Plus FORTY STORIES OF FAITH
Chapter 04 Story from a Short-Term Bible Courier pg. 302
“Not again,” I sighed under my breath with my heart sinking. I was being pulled over for the third time in a row with a suitcase full of Bibles. I had never before known the border to be this tough, this tight, this merciless.
The customs official asked, “Do you have any Bibles in your suitcase?”
“Yes,” I replied as he told me to go stand in a very long line of other people who had been pulled over by the border guards for having something “bad” in their possession.
I had been through this process before and was becoming quite familiar with it. I knew I would be there for a very long time. Another gentleman from Florida had also been caught. He obediently came over to the counter and stacked his Bibles up for the whole world to see. I did the same.
The guards took his pile of Bibles and tied them up in the large white confiscation bag and threw it on the scales to be weighed. They took my passport, and thus began the wait. I waited and waited and waited… Finally the guard that initially asked me if I had Bibles came over to me and silently handed back my passport to me along with the other gentleman’s passport and urgently said, “Go! Go NOW!”
My eyes questioned him, as this was not part of the normal routine. I knew I needed to get a receipt in order to pick up my Bibles from confiscation after paying my storage fee. Staring straight ahead without looking at me, he again said to me under his breath, “GO NOW!”
The older gentleman grabbed his passport from out of my hand, grabbed his large, white confiscation bag still sitting on the scales, and walked out of Customs and across the border.
I was still standing there stunned when a younger guard a bit further away looked at me. With a slight smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, he silently mouthed to me while motioning with his thumb, “It’s OK. Go, now.” I quickly took my Bibles off the counter, packed them back into my suitcase, and simply walked out of the Customs area as the tears fell down my face.
I believe God’s agents are working the borders to help make sure His Word gets to the hungry people who are craving to know more of who He is.
BOTTOM LINE:
I was greatly humbled to be reminded that I have five or six personal Bibles sitting on shelves at home in different translations, colors, and sizes that I can pick up and read at any time I choose. I don’t have to worry about being questioned or thrown in jail. I asked the Lord to forgive me for my complacency and thanked Him for a fresh perspective on the value of His Word, the value of my freedom, and, most importantly, the incredible value of knowing Him.
Take a few minutes now to reflect on our heritage that provided us the priceless value of His Word, our freedom to act for & obey Him, and our very own opportunity of knowing Him.