything the night he fell. But today, he is God’s beloved child, sealed as Christ’s own because you ministered to him through the gift of an Audio Bible.
You can do it again when you give today.
Thank you for your faithful giving, but most of all, thank you for the “hope against hope” that you make possible through your valuable support.
P.S. Please share this ministry with family, friends or even your local church. We cannot imagine having to turn away hundreds each week who need God’s Word, but we are reaching a critical time at Audio Bibles for the Blind. Please keep this ministry in your prayers during these tough economic times.
Download PDF: June 2011 Story of the Month
It was just like Christmas morning
“It was just like Christmas morning for them.”
That’s what the director of a special needs facility told me recently when the men and women under her care received their very own Audio Bibles.
Christmas morning isn’t far off from us now. And I’m praying you’ll help us give the most special Christmas gift to the blind and print handicapped––the Christmas story, spoken directly to them from their own Audio Bible.
Right now, I have more than 500 requests from people like Sonia who is blind and longs to have an Audio Bible.
Sonia can’t sit around the fire with her loved ones, open the Bible, and read out loud the miracle of Christ’s birth. But when you give Sonia her very own Audio Bible, she will be able to personally experience the Christmas story and all its significance. She will join with “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” (Luke 2:13-14, NKJV)
Please, send in your most generous Christmas gift. I’d like nothing more than to fulfill each and every one of the unfulfilled requests I have sitting on my desk, but the truth is, we simply don’t have the resources to meet the growing need. That’s why we’re asking for your help today.
Imagine how much your gift will mean to someone like Sonia. I can promise you that your support will touch a heart and change a life this holiday season.
This Christmas, I don’t want you to give because I asked you to. I don’t even want you to give because you like the ministry of Audio Bibles For The Blind. This time, I want you to give your most generous gift because hundreds of people like Sonia are waiting to share in their very own Christmas story. You can help grant their wish.
While we need your financial support now more than ever, there are other ways you can help ensure friends like Sonia receive their very own Audio Bible this Christmas and beyond. As we approach the end of the year, now is a good time to remember Audio Bibles For The Blind in your year-end gifts of stocks and bonds.
When you support Audio Bibles For The Blind, you bring independence to the blind, you provide companionship to the elderly, and you give encouragement to wounded soldiers. Through the gift of an Audio Bible, men, women, boys, and girls––no matter their age or disability––are able to share in God’s spoken word and hear a message of love, acceptance, and redemption.
Thank you for making this possible. I count it a great blessing to serve the blind and print handicapped alongside friends like you, and I look forward to serving with you throughout the holiday season and the new year.
May your home be filled with the joy of the Christmas season and the hope of the year to come.
Remember, all gifts post-marked by December 31 are tax-deductible. I know it’s not why you give, but it’s a nice reward for your faithfulness and generosity.
http://AudioBiblesfortheBlind.org/donate
A Lasting Gift this Christmas
Christmas Gift by Petr Kratochvil
Recently, I was blown away by the generosity and ingenuity of an Audio Bibles For The Blind supporter, and I wanted to tell you about her. Allison felt called to get involved with Audio Bibles For The Blind, but she wondered what she could do with her own limited resources. And that’s when the idea came to her: Allison wouldn’t just give to support our ministry, she would organize her own fundraiser.
Allison gathered her friends and members of their church. Together, they organized two yard sales. The proceeds went to buy Audio Bibles for the blind and print handicapped. Not only were the yard sales a success, but Allison’s group raised more money than they expected! The pastor of their church was so moved by the initiative that he got the entire church involved, and they sent another donation to buy even more Audio Bibles.
Allison knows that we can’t all be on the front lines helping those who have lost their sight and need encouragement, but she also knows that each and every one of us has something to contribute to this ministry. Every single one of us must do our part.
That’s why I’m writing to you today. I’m asking you to help us provide Audio Bibles to those who cannot pick up a Bible and read for themselves the promises of God’s unending faithfulness.
When you send in a gift, you help us meet an immediate need for God’s Spoken Word. Your gift goes directly to providing Audio Bibles for children who were born blind, for the elderly who have lost their sight, or for accident victims who can no longer read from a book.
In addition to giving today, I’d like to invite you to get involved in a different way. I’m inviting you to find inspiration in Allison’s story and organize your own event to raise funds for even more Audio Bibles.
You see, we’re nearing the end of the year and we have more requests than we can fill. If we don’t raise more support now, we will have to turn down requests for Audio Bibles. We will have to say no to someone like Michael who recently lost his sight and wrote to us seeking encouragement and peace in God’s Spoken Word. I don’t want that to happen, and I don’t think you do, either.
That’s why I was so excited when I learned about what Allison is doing. She’s not just raising money to provide Audio Bibles, she’s also helping to spread the word about this ministry and get new people involved. Would you help us spread the Word, too?
We’re heading into the holiday season, and if you’re like me, you’ll be involved in several holiday parties, events, and gatherings. Why not use that opportunity to not only celebrate, but also to share the beauty of the Christmas story with those who cannot read it for themselves? How beautiful that your Christmas party would allow someone like Michael to sit by the fire and listen to the story of Christ’s birth!
Picture by Petr Kratochvil
Here are some simple ways you can give a lasting gift this Christmas:
• Organize a fall yard sale with your neighbors. Send the proceeds to buy Audio BIbles.
• Share the ministry of Audio Bibles For The Blind with your friends at a holiday party. Put a special basket under the Christmas tree where they can leave a donation to buy Audio Bibles.
• Go Christmas caroling in the neighborhood with your friends, and tell your neighbors that you’re collecting donations to give Audio Bibles to the blind and print handicapped this Christmas.
• Take up a collection at work and encourage your co-workers to participate instead of buying gifts for each other.
• Host a holiday bake sale to give the sweetest gift of all––the gift of God’s Spoken Word.
• Use your gifts to be creative, and let us know what you do!
The best part is that you don’t have to do this alone. By working together with friends from your Sunday School Class, Bible Study, Book Club, or any other social group you attend, you can put together a simple fundraiser doing what you’d do anyway for the holidays. But the results will last a lifetime when people like Michael have their spirits lifted and their souls enriched by listening to God’s Word.
Especially for Christians like Michael who go blind later in life, the loss is excruciating. When they lose the ability to read the Scriptures for themselves, they tell me that they feel they have lost a lifelong friend. And when people like Michael hear their favorite verses spoken aloud to them on their very own Audio Bible, it’s as if their friend has come back from the dead. Their smiles say more than their letters and thank you cards ever could. They are uplifted, encouraged, and so deeply moved.
This Christmas, I want to give away as many Audio Bibles as we possible can. But our financial support is especially low right now, and it’s going to take a Christmas miracle to meet all the requests piled on my desk, with more arriving each day.
You can be that Christmas miracle.
When you send in your support today, and when you organize a special event for Audio Bibles For The Blind, you give so much more than a few MP3 disks or audio cassettes––you give the gift of God’s eternal promises. Your support of Audio Bibles For The Blind brings back the lost friend, uplifts the down trodden, and offers peace to people like Michael.
Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity. Thank you for getting involved and making an eternal difference in countless lives.
“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness” (2 Thessalonians 1:11, NKJV).
http://AudioBiblesfortheBlind.org/donate
A Mother’s Love
“My son can’t talk to me, but I place the Audio Bible by his bed and let God talk to him through His Word.”
Joe’s mother has lived through the pain and sorrow of watching her playful, active son go from a 16-year-old filled with dreams for his future to a young man in a coma who cannot speak or even respond to his mother’s love. He can’t squeeze her hand, laugh at her jokes or kiss her goodnight.
That’s why I’m writing to you today. I want to share with you this special story about penetrating the darkness even when all hope seems lost. And I need your help to spread that hope to others like Joe.
Three years ago, a terrible car accident left Joe in a coma. After months in the hospital, he was able to return home where his mother lovingly cares for him day and night, but he remains in the coma.
One day, when it felt like all hope was lost, Joe’s mother spoke with someone who had awakened from a coma. He told her that though he was unresponsive, he could hear what others were saying. This encounter led Joe’s mom to realize that perhaps the isolation she had feared for her son could be broken.
That’s when Joe’s mom wrote to Audio Bibles For The Blind, requesting an Audio Bible for her son. Today, she continues to speak lovingly to her son, and when she isn’t in the room with him, she leaves the Audio Bible playing. Words of comfort and encouragement play constantly for Joe, reminding him that he is not forgotten or abandoned.
“For the Lord has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.”
(Isaiah 49:13, NKJV)
Your most generous gift will help us bring comfort through an Audio Bible to the many young men and women like Joe who have had their dreams snatched from them in a tragic accident. You can break through the darkness and isolation that threatens to engulf them.
Thanks to the generosity of friends like you, Joe is never alone or isolated. Through your gift of an Audio Bible, Joe’s mom has found hope for both herself and her son by using the Scriptures to fill the space that was once void and lonely.
That’s really what’s at the heart of this ministry. At Audio Bibles For The Blind, we do more than just give away a few tapes or MP3 CDs. By partnering with people like you, we are able to bring hope, comfort, and encouragement to those who need it most. We fill the silence with the spoken words of Scripture.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your help. In addition to the requests we receive in the mail, our phones are continually ringing with calls requesting Audio Bibles for those who are unable to read their Bible because of loss of vision.
To be honest, we’ve reached a critical moment in our ministry. Today, we’re receiving more requests for Audio Bibles than we can fill. Right now, I have more than 100 letters piled on my desk. Each one tells a story not unlike Joe’s––a story of loneliness, tragedy, or isolation.
I can’t stand to turn down a single request, and I don’t think you can either. It breaks my heart to think that I’ll have to tell someone like Joe’s mother that she can’t bring the hope and life of Scripture to her son lying in a coma.
Maybe I won’t have to.
With your support, we can continue to provide Audio Bibles––free of charge–– to those who need them most. Please, send in your gift today. Help us bring God’s Spoken Word to the blind, the injured, and the print handicapped.
Thank you for your faithful generosity. May the encouragement and hope that break through Joe’s isolation fill you with joy and blessings.
http://AudioBiblesForTheBlind.org/donate