Somali Bible Society (SBS)

Newsletter

April 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.

Idil, working in her shop.

Face not shown for security purposes.

Meet Idil. She is 36 years old. She has two children, who live in her home and depend upon her for their livelihood. Idil’s husband was a Christian and was martyred nine years ago because of his faith. As a woman, she is considered a second class citizen in her country. As a widow, she is left on her own to fend for herself and her children. She has struggled financially since her husband’s death right up to late 2022, when the Somali Bible Society (SBS) stepped in and brought the love of Christ to her desperate situation. That is when the SBS set Idil up with a shop (known as a souk in her country) where she sells foodstuffs and other household items. The SBS found the store front facility for her, paid the first month’s rent, and filled the shelves with an initial inventory. They provided training in how to run this small business and gave continued counsel to her for the first year of business. SBS works in cooperation with a local nearby church to provide this training and continued followup. It cost SBS $5,000 (USD) to set Idil up with this business. The funds for this microenterprise venture came to SBS through generous donors like yourself. Idil now makes enough money to support her two minor children. She has recently expanded her business to include selling cooking oil in bulk. She is now one of the biggest cooking oil wholesalers in the market where her business is located. She is now a respected member of her community. Idil says it best, when she stated, “the Somali Bible Society saved my family from hunger and humiliation.” Idil is a follower of Christ and attends a local house church in her community.

Anab, tending her cattle.

Face is blurred for security purposes.

And now let me introduce Anab. She is 47 years old. She lost her husband in a bus accident nine years ago. As a widow, Anab has struggled to support her six minor children. It was difficult to keep food on the table and to send her children to school. SBS helped her in late 2022 by providing four dairy cows. The cows have all reproduced since then, and the sale of the milk generates enough money to support herself and her children. Listen to Anab’s testimony: “My children and I were basically homeless before SBS helped us. We now rent a nice house and eat well. My children attend school now, and our dignity has been restored.” Anab has become a follower of Jesus, and she attends a Bible study group in her village.

The restocking project cost SBS $3,500. This was made possible through generous donors like yourself.

The census of Somali Christians recently completed indicates that there are over 600 widows needing help in supporting their families. The SBS is wanting to help each of these widows to start a small business so that they can provide for their families. That comes at a cost of $3,000,000. In Africa we say, “You eat an elephant one bite at a time.” For these widows we can reach them one widow at a time.

If you would like to help support this life-changing ministry to Somali widows, click the DONATE TO WIDOWS 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 # 102730 in the Comment field. This will assure that your donation reaches the Widows Ministry.

More on Widows Ministry in OTHER PROJECTS Section below.

CHANGED LIVES FOR NOMADIC SOMALIS

The camel provides the preferred meat for a Somali and the main source of milk. The camel is also the sign of wealth for a Somali man. This animal is highly-respected. In fact, a Somali will say that it is a sign of disrespect to the camel for a Somali to ride on one (although they do use camels to carry burdens).

“THE CHURCH ON A CAMEL BACK”

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.

“When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News…”

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (NLT)

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.

Relationships are fostered and Jesus is shared. These nomadic and almost impossible-to-reach, camel herders are coming to

Christ.

$6000 will outfit one team.

(That’s six camels at $1,000 each).

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

TRAUMA HEALING

The Somali Bible Society (SBS) holds periodic Trauma Healing Conferences to provide opportunities for healing for those who have been traumitized 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. 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.

2. SBS is starting a new ministry to nomadic camel herders in the Somali Peninsula. Pray for donors to give to this vital ministry.

3. 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.

4. 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. 

5. SBS will soon 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. 

6. SBS is coordinating a grassroots effort to teach dozens of women souk-owners (small shops selling food and household items) how to read and write their own mother tongue. Please pray for more volunteer teachers needed urgently.

7. SBS is translating the OT into the Somali language. For this translation to continue SBS will need to raise money for this important translation. Pray for the finances necessary to complete the OT translation of the Somali Bible.

8. A preliminary agreement with Somaliland giving landlocked Ethiopia access to the Gulf of Aden has hightened tensions in the Horn of Africa. The relationship between Ethiopia and Somalia has deteriorated. Pray for peace between these nations.

9. 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. A number of people have become interested in supporting the ministries of the Somali Bible Society, either through prayer or giving of their time or finances, due to the reading of our monthly newsletters.

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

3. 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. 

4. The hostile social media campaign against the leadership of the SBS is dying down. We praise God for this. 

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

6. SBS expects to send the 2nd edition of their translated Somali NT to the printers in South Korea later this year.

7. 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.

8. Dr. Howie shared the ministry of the Somali Bible Society in a local church in Sun City, Arizona this month. Many were interested in supporting the SBS ministry.

   
   

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