What started in 2018 in Nepal resulted in Baptisms 2 years later! In April of 2018, we reported that our missionary friends in Nepal had shared The Nepali HOPE with several Bankariya people in a small village in a remote part of Nepal. From this encounter, a father and daughter gave their lives to Jesus, possibly being the very first Believers in this people group.  

The latest report from Reach Himalayas Ministry International is an inspiring follow-up, dated October 14, 2020: 

What is “Roma” and how does this version differ from the previously released Hungarian version? Roma or Romani is the language and people group living in Hungary that most likely originated from the northwestern Indian regions of Rajasthan and Punjab. Over time, the Romani have incorporated the Hungarian language into their culture, yet they still maintain a separate cultural identity. Thus, the Hungarian Roma HOPE was created with a new Intro and Outro of modern-day Roma life and Hungarian language particular to the Roma to make The HOPE inviting and relatable to a Roma audience.

Kenya is also one of 13+ countries that speak Swahili. Earlier this year, a women's mission trip   from Sagement Church in Houston, TX took The Swahili HOPE as one of the tools they would use   to share the love of Jesus with some of the neediest in Kenya. For many of the women they   encountered, it was their first time seeing a movie (and their first time eating popcorn, too!)  And   so special that many were also introduced to God's love and salvation for them for the first time!

A woman from Minnesota, named Thelma, purchased a download of The Swahili HOPE from our store. She is a nurse     and is taking a trip to Tanzania where she will spend many weeks with the Maasai people, offering them medical help       as well as sharing the Good News!  Friends gifted her with a solar-powered projector, etc. and she'll hang a sheet on the   side of a mud hut and show The HOPE. 

School to the Nations, STTN, has become such a significant ally for The HOPE. They are a missions mobilizing and missionary training ministry based on a 20-acre campus near Springfield, Missouri. In 2018, the Director of STTN, Randy Copeland, contacted us about partnering to create new translations of The HOPE. Since then, STTN has completed the Laotian HOPE (see previous story), and has initiated work on other new translations.

Some HOPE versions have been pulled off by a lone missionary. Others, like the Lao HOPE, involve many partners over much time. In 2016, missionaries, Tom and Gayle Silkwood, began The HOPE in Lao, the primary language of Laos. They intended to use it in their ministry and as a bridge for creating several tribal versions for smaller pockets of people within the country. But then Tom passed away suddenly. And though Gayle felt committed to their vision, God sent our partners at School to the Nations to help complete the project.

Mike Goggins and a group from his church in California like to create opportunities to share the Gospel by renting kiosks in local malls on certain weekends and engaging people that walk by with a survey regarding their thoughts about spirituality and God. In the past, they have given out DVDs of The HOPE as well as other literature to anyone who was interested in learning more about what the Bible has to say.  

Multiple times a year The HOPE is broadcast throughout the Middle East in Arabic, Farsi, and   Turkish. Each of these broadcasts goes out to tens of millions of households. Our broadcast   partners have secure methods to respond to viewers who have spiritual questions and prayer   requests. Sometimes these satellite programs and responders are the only contact that isolated   believers have with other Christians.

 Time and again our partners get messages from viewers like this one from a man in Iraq:

Medical and dental missionaries in Cameroon Africa obtained DVDs of The HOPE, both in French and in English with African Storytellers, to show in the hospital's waiting room. The doctors told us that one of their greatest joys is to talk with the patients about what they saw in The HOPE. They also acquired the rights to distribute low-resolution download copies that are suitable for viewing on smartphones. They give these copies to people who are interested in watching the movie again and also to people while making house calls. 

April of 2018, in a remote Bankariya village in Nepal, one of our ministry partners showed The Nepali HOPE on a solar-powered movie projector. The Bankariya are an unreached people group of about 500 people. Their heart language is Awadhi, but they speak Nepali as a second language. They live in scattered small villages in the Chure mountain range of Nepal. 

Excited to see the movie, Lalita invited her father to join her. After viewing The HOPE, they both gave their lives to Jesus!