"Did You Bring The Book?"

Isaiah 55:11

My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper (succeed) where I send it.

After the Iraq war, a ministry was attempting to bring Bibles into Iran. 2 Americans & 2 Iranians, with a truck full of Bibles, entered Iran through a backroad smuggling route. They had to avoid the border police, the military, local police, religious police, and most importantly the bandits and criminals also using the smuggling route.

They made it over the border and were some distance into Iran when the engine stopped and would not start. They were next to a small village and saw several men walking toward them…and thought this is bad!

The men were elders in the village and asked “Did you bring the book?”  

They explained they each had been having dreams that someone would come with a book showing the way of forgiveness of sin and salvation.

“Well, yes we did!” the missionaries replied, grabbed a few boxes of Bibles, went into the village and, starting in Genesis, shared the story of man’s creation and fall, God’s plan of redemption and reconciliation through the work of His Son, and personal salvation by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

After two days, they thought they should get moving. They identified a village elder that could continue to share the Bible, and told them they would do their best to send a pastor/teacher to the village.

They walked back up to the truck, put the key in the ignition, turned the key, the engine started right up, and off they went glorifying the Lord.

A Baptist missionary in East Africa was driving on a dirt road when he was run off the road by a large truck. His SUV went into a ditch and rolled; he was thrown from the vehicle, hit his head, and lost consciousness.

Some time later he came to, covered in blood, and looked up to see a man standing over him. In that part of Africa, road accidents were common, and folks would come, not to help the victims, but to steal everything from the vehicles. The man was an elder in the nearby village and explained that they had taken the boxes of evangelistic tracts in their language (in addition to everything else) and had been reading them. The elder asked if the missionary could come and explain who this man Jesus was?

The missionary had a concussion but said he would try. By God’s grace his satellite phone was underneath him as he lay unconscious and had not been stolen, and he was able to call for help, which would be several hours in coming.

He went into the village, cleaned up, and explained the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ from the tracts, and his Bible, much to the interest of the people. He later connected the village with a pastor from the same people group, and a church was started.

We first met Elmer Álvarez in 2018. He was born in Aldea Margaritas, a small village near San Luis in San Juan Tecuaco. His mother died when he was a boy, his father married a woman with children, and she wanted nothing to do with Elmer. By the time he was 11 he was committing petty crimes, and drinking Quetzalteca; a cheap sugar cane based drink sold in Guatemala everywhere, flavored with Hibiscus or Tamarind, and which is 25% alcohol.

When he was 13 or 14, he did something that caused two men to want to kill him, and he fled to Chiquimulilla, living on the street. One day he was walking and looked down at a piece of trash on the ground, picked it up and read what was part of an evangelistic tract with John 3:16. He folded it up and put it in his pocket. But he kept reading the page over and over. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son…” Elmer decided God gave his Son for him, and he needed to give himself to God, and go back to San Luis.

He went to the pastor at Iglesia Esmirna de Misión Cristiana Elim in San Luis, where he had attended as a boy, and said he needed to turn from his old life and get right with God. The church members told the pastor “Elmer is a drunk. Don’t waste time with him” but the pastor invited Elmer into his home and the church. The two men who wanted to kill him were no longer looking for Elmer. And eventually the church welcomed him back, encouraged and discipled him.

Elmer Álvarez is now Pastor Elmer of Iglesia Dios es Amor Ebenezer in his home village of Aldea Margaritas…because of a piece of trash with John 3:16 (and the Holy Spirit).  

Left to right

Pastor Elmer, Pastor Jose & Pastor Eduardo and their wives in 2023