Where words can reach
Words cannot limit the gospel
In a bungalow in Hobe Sound, South Florida, Dr. Connie Palm sat in front of the computer, considering every word she used. Her mission? Write a gospel tract in International English. This set of 1,500 vocabulary words is the most basic words and is usually used to help people learn English. Connie has a doctorate in education, has served as a Christian school principal, chair of the education department at a Bible college, and is an English teacher’s teacher. It’s perfect for her to write it, isn’t it?
Pastor Joe Taylor, who is in charge of the Gospel Publishing Mission, wants to publish a bilingual gospel booklet for missionaries to take with them to different countries, teaching English while preaching the truth. When he invited his old acquaintance Pang Connie to join the writing team, Connie declined at first. Her reason? "I'm not a writer; there are people more qualified than me."
Taylor encouraged this educator, who had been missionary and pastoral in Taiwan for ten years with her husband, Dr. Edward Palm: "Don't worry. You work hard to write, and we will work hard to preach (the gospel)."
God’s truth is vast, and we are limited to only 1,500 words. Can we really explain the gospel clearly? Connie is so knowledgeable, but she can't write beyond these words. It's like cramming an entire library of books into a bookshelf. Can she do it? While everyone was praying, Connie took a step of faith. Although there were many restrictions, the truth and knowledge were not discounted or omitted, but rather refined.
Therefore, in 2004, I published "Is God Really My Father?" "(Is God Really My Father?) was translated into Chinese in 2005. By 2023, bilingual versions in Spanish, Haitian, Russian, and Arabic have been released.
Since then, Connie continued to write, and successively wrote "101 Stories of the Bible", "Waiting for Wonder", and "Basil Bear Series". Pastor Taylor also fulfilled his promise, constantly looking for people to translate and publish the books, and sending the books to the ends of the world through different channels.
A missionary shared that local believers helped distribute more than 8,000 copies of "Is God Really My Father?" ”, about 1/10 of them decided to believe in the Lord. If the people who receive the book forward it to others, I believe more people will know the gospel and accept Jesus as their savior.
During the 2012 London Olympics, the Gospel Publishing Ministry gathered a group of volunteers to distribute the brochure "London" in the streets and alleys next to the stadium. This is also written by Connie, who wants to make this international sports event a great opportunity for evangelism. Athletes, coaches, and tourists from all over the world, regardless of whether their native language is English, can read stories about competitions and understand the gospel from this booklet, which is also written in international English.
Connie also wrote the chapbook Parades! for the 2014 World Cup. These two pamphlets were rewritten and 15 million copies were printed for the next three Olympic Games and three World Cups. In other words, the gospel seeds were sown to about 2/3 of Taiwan's population and the truth was brought to different countries.
People can't go, but words can come
The small candlelight handicraft ministry that Connie started in 2005 has produced more than 100,000 pieces of exquisite scripture ornaments and sent them all over the world. But because she is old and has been treated for cancer, she rarely goes out except for regular worship and Bible study services.
In 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) rose in the Middle East, violence spread, and terrorist attacks occurred frequently. Connie has been away from the missionary field for more than ten years, but she still has a heart for missionary work. She once again worked with Pastor Taylor to translate "101 Bible Stories" into Arabic. She thought that it would be difficult to preach the gospel directly to people in ISIS. If these books with pictures and texts, describing God's salvation in a language they understand, were sent to the children there, would it be possible to change a person and a generation? ?
Previously, Pastor Taylor happened to meet an Egyptian publisher at an international Christian book fair who had printed and delivered materials for the US military stationed in Iraq. When he heard Connie's idea, he immediately agreed. As long as the translation was completed, the next path for printing, shipping, and distribution was already open.
However, Connie went home to heaven on January 3, 2015. Taylor and her mission, Hope International Missions, believe her wish will be fulfilled. Therefore, we encourage those who respect and miss Connie to contribute to this English/Arabic bilingual book. Enough money was raised to print 200,000 copies and start shipping them from the Nile Valley.
A few years later, Taylor was contacted by a missionary who taught English in a refugee camp in the Middle East. During a home visit, the missionary preached to teenage female students about Jesus and salvation. Dad, who had been sitting silently aside, stood up, took out a book, handed it to the missionary, and said, "The things you are talking about are the same as what this book says."
What he was holding was actually the English-Arabic bilingual book "Is God Really My Father?" written by Connie many years ago and later translated. 》.
Pang Connie has been a leader throughout her life, shepherding, teaching, preaching, and making handicrafts. She has influenced many people in her more than seventy years of life. However, except for the United States and Taiwan, the places she has traveled are limited, just like the 1,500 English words she used to write the book. However, what can stop the spread of the gospel? She organizes words into sentences and articles to convey God's wonderful redemption. Her life was limited, but the books she wrote will continue to circulate.
Because the word of God carries power and does not return void. Wherever humans cannot go, words can be reached, and God’s salvation can also be reached.
To learn about the gospel publishing ministry, please check online:https://gospelpublishingmission.org/about/.
For more information about Dr. Pang Connie’s other ministry, Little Candlelight, please read the Talent Section of Issue 24 of Kingdom of God Magazine〈Cut-and-paste faith, illuminate life〉.