The Eastern European Mission (EEM), a Texas-based Christian ministry, has delivered 225,000 children’s Bibles to North Macedonia written in their own language. According to the Christian Post, the government gave permission to EEM to deliver the Bibles after hearing of their good work which includes getting Bibles to schools, youth camps, and refugee centers in Eastern Europe and surrounding nations.
Since the fall of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the people of North Macedonia have been dealing with conflict over their culture and history, and the government found it necessary to bring in a positive influence. After hearing about how EEM delivered 650,000 Bibles to public schools in Croatia last year, the government requested Bibles to be sent to North Macedonia. According to the Christian Post, the government and churches were eager to get Bibles in the hands of children written in a language they can understand.
According to the Christian Post, EEM was founded in 1961, and was started by a small group of missionaries who were sneaking Bibles into the Soviet Union. Since then, they have continued to provide access to Scripture in “seemingly unreachable places.” Since its inception, EEM has provided Bibles in over 20 languages to over 30 nations.
The president of EEM, Bob Burckle, shared that his organization wants to ensure everyone has a Bible and hopes they engage with the Scripture, saying, “You’ve got to get [God’s word] in your heart; you got to get it totally within your entire body and soul in order to fully appreciate and understand what God has done for us and what our future hope is for how to manage the difficulties of life, which we all have.”
Sending Bibles to people in need, especially written in their own language, gives them powerful hope and faith as they learn about God’s love. For the children of North Macedonia, EEM has brought them a gift like no other as they build and grow their relationship with Christ.