*Joel has trekked deep into the mountains to reach Tazig villages for 14 years. His team loads up horses, mules, or dzos (a yak-cow hybrid) with tents, sleeping bags, food, and equipment, letting these animals shoulder the weight of the journey.
These days, Joel says he feels more like a mule! In August 2023, a shipment of 2,112 New Testaments—totaling 3,090 pounds (1,408 kg)—arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, from a printer in East Asia. Each New Testament weighs approximately 1.5 lbs.
Getting these Bibles into the Tazig region of South Asia has proved challenging. Printing the New Testaments locally was an option, but finding a printer that could produce high-quality copies proved difficult. Instead, the team’s best option was to bring 2,112 New Testaments from Bangkok to K city by hand. Colleagues in South Asia have helped by carrying a few copies back after conferences in Thailand, but Joel has taken on most of the load himself. During every trip to South Asia, he stops in Bangkok, picks up two boxes (about 70 pounds or 32 kg), and carries them onward.
On his way home, he’ll bring back another box to store in Malaysia for future trips. Currently, Joel is en route to South Asia, sending this update from the airport with 70 pounds of Bibles in his luggage, jokingly calling himself “the mule”—stubborn and loaded down.
So far, the team has moved around 900 New Testaments from Thailand, with roughly 700 copies reaching South Asia and 200 stored in Malaysia. Seven hundred copies are more than the current number of Tazig believers, but Joel and his team trust this will change. Join us in praying that the trickle of new disciples will become a flood as Tazig people come rushing into the Kingdom of God. We give thanks for the “mules” who work tirelessly so that ALL can have the opportunity to hear the Good News.
*pseudonyms
YOU CAN’T SAY YOU’RE A CHRISTIAN
He shared Scripture with them, prayed for them, and shared his life day by day. They could see the positive changes in his life. read more …
CULTURAL OUTSIDERS AND INSIDERS
In every movement documented, God has used the combined strengths of cultural outsiders and insiders to catalyze the movements. read more …
NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL
As Joel* worked to edit the next portion of the Bible translation, he was struck by the words from the book of James read more …