As a boy, I loved going out to the mailbox. I still remember the delight of seeing a letter with my name on it. Sometimes it was from an aunt, sometimes a cousin, sometimes from a friend I had met on our family travels. It didn’t matter who—it was a message meant for me. I had a few pen pals back then, and I loved writing to them and waiting for a reply. That small mailbox out by the road became something important to me. It was a place where communication happened—where a letter arrived and a message devoured.
As I grew older, I began to see how messages shape our lives. Whether it’s a handwritten note, an email, or a text message, the content can lift or burden, bring hope or bring grief. And the message becomes even more meaningful when you know the one who sent it.
One of the most impactful gifts I ever received was a One-Year Bible my parents gave me as a teenager. It had a section of the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs for each day. But more than just a reading plan, it opened up a relationship. I had learned to read—and now I was hearing from God Himself.
Since then, the Bible has become precious to me. Not only because of what it says, but because I’ve come to know the Author. When you know who’s speaking, the words come alive.
But what if there were no message?
Here at All-Nations, we recently designed and printed a small booklet. At first glance, it looks like a Bible. But when you open it, every page is blank. It’s a Bible for the unreached—one with no message.
It represents hundreds of language groups around the world who still have no Scripture in their own tongue. These people can speak to one another but they cannot read. They cannot open God’s Word and read, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) They cannot hear Jesus say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) They have never read, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
That little empty ‘Bible for the Unreached’ is more than a symbol—it’s a cry for help. It’s a silent testimony that there are people in this world who are still waiting for a message from God. Here’s the good news: you can help carry it.
If you’d like one of these “Bibles for the Unreached,” we’d be glad to send you one. Use it as a simple tool to stir your heart. Keep it on your desk or bed stand or somewhere you will see it each day. Write down your personal prayers for the unreached in its blank pages. Let it remind you that somewhere in the world, a family is still waiting for their first verse of Scripture. Someone somewhere is waiting to be taught how to read their own language.
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)
This little book says something loud and clear: the message is worth translating—and it’s worth giving your life for.
To request a copy, email us at [email protected] or call 814-826-3750, ext. 7.
Let’s make sure the world doesn’t stay ignorant and silent. Let’s carry the message.
– Harold R. Troyer
