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Through your gifts and prayers, God is changing lives and eternities in remote areas of Malaysia.
New believers like Bill (not his real name) from the Iban community (one of Borneo's many tribes) in East Malaysia. Bill grew up practicing traditional religious beliefs and rituals, worshiping ancestors, trees, rocks, rivers, etc. The animistic religion believes that everything has a spirit and must be prayed to and worshiped.
"I heard Jesus speaking to me, not about rules but about life, love and a way forward."
Bill, Malaysian believer
Bill first encountered Christianity when a group of evangelists came to his village to share the gospel. While their message was clear, it was also harsh and limited:
"Don't smoke. Don't drink. Don't gamble"
The rules they laid out were difficult to accept, especially in a tight-knit community where smoking, drinking and gambling were part of the weekly routine and communal activities in the long house shared by multiple families and used among indigenous tribes, especially the Iban people.
"I remember thinking if following Jesus means giving up everything I enjoy, then what's the purpose? It didn't sound like good news at all," Bill wondered.
Bill decided that Jesus wasn't for him.
But God was still writing this story.
Enter Julian (not his real name), an Open Doors local partner and a retired teacher in his 60s. By using audio Bibles, Julian has been faithfully sharing the gospel among the Iban people. Many of the Iban people are illiterate, and audio Bibles allow them to hear Scripture in their language.
Julian shares that he was praying for God's direction for the next place to visit. Those prayers led him to Bill's village. But instead of preaching just rules, Julian simply played the Word of God. Verses from the Gospels of Matthew and John echoed through the village in the Iban language:
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt. 7:13-14).
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
The words of Jesus resonated with Bill. "This time, it felt different," he remembers. "I heard Jesus speaking to me, not about rules but about life, love and a way forward."
Julian remembers the transformative moment with Bill: "I saw his teary eyes. He said, 'I want to follow Jesus.' That's when I knew God had touched him."
Bill accepted Christ and was baptized not long after.
Bill's story is just one among many in his village. Through the audio Bibles, approximately 20 people in the community have come to faith in Christ. The spoken Word is a bridge to the Good News, especially for those who cannot read or write.
And for those who have learned to read, they are receiving printed Bibles in the Iban language. Julian and other local partners continue to follow up with these new believers, walking alongside them as they grow in their understanding of God's Word and faith.
The Bibles are preparing the Iban people to withstand persecution for their faith. Many native Malaysian communities have become targets of growing Islamization in the country. Due to poverty and lack of basic literacy, many tribal people don't realize they have been legally labelled as Muslims until it's too late. Once they identify as "Muslim," it becomes nearly impossible to leave their country's majority religion.
While Bill's community hasn't been targeted, Open Doors' local partners and the villagers have taken the initial steps to respond to religious persecution, if and when it arrives.
Now, in Bill's life and community, the joy and hunger for God's Word are evident. One believer shares: "We've been waiting for the Iban Bible for about three months; now we can read and hear God's Word in our own language."
Pray with your Malaysian family: