Mercy is a 34-year-old businesswoman from Balaka, Malawi. Previously, she used the New International Version Bible (NIV), making it difficult to understand some words. “The Easy-to-Read translation is helpful because I don’t need someone to interpret what a particular verse means for me,” she says.
When she studied the NIV version, Psalm 1:1 puzzled her, and she needed someone to break it down. But now, because the Easy-to-Read Bible is simplified, she didn’t need assistance with interpretation. Mercy likes the translation because of the way the content is displayed. It gives her more hunger to read it. Her favorite verse is Matthew 5:8, which says great blessings belong to those whose thoughts are pure, and they will be with God.
When the Balaka community first interacted with the translation, there were different reactions. As is the norm when introducing a new thing, some people were immediately receptive while others took longer to respond. But after some time, a majority embraced the Bible because it was easy to read and understand.
“On behalf of the entire group, I thank you very much for your excellent work in serving people from afar. May God reward your time, resources spent, and work of faith,” she says. Mercy’s prayer is to continue being God’s useful instrument to proclaim the Gospel to the lost world and save many souls.
