Seeds of hope sown in Zimbabwe

The Bible guides us and corrects us, but it has done something else truly beautiful: it has removed our shame.

Diana

Over the past year we have sent over 900 volumes of braille to the Bible Society of Zimbabwe.

These included the Bible in indigenous languages Shona and Ndebele as well as in English (Revised Standard Version). Also among them were what we call “thematic portions” – collections of stories or encouraging verses from the Bible with titles such as “Stories of Women in the Bible” and “The Lord Hears Your Cries”. Last, but not least, we sent braille sheets which contained the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed. These were to enable visually impaired people to participate fully in church services.

In response to our dispatches we have received news from the Bible Society of Zimbabwe outlining how these resources have been used.

Ndebele Launch

A highlight of the year was the Bible Society of Zimbabwe’s official launch of the Ndebele Braille Bible on 30th January 2026. It took place at The United Methodist Church in Bulawayo and was supported by the Nkomwa Foundation Trust and the Theological College of Zimbabwe, who described it as a “groundbreaking milestone bringing God’s Word to the visually impaired in our own language!”

The event included readings from the braille Bible, speeches from church leaders, prayers of thanksgiving to God and heartfelt worship led by visually impaired singers.

School Distributions

On 10th March 2026, the programs department of the Bible Society of Zimbabwe travelled east from Harare to visit 2 schools to distribute braille Scriptures among the students.

The first destination was Murewa High School. There was an atmosphere of excitement as the braille Bible portions were delivered. Gwinyai Ndembera from the Bible Society of Zimbabwe noted that such deliveries, “always bring hope and joy to students.” One of the recipients, a young man called Tasimbaradzwa, had this to say:

“My journey here at Murewa High School began in 2012, the same year I started the life-changing process of learning to read and write in braille. To be honest, I want to thank God for braille; without it, I would be nowhere. After I was involved in a car accident that affected my sight, my life was supposed to be a mess. But braille stepped in and nurtured me; it is the only thing that brought me to the stage where I am today.”

The next stop was Nyamuzuwe High School where the team was left with “showers of blessings” as they had time to read the Word, recite it and share insights from various texts as a way of increasing Bible knowledge. They distributed braille Bible volumes, thematic portions and had one-to-one chats with the students. One of whom, Tendai, said:

“I want to extend a deep thank you to the Bible Society of Zimbabwe. For the past five years, you have been making the Word of God available to us in braille. Having access to Scripture in a format I can read myself has been a blessing. When I finish my studies here, I hope to go to university to become either an advocate or a social worker.”

Another, Diana, who is 15, shared:

“When I first started my journey with braille, I was filled with sadness. I used to wonder, ‘Will I ever truly be able to learn this?’ It felt like such a mountain to climb. But God has been so faithful; He has enabled us to grasp the concepts so well that now we can sometimes read even better than those who have sight”

Diana added:

“I also want to say a very special thank you to the Bible Society of Zimbabwe. Your support through the Word of God has changed my life. The Bible guides us and corrects us, but it has done something else truly beautiful: it has removed our shame. Before, when others took their Bibles to church, we had nothing to hold. We felt left out. But now, because of these braille Bibles, we can read along with everyone else. We are no longer just listeners; we are participants. May God bless the Bible Society and increase their reach so they can help many more people just like me.”

Partners

We rejoice that we are able to be partners in the Gospel with the Bible Society of Zimbabwe. We are delighted to stand alongside them and cheer them on in the wonderful work they are doing. The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians:

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9

In a similar way, with the help of our donors, we are able to supply “seed” to our partners – people like the Bible Society of Zimbabwe and Nepal Fellowship for the Handicapped (see post here) – who can then plant it into the lives of the visually impaired people they minister to and we watch as God makes beautiful things grow!