My wife, Jennifer, and I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit Egypt. This voyage marked our maiden international journey as Gideons, and we were filled with a mixture of excitement and a touch of apprehension. Armed with unwavering faith in the scripture of Matthew 28:19, which instructs us to “go and make disciples of all nations”, and equipped with Personal Witness Testaments (PWTs), we eagerly embarked on our adventure.
Our journey began with a flight to Abu Dhabi, where we were to catch a connecting flight to Cairo. During our layover, we felt a strong calling to leave behind two Arabic PWTs at the Abu Dhabi Airport library, and we also shared an English Testament with a fellow traveller from South Africa.
Two days into our tour, we had a remarkable revelation: our tour guide was a Christian, and we learned that approximately 20% of the Egyptian population shares our faith. There was a profound sense of connection when we shared a PWT with someone in their own language in their own homeland. I had the privilege of experiencing this threefold, as our guide even called his colleagues to receive Arabic PWTs from me. As the day ended, I conveniently recorded the PWT placements on the GideonsGO App.
Our journey continued as we flew to Luxor, where we boarded a boat to cruise the majestic Nile River for three days. During the cruise, I practised the skills I had acquired from the Gideon Conversations course. I shared an English PWT with an Australian traveller. Later that evening, he introduced me to his French wife and her family, offering another unique opportunity. I shared four French PWTs with them.
The subsequent days in Aswan, Alexandria, Hurghada, and Al Mamurah followed a similar pattern. By the end of our trip, we had placed a total of 47 PWTs, which were available in English, Arabic, French, and even Chinese. We had exhausted our supply of physical PWTs, so we began sharing the Gideon Bible App. Each person who downloaded the app experienced a similar and joyful reaction when they heard the Bible audio in their native language.
We give all praise and glory to God for opening doors and making this a truly rewarding and unforgettable journey, fulfilling the mission of The Gideons and spreading the message of faith across language and cultural barriers.
Kuben Moodley
Randburg Branch