Do you have a child who keeps EVERYTHING?  Who's just lousy at throwing junk away?  I do.  My big guy clings when it's time to go through his outgrown clothes and discarded toys, and cries when he finds a stack of old school worksheets in the trash.  But I've come to see his issues run deeper than the worn out blue jeans and Little People farm animals I periodically give away.  My first born son is a collector, which is really just a nice way of saying he's a hoarder! Favorite tee shirts, two-sizes too small, stretched out silly bands, disfigured squishies, even broken bacugans, rusty bottle caps, and empty bubblegum wrappers are lovingly shoved into drawers, pushed beneath his bed, and hidden under his socks and underwear.  But his favorite things to collect are Bibles.  

First there was his children's story book Bible,  with a red plastic handle.  Next came hIs New Testament Adventure Bible.  Then, within the pages of his complete (Old and New Testament) Adventure Bible, he learned all the books of the Bible.  And then there was one of the spare Bibles I had in my minivan in case I met someone who was in need of God's Word, that he adopted as his own.  This Easter I gave Him the amazingly awesome Action Bible written as one long, exciting comic strip,  and around the same time our friend sent the boys The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name, with it's beautiful illustrations and superb adaptation.  Finally he was given a small pocket Bible at VBS this Summer when he went forward to pray with his camp counselor. 

Bibles, bibles... blessed, collectable, leather-bound bibles.

I have to say that while I love my boy's sweet affection for his Bibles,  collecting them seems a bit of an oxymoron to me.  You see, I believe the Bible is the very Word of God, intended to be consumed by all who come thirsty to it's Well of Living Water.   The Bible was never intended for one person to hoard, but for the entire world to receive.  And so I've been looking for a way to teach my little Bible-Collector that God loves the entire world. 

About the same time I noticed my first born's lopsided affection for God's Word, my second born came home from church asking if we could pray for the "Ackaboo" people.  "What people do you want to pray for?"  I asked.  "The Ackaboo people!"  He said emphatically, adding "they don't have the Bible and don't know anything about God.  We prayed for them today at church."

I decided this was a Sunday School bandwagon I definitely wanted to hitch a ride on, so I went to my computer and searched for every possible spelling I could think of for Ack - a - boo.  I didn't find anything on Brody's Beloved people group, but I did discover a ministry I'm sure is going to change the way we as a family think about Bibles.  

OneVerse is an organization whose chief mission is getting God's Word into the hands of the over 2,000 people groups who don't yet have even One Verse of Scripture written in their language.  That's nearly 340 million people currently waiting for the Bible to be translated into a language they can understand.

OneVerse allows individuals and families to to partner with translators prayerfully and financially. There are many ways to do this, but the way we have chosen to give is by pledging to financially support one verse's translation cost per child.  The cost is $26 dollars per translated verse.  But first we had to choose a people group.

As I perused the OneVerse website (www.oneverse.org) I clicked on "Language Projects" on the header, and then chose "All Languages," to see what languages were currently raising funds and being worked on.  From there you can select the language you are interested in learning more about.  I requested "Ayta Abellen" in the Philippines and here is what I discovered:

In the aftermath of Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991, Protestant groups began consistent outreach to the Ayta-speaking people who lived in the Abellen region, but few have come to the Savior. Why? The only Scriptures available are in another language and many view Christianity as something for outsiders. The Ayta Abellen project is designed specifically to meet that need by translating the New Testament and distributing it in print, through Bible storytelling and on radio programs.

It’s clear the Ayta Abellen need this message of love. When early settlers came from the South China Sea into the coastal lowlands of Luzon Island, they found a group of small-boned, dark-skinned people with features like those of South Africa’s pigmies: the Ayta. More aggressive settlers have gradually pushed the docile, peace-loving Ayta people into the mountains and foothills of central Luzon, where they’ve lived off forest products and shifted their limited planting to new garden spots each year. But social upheaval and discrimination are still problems as modern life threatens their culture and traditions.

Christian ministries don’t have the tools they need to reach Ayta Abellen hearts. Church services are usually in a major language. This gives people the false impression that he local spirits speak their language but God does not. Mother-tongue Scripture can offer them real hope—the God who never changes—in the midst of fear and uncertainty. Ayta Abellen speakers need to understand God’s love for them in the face of ridicule and ostracism.

There is a button to become a monthly Sponsor as well as another link that reads, "Give a Verse as a Gift."  We funded 3 verses, one to be given on behalf of each of our boys.  They will each receive the above card to place beside their beds (ironically, in Caleb's case, beside his stack of Bibles) to remind them to pray for the Ayta Abellen people as well as the Bible translators who are in foreign lands, bringing One Verse alive at a time in their beautiful language.

In the months to come, when we go through our closets to clean out the clothes and toys we aren't using anymore, Caleb may still cling and cry.  When it's time to empty our kitchen drawer of used up candles and useless pencil stubs, he may still be tormented by feelings of great loss.  I can live with that.  But my heart longs for him to learn to give away God's Word to people who desperately need a Loving Savior, and to the Nations who have not yet heard the Name... Jesus.  

Tonight we gathered round our family globe and looked for the Philippines, where the Ayta speaking Abellen people reside.  We prayed for them, thanking God for the work that's being done to bring the Gosple of Peace to them in the foreseeable future.  My children listened well and prayed with me, and I felt sure this was a project that would have lasting fruit.   For the more they learn how big the world is, and how much our God loves every person in it, the less they will desire to hoard for themselves and the more they will long to give away.

When I came across OneVerse I knew I'd found a ministry my prayerful 5 year old, and Bible loving 7 year old could partner with in a meaningful way.  

Check out OneVerse (www.oneverse.org) and become part of something bigger than the stack of Bibles scattered around your own home.