This August, the biggest missionary event in North Macedonia took place. 225,000 Bibles were distributed to Macedonian children by the Eastern European Missions, on request from the government.
Eastern European Missions (EEM) is based in Texas in the US already delivered 650,000 Bibles to schools in Croatia last year, reports Christian Headlines. This summer, they sent 225,000 Bibles to children in Macedonia in their own language.
The mission was made possible through funding of churches and individuals. More than 1000 churches in the US support EEM’s missions. The Macedonian government did not have to pay import costs because of this funding. EEM works together with several different organisations to print, publish, and distribute the Bible, like Bible League and different Bible societies.
EEM delivered the Bibles, after which the Department of Religious Relations in Macedonia distributed the Bibles. There also was a special ceremony which celebrated the donation of the Bibles to schoolchildren.
North Macedonia has experienced several conflicts in the last years. There has been a conflict with Greece about the name of their country, a conflict with the Serbian Orthodox Church about their recognition as a national Orthodox Church, and disagreements with Bulgaria about culture and history. The Macedonian government requested the distribution of Bibles “due to a lack of positive influences in North Macedonia.
In 2023, EEM will send another 225,000 Bibles to North Macedonia.
EEM President Rob Burckle said: “You’ve got to get [God’s word] in your heart; you got to get it totally within your entire body and soul in order to fully appreciate and understand what God has done for us and what our future hope is for how to manage the difficulties of life, which we all have.”
