THE REVIVAL STUDY BIBLE REPRINT PROJECT IS ENDED
"FOR NOW"
In Late November 1200 Revival Study Bibles arrived in East Texas.
The Revival Study Bibles from the Reprint Project arrived one working day before Thanksgiving. The significance was not lost on the four of us who stood watching the semi-truck negotiate the driveway. Another 300 had already found their way to Auckland New Zealand. Now, 4 months later, almost every one that was shipped to the US has been distributed.
After I post this update I must go and take down the “donate for a Revival Study Bible” options.
I am amazed, excited, thankful and honestly, a little sad.
Now our prayers for those Bibles that went to so many people and ministries and into so many cities and homes are ramping up. What can God do with 1500 more Revival Study Bibles? I’m sure I cannot even imagine what He can do with them, but I can imagine a lot. We began praying for these bibles, the people and cities and homes where they went the minute we began shipping them, but now this reprint is wrapping up and we really don’t know what will happen next. We trust that the Lord has loads of options, and we go forward trusting that He will be faithful to this much-prayed-for resource. And though we wait on Him and rest in Him, the next step is not yet clear to us.But that’s okay. We will pray and obey.
It was a wonderful adventure!
The 13 months from launch of the Reprint to standing with that small group of volunteers, looking at the 5 pallets as they were off loaded at our staging/shipping location was one of the most wonderful, difficult, spiritual warfare filled, yet victorious times of our lives. The next business day we began shipping the pre-orders and in 2 weeks we shipped 600 RSB, trying with all our might to get everyone we possibly could to arrive by Christmas.
There were several very critical moments.
Because of COVID, shipping costs began going through the roof on all overseas shipments just as our Bibles were finishing the printing phase and a spot on a container ship were being found for them. Another $5,000 + was added to our shipping costs at the last minute, after we had already paid our bill in full. The world was going crazy and the prices were going up every week due to problems with COVID related work stoppages at the port in Shanghai. If we couldn’t pull together the extra money for shipping what would might further delays mean? Yet the Lord was gracious and provided enough to cover that as soon as the need was presented. Then, not that many days later, the Bibles arrived in the Port of Long Beach into what was presented in the media as a nightmare scenario where these same problems caused a stoppage of work on the docks and millions of containers got stuck. Our shipping agent told us that there were over 200,000 containers there in the Port of Long Beach alone waiting to be off loaded from cargo ships along with ours. He had NO IDEA when we might get them. Some had been stuck there for many months.
Amazingly and immediately, it seems, the Lord moved as we prayed. Miraculously the Bibles made it off the ship in just 3 days arriving here in Texas about 2 weeks later.
Yes, just this last week we ran out of Bibles from the reprint.
There are still a few set aside for pre-orders that we haven’t been able to get shipping addresses for. And there are some International shipments that we still need to confirm before sending, making sure we have all that is needed. As we waited for the RSB to arrive, International shipping became more difficult and more expensive. Finally some countries would not accept shipments at all. Things are loosening up now, but shipping costs for International packages remain very high.
There are still some RSB available of the 300 we had shipped to New Zealand for distribution in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand). World Harvest Church is our ministry partner there and we are so thankful for them as they help distribute those AU and NZ orders that have come through us. I don’t know how many they have left, but I haven’t heard that they are out yet so, if you are down under you may still be able to get one from that great ministry partner.
It took 5 years to distribute 1000 RSB from the first printing through our little ministry here. This time it was 4 months for 1200. It seems obvious that the hunger and desperation for revival are real. People are seeking God like never before (in my memory at least). Winkie has a teaching series we have heard him do several times called “The Race Between Revival And Judgement.” What will it be?
What can 1500 more Revival Study Bibles do? Nothing by themselves. What can God do with the people who get one?
We can’t wait to see!