Somali Bible Society (SBS)

Newsletter

May 2024

Our Mission…

…is to enable and facilitate opportunities for the holistic development of the illiterate masses, impoverished families, and fatherless children. We aim to evangelize the lost and disciple the believers in Somalia and beyond. We will achieve this mission by producing, distributing, and teaching biblical and contextualized resources in partnership with local churches.

Faadumo, face blurred for security purposes.

Meet Faadumo, 39. She has never attended school and, as a widow, has struggled to provide for her four minor children. She provides for her family by selling goat meat to individuals and families at one of the main markets in Mogadishu. Faadumo often sold the meat on credit. However, she would usually not remember what people owed her. She could not keep proper records because of her inability to read and write. Not all the people who owed her money were honest, so she lost much of her income.

In six months, SBS volunteer teachers taught Faadumo how to read and write Somali, her mother tongue. This made it possible for her to expand her business. She is now selling goat meat to restaurants. Faadumo is now making more money than she ever had before. Faadumo testifies, “The SBS literacy training program improved my life. I make more money and my children live a better life than ever.” Fadumo added, “I will soon buy land to build a small house for my family. We don’t have to rent anymore.”

Muhumed, face blurred for security purposes.

Muhumed, 41, is a long-time security guard for a local company. Because of his inability to read and write, he never made enough money to support his family. He is married with six kids. SBS recently taught Muhumed how to read and write Somali, his mother tongue. It only took him eleven months to become fully literate. Muhumed recently established a small but growing business. He started a mobile school called Iftin (Light), where he teaches adults how to read and write at their homes. Five teachers work for Muhumed and he makes a good profit. Muhumed is planning to buy a second-hand car to use as a taxi. This taxi will generate additional income.

Hasna, face blurred for security purposes.

Hasna, 37, is another widow. She worked as a shopkeeper assistant.

SBS taught her how to read and write Somali in 11 months. She has been promoted as the main shopkeeper now because of her literacy competency. Her salary tripled now and she can comfortably support her minor children.

The lives of Faadumo, Muhumed, and Hasna have been forever changed by the Somali Bible Society’s efforts to teach them to read and write. Their income has increased, their families are living more comfortably, and their respect in the community has grown.

More importantly these families and their community have witnessed the love of Christ. Faadumo has recently made a commitment to follow Jesus. She is now attending a Bible study group that meets in her neighborhood. Muhumed is a faithful Muslim and one of the elders at his local mosque, but the SBS has exposed him to Christian compassion. Hasna is not a believer yet but she is now volunteering with SBS as a literacy teacher.

The SBS is working with a very low budget to provide literacy training. We are working with the few, but there are multitudes needing literacy training.

Currently the SBS is providing free pens, pencils, and exercise books. All of these supplies have been donated to the SBS by local believers and open-minded Muslims. The students are required to purchase their own text books. Community members donate them to students who are unable to pay.

The SBS has planned literacy campaigns to be implemented in three major cities of Somalia. The total budget for these three campaigns is $148,881 USD. We work with whatever is in our hand, so any donation toward this project will be greatly appreciated and will make a difference in the lives of needy people.

If you would like to help support this life-changing ministry to teach the illiterate to read and write, click the DONATE TO LITERACY button immediately below. This will take you to a web page of My Fathers Work, d/b/a the Good Samaritan Network (an SBS partner). You must indicate Good Samaritan Ministries in the Apply my gift to* field and insert Project # 102727 in the Comment field. This will assure that your donation reaches the Literacy Campaign that will be conducted by the SBS.

More on SBS’s Literacy Campaign in the list of SBS Projects below.

Is God Calling You?

The Somali Bible Society is currently recruiting missionaries to serve in various countries around the globe. We need missionaries in the major cities of the USA and in most world regions outside of the USA. If you, or someone you know, would like to discuss the possibility of involvement in a mission to Somali people in some region of the world, email me:

howie@somalibiblesociety.org

Changing Lives by Giving to

SBS Projects:

All of the Somali Bible Society projects are listed in this section of the newsletter. Clicking the DONATE button will take you to a web page of My Fathers Work, d/b/a the Good Samaritan Network (an SBS partner), but before you click the DONATE button, note the project number of the project in which you would like to donate.  IMPORTANT: You must indicate Good Samaritan Ministries in the Apply my gift to* field and insert the appropriate Project # to which you are giving in the Comment field. This will assure that your donation reaches the desired project.

See Life-Changing Projects below:

GOOD SAMARITAN CENTER

Project #102852

Seeking donors for the Somali Bible Society’s (SBS) Priority #1 Project. We currently have an MOU to purchase a strategic plot of land for the construction of a 4-story building that will become the artery in which all SBS ministries flow. Trauma Healing, Widow and Orphan Ministries, Literacy Training, Bible Translation, Curriculum Development, Discipleship Classes, Pastoral Training, and Church Multiplication Training with Local Churches will all flow out of this building.

The purchase price for the building site is $250,000. Contractor estimates for the building is another $250,000.

Image is not an exact likeness because of security concerns.

WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

Project #102730

The Somali Bible Society is very concerned about the growing number of widows and orphans in Somalia. This humanitarian need is expanding greatly because of the many years of civil war and unrest in this country. The minority Christian population is suffering even more than the general population because of the persecution and martyrdom of men and women for their faith. The need is great but a financial gift of any size will be appreciated and will make a difference.

SBS set this widow up with a souk (shop)

Microenterprise Opportunities

The Somali Bible Society sets up widows with a shop to sell food items or with a small herd of cattle to provide income for their families. It costs SBS about $5,000 for each income-generating project for a widow and her family.

SBS set this widow up

with a small herd of cattle

CHURCH ON A CAMEL BACK

Project # 102731

A Somali herdsman in eastern Africa told Malcolm Hunter, founder of the Nomadic Peoples Network: “When you can put your church on the back of a camel, then I will believe that Christianity is for us.” Our Somali leaders took this statement to heart. They initiated a strategy that would do just that, put the Church on the back of a camel. A ministry was started that they entitled, The Church on a Camel Back. This ministry was started by our Somali leaders in one denomination in which SBS partners. Now the SBS leaders are expanding The Church on a Camel Back Ministry by bringing this ministry to the Somali Bible Society. The SBS will be sending out their own teams to reach these Somali nomads.

Each team comprises three Somali evangelists. Each of these three evangelists serves in rotation for about three months at a time as a camel herder. They care for six camels (5 she camels and 1 he camel) that are purchased and owned by the SBS. As they reproduce, the offspring is also owned by the SBS. Each team joins in with other camel herders from their own tribe and clan. The congregate herd is usually around 100 camels. Our evangelists provide for themselves by selling the milk when they come into nearby towns.

$6000 will outfit one team.

(That’s six camels at $1,000 each).

TRAUMA HEALING

Project # 103327

The Somali Bible Society (SBS) holds periodic Trauma Healing Conferences to provide opportunities for healing for those who have been traumatized in their ministry. Holding these conferences come at a high cost. There are costs for transporting the persecuted Christians to the conference, venue expenses, food, housing, and various other expenses.

A Trauma Healing Conference at

an Indian Ocean Costal Venue

LITERACY CAMPAIGN

Project #102727

The Somali Bible Society plans to start a literacy campaign in Somalia when funds are available. The literacy rate in Somalia is 38%. The plan is to teach 3,000 families how to read and write Somali, their mother tongue. This will help them to read and understand the Bible. Literate people also make more money to support themselves and their families.

Donations of any size will be appreciated.

The literacy campaign will be implemented in three major cities of Somalia. The total budget for this project is $148,881 USD. Donors to this literacy project will receive more information.

Literacy Training by an SBS Partner

BIBLE TRANSLATION

Project # 102472

The Somali Bible Society recently completed the translation of the Somali New Testament. We have now started the translation of the Old Testament. We intend to complete this translation by 2030 at an estimated cost of $519,372 USD. Donors to this Bible translation project will receive more information. Donations of any size appreciated.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. We are facing a huge challenge to be able to teach the massive number of illiterate people who desire to be taught how to read and write their native language. We currently have no budget for teachers, so they are all volunteers. Pray for more volunteer teachers, and for donations to provide the finance to fund the literacy training programs.

2. Our volunteer literacy teachers potentially face persecution for their involvement in serving the SBS to teach Somalis to read and write. Pray for the safety of our volunteer teachers.

3. Those who complete our literacy training will need employment that will provide for the needs of their families. Pray for employment opportunities for our graduates.

4. Open-minded Muslim government officials are donating to our literacy training campaigns by financing most of the study and training materials needed. Pray that these open-minded Muslims will make decisions to follow the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

5. Finance is needed to support our ministry to nomadic camel herders in the Somali Peninsula. Pray for donors to give to this vital ministry.

6. SBS is overseeing a Bible study program for dozens of professing believers. Pray for the security of the believers and their teachers as they meet for this study. 

7. SBS is planning to start a discipleship program in a region where radical Islam is aggressively persecuting the followers of Christ. Please pray for the success of the discipleship training and the security of these believers. 

8. Faadumo is growing in her new-found faith in Christ. Muhumed and Hasna have not yet made a decision to follow Jesus, but have experienced the love of Jesus in action. See their stories in the featured article above. Pray for Faadumo, Muhumed, and Hasna.

9. Somalia is now considering the possibility of giving Ethiopia commerical port access, but vehemently holds onto the position that they will never be allowed to build a naval base in the breakaway region of Somaliland. The relationship between the two countries is still fraught with tension and uncertainty. Continue to pray for peace between these nations.

10. The purchase of land for the Good Samaritan Center is our highest priority project. Pray that the $250,000 needed would be raised this year. Pray for donors to support this critically needed facility.

11. SBS is now recruiting missionaries to minister to Somalis in various regions of the world. Pray for God to lead the right candidates to us.

12. Dr. Howie is available to speak in your church to share the amazing things that Jesus is doing in Somalia. Pray for opportunities for Howie to share the miraculous work of God among the Somali people in churches across the land.

PRAISE REPORTS

1. The Somali Bible Society continues to grow in favor with the Christian organizations working in Somalia, as well as with open-minded Somali Muslims.

2. Many Muslims support the literacy training program even though they know SBS is a Christian ministry.

3. Over 95% of the literacy training students become fully-literate within three months.

4. About 90% of the newly literate students find better-paying jobs within a few months with the help of friendly, Muslim government officials and traders.

5. The local police departments in Somalia are providing extra security for the SBS literacy training centers.

6. SBS continues to get reports of Somalis who have been transformed by Jesus through the ministries of the Somali Bible Society.

7. More Somali women are following the Lord than ever before. This is good news for the Somali Church whose members are historically mainly young single men.

8. More Somali Muslim nomads are coming to the Lord than ever before. We praise God for this.

9. SBS continues to make contact with Somalis who want to become Christians and those who are nominal Christians but need discipleship (as a result of the successful census in the Somali Peninsula).

10. The SBS Newsletter Subscription list continues to grow. There is more and more interest in reaching Somalis for Christ and witnessing the transformation of this nation.

11. Church leaders in the USA are contacting Howie for speaking engagements in their churches and districts.

    
    

See detail immediately below to schedule Dr. Howie for a speaking engagement.