Abraham

In a remote region of India, four men hurriedly drove a tractor down a winding mountain road, en route for supplies. In a flash, the tractor tipped over, killing one man and injuring two others. The incident created uproar in the community and the driver was thrown in prison.

The village council had intense discussions and eventually sought the wisdom of three influential brothers of the village.

The youngest brother, Abraham, had been learning to tell Bible stories though his family’s faith was not Christianity. Over the past year, he learned to tell 40 different Bible stories. Though he had not committed to being a follower of Christ, he saw great value in telling the stories.

As the men met to discuss the incident, Abraham spoke up, telling the story from Matthew 18. He told them that Jesus taught about forgiving your brother 70 times seven, as well as the importance of having a clean heart yourself. The men were struck by his words. In turn, they decided to forgive the tractor driver.

This is a village whose residents previously did not have the opportunity to understand Scripture. The people are starting to hear the Word of God in a way they can understand. It has especially helped among the small gatherings of believers that cannot meet openly.

Abraham learned these stories because a person in the United States heard that StoryRunners and some of its partners could help her church communicate the gospel to an unreached people group in a way that oral learners can understand. That one person became a champion to get her church involved in a two-year storying project staffed by nationals, not Americans. The church provided funds for the project, and short-term teams provided health care, hygiene, nutrition, and micro business opportunities to gain the trust of Abraham’s people.

Now they are seeing forgiveness in a completely different light now that their worldview is starting to change.