VEILED COUNTRY
Like Wildfire The following story was written by a volunteer serving in a veiled country. We’ve withheld her identity to protect her ministry and the Adventist work there.
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ixteen people from cities scattered across a country in the 10/40 Window sit on peeling beige chairs behind dark wooden tables. Bundled up, they smile warmly, despite winter’s cold. They lean forward, ready to read a verse, respond to a question, or pose a question of their own. My husband asks whether anyone wants to borrow his well-worn Bible. Immediately, two hands rise for the privilege of holding one for the first time. Bibles are forbidden in their country.
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Others in the group follow along on a Bible app, an app they will delete before taking the long journey home. Before they board a bus, their bodies and belongings, including their phones, will be searched. They must not have incriminating evidence indicating they have been studying the Bible during their trip to the neighboring country. A young woman, her bright purple hair cut in a bob, sits with her husband in a corner. Before we bow our heads to pray, I sneak a peek at them. They clasp their hands tightly in front of them like little children learning to pray. Another couple listens carefully to every word. The husband is the first to find every verse I ask the group to read. After the seminar, the wife asks my husband whether she can keep his Bible for the evening. She wants to take it to her room to read. Only a few days before, the couple was sitting in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with one of my
