The neighbours were a little curious when they heard foreign languages over the garden fence, but otherwise there was nothing special to see around the little house that was the location of our Bible sweatshop this summer.
People from five countries joined to spend a week or two of their holidays around a kitchen table assembling electronic Bibles, or working with machines in makeshift workspaces. Some did not have a technical background, but were happy to do repetitive work, like putting screws in, testing devices, and attaching little stickers. A few were highly skilled engineers or programmers and helped with writing code to put new languages on different Bible devices or worked on the development of the next generation device.
Like last year, we asked for help through the BTJ network, because our engineer was struggling to keep up with demand from our partners on the field. People applied for various reasons. Some just wanted an opportunity to do something practical for the persecuted church. Some wanted to explore possibilities to use their technical gifts for mission. Some people got more than they bargained for and ended up traveling to take the devices to locations in different continents. As well as forging new connections, it led to outcomes we had not foreseen, such as opportunities to speak and share testimonies in churches and orphanages.
The sweatshop summer teams got hundreds of devices ready for the field and made thousands of little parts that will be used in other devices. Deliveries in three countries were made, and a fourth country will soon be visited. Great progress was made with a new system for adding different languages and even a testing device was built to make sure the devices are durable enough for long-term use.
We are deeply grateful for everyone who came to help and ask you to pray that the devices will be safely delivered in the hands of those who need it most.
