God provided 20,300 Bibles for Caldas Novas.

As Guta handed the crying stranger a Bible, she knew something powerful was happening.

On December 19, 2013, Guta entered the city gym in Caldas Novas, Brazil, and found herself surrounded by 1000 YWAM volunteers from all over Brazil.  They were there for an ambitious reason: they planned to spread throughout the city and provide a Bible for every home.

With a population over 70,000, some would say this was an impossible task.  Loren Cunningham, Co-founder of YWAM, and Wellington Oliveira, president of YWAM Brazil, knew that God is not limited by the impossible.  Through a partnership with a Christian publishing company and the financial support of thousands of friends, 20,300 Bibles were unloaded into the city gym for distribution.

Wellington Oliveira shared this image on Facebook of the leadership dividing the city.

Leadership divided the city into districts, and the people into teams; after praying for God’s guidance, the teams set out with arms full of Bibles.

Guta knew the power of scripture in her own life, and wanted others to experience it too.  There were many reasons so many in Caldas Novas did not have access to Bibles, yet God had made a way.  She set out with her team ready to not simply hand out Bibles, but to encourage, pray, and share about this amazing God.

She found herself outside a house that looked like every other.  She knocked on the door, just as she had with every other.  A woman answered and wondered what Guta wanted, just like every other.

But unlike every other, this woman immediately began to cry.

Guta and the other YWAM volunteers knew that this endeavor was not about them or by their power, it was about God and His power; this meant that God was going before them, preparing the way.

Before Guta knocked on the door, the woman was sitting in her home watching television.  She knew who God was, but did not know what that should mean for her life; in fact, she was not sure God loved her.

Suddenly, a Bible appeared on the television screen, and something stirred within her.  She prayed, perhaps for the first time, “God, if you love me, send someone to my house to give me a Bible.”

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

The timing of the knocking was too convenient; it had to be a coincidence.

Guta displays her shirt that says, “A Bible in every home.”

The woman opened her door; before her stood Guta, wearing a shirt that said “A Bible in every home”, holding a Bible.  Tears of joy began streaming down her face because of what she now knew: God loves her.

Guta knew that the Holy Spirit was at work, so she began to share with the woman about Jesus; they prayed together, and the woman — a stranger just moments before — became a follower of Jesus.

Guta and her Bible distribution team.

To this day, Guta tears up when she shares the story.  Guta knows that she was not handing out a simple book that day; she held in her hands something with the power to transform lives in an instance.  She wants others to experience the same power as the woman in Caldas Novas, and is already preparing for a trip to a country that has severely limited access to the Bible.  Millions of people around the world do not have scripture available to them, but a movement of God is happening right now; today, you can play a role in introducing nations to a God who knows us, loves us, and wants us to hear His voice.

 

If you want to experience a story like Guta’s, visit https://ywam.churchcenter.com/groups/join-the-cause/end-bible-poverty.