Last year in our Western Europe update, we asked you to pray for people’s hearts to be opened in this spiritually-desolate region of the world.
This year, we continue our prayer focus—only now we include pictures! In the fall of 2017, Thru the Bible’s president, Gregg Harris, traveled to Italy and Spain to meet with the TTB producers of our Italian, European Spanish, and European Portuguese ministries. “While Western Europe is ‘hard ground,’” Gregg says, “we are encouraged how God’s Word is taking root in the lives of our listeners.” Enjoy a few pictures and captions from his trip. As we now can put faces to our prayers, let’s continue to ask that God’s work be fruitful in Western Europe.
A personal touch in Italy
In Italy, Thru the Bible airs on secular FM stations. At the end of the program, volunteer phone counselors receive calls from those responding to the Bible study. The calls often reveal great spiritual need.
Every response is celebrated
Anka Weigers, part of the production team in Italy, holds a letter from a prisoner who listens regularly to the TTB-Italian broadcasts.
Pray for ministry successors
Johnny and Anka Weigers have faithfully served for decades and now look to retirement. Pray that God will raise up a successor to take over leadership of this challenging work in Italy.
TTB’s partner ministry in Europe
In Spain, Gregg met with the leaders of TWR-Europe along with their partner ministry in Spain, Radio Encuentro. Jimenez (in orange sweater, on right) is a listener who came to share how much TTB-Spanish means to her. “It is my daily spiritual bread,” she says. “If I miss a program, it’s like missing a meal.” Jimenez volunteers for TTB-Spanish, capturing quotes to use in social media.
In Spain, Thru the Bible is on more than 100 stations (Christian and secular) and a variety of digital formats. Since 2013, Escuela Biblical has had more than five million podcast plays, three million podcast downloads and over 23 million texts of program excerpts go out to listeners.
God’s Provision for Portugal
In recent years, a financial crisis prompted a proposed cut of stations in northern Portugal. One of those stations said, “We need TTB because many students at the local Catholic seminary listen!” The station offered to pay 50% of the costs. Another station accepted a 50% cost cut. Not long after, an elderly lady came to the station. Her husband had just died and Thru the Bible was a great comfort to her.
TTB-Portuguese airs on nine FM stations across Portugal.
Celebrate God at work in Europe
From Scotland: “I'm an alcoholic who has been sober nearly four years through the grace of our Lord. I never knew about Him, as all my living relatives are non-Christian. God gave me my own path to tread and relationship to build with Him. Once I met Him through AA and then at a church, I craved the truth. Nothing could satisfy my curiosity or longing until the Holy Spirit led me to you. It’s been two years since I’ve got on the Bible Bus. I also pray with the World Prayer Team. All this from a man who used to sit outside the local supermarket begging for money for a drink. The Lord has been so kind to me. I can’t wait to meet you on the other side. Until then, I will pray for you all diligently and for TTB. I hope that I can help bring more people aboard the Bible Bus as there is plenty of room. Much love from a brother who owes it all to Jesus.” --Paul
From France: “I was confused about the Trinity. I had been contacted by a local cult that taught me that Jesus was not God. That’s when I heard your programs and called your number. The kind people on the phone realized that I lived locally and invited me to the station for a visit. I was overwhelmed by this kindness and visited. Now I listen every day. What a pleasure it is for me to join you all on this discovery journey as we tour God’s Word.” --Gui
From the Netherlands: “I attend a group study where 15 of us listen to your program together. Right now, we are in Second Corinthians. Today one of the gentlemen told me that your program is also available in Arabic. I am glad to hear this news as I will pass along the information so my sister in Jordan and a friend here in the Netherlands who is from Syria. Thank you.”