Christian Publisher Retrieving Bibles From War-Torn Kyiv

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A major Christian publisher tries to retrieve Bibles that remain stuck in its Kyiv warehouse as Russian troops encircle the Ukrainian capital, Worthy News monitored Saturday.

The Eastern European Mission (EEM) told God Reports news service that “requests pour in for Bibles in Ukrainian and Russian” amid physical and spiritual battles raging in the wartorn nation.

Evacuated staff members try to get the Bibles that ate in the Kyiv warehouse, despite ongoing clashes in the area, said Dirk Smith, EEM’s vice-president. “It’s perilous right now because Kyiv is a hot spot. Still, we are working very intently,” he explained.

Smith said Bible distribution is crucial when many of more than 3 million Ukrainian refugees appear open to what he views as God’s Word or share it with others.

“Their spirits are strong. They don’t have food or much clothing, and they want those things,” he stressed. “But the next thing they’re asking for is a Bible. They say, ‘I couldn’t take that with me, or I thought I did. Or ‘I want to share it with somebody else because they need to know.”

In the face of suffering, Christian refugees want to communicate their hope in Jesus, he said. “They say, ‘I’m traveling with other refugees who don’t know Jesus, and I want to share that with them.”

EMM says it publishes, prints, and distributes (full-sized) Bibles and Bible-based materials into 32 different countries and 23 different languages free of charge.

The organization started in the 1960s with printed “Marlboro Bibles” as small as cigarette packs to smuggle into the former Soviet Union. With millions now fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, EMM says it wants to meet the demand for Bibles among the refugees.

“The news media and the public will call it a refugee crisis. We call it a refugee opportunity” to spread the hope of Jesus despite ongoing hardship, Smith added.

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