Jim's View

A letter recently came across my desk from the Ukraine. By the time we received the letter and had it translated into English, a few months have passed. It was a blessing to me, and I thought you would enjoy it also. G. Sharovarskij wrote:

The Resurrection Day of 2009 brought double joy to us. Just before the Resurrection Day, we received your priceless gift: the Bible on tape, a player and a generator for which we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are now able to listen to the precious Word of God without ceasing as you have recorded it in our mother tongue. May the Lord protect you and bless you abundantly. You are in our prayers. May you always be in good health and happy in Jesus.

Blind invalids from Ukraine.

It is a joy for us to join with all of our ministry partners in making God's Word available to those around the world who cannot see to read, yet have a hunger in their heart for the Word of God.

Where We Will Be
We will have a ministry team exhibiting at National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) in Los Angeles October 11-13. If you are attending this conference, I hope you will stop by booth 1431 and let us tell you how you can get free Audio Bibles for your visually impaired and print handicapped patients.

Be sure to check out our latest story of the month. You can find it on our home page. We are also on Facebook, My Space and Twitter. Help us spread the word. We are excited about the opportunities God is giving us to provide His Word to visually impaired and print handicapped people around the world. Thanks for being a part of this vital ministry.

That is how I see it.

Until Next Time,
Jim

Jim's View

Did you know that by 2015 the blind population in America is expected to double?

Some weeks ago we provided our ministry partners thank-you cards on which they could write a personal message of appreciation to our wounded warriors and veterans. We received many wonderful responses of kind words and thoughtful expressions. Those cards have been passed along, and I am sure those messages of love, appreciation and encouragement will bring much joy to those who receive them.
My wife and I had the pleasure this week of visiting a V.A. Hospital and personally delivering a bundle of the thank-you cards to be passed along to wounded warriors and veterans who are patients there. We were also able to bring along some Audio Bibles for the chaplains to give to their veterans and wounded warrior patients. The chaplains were very appreciative of the cards, but most of all for the Audio Bibles. They shared a number of examples of how their soldier patients were blessed by receiving an Audio Bible. One of the chaplains told of giving one of our Audio Bibles to a patient who had lost his sight. The chaplain had been able to spend limited time reading the Scriptures to him, but could not always be available to read to him. With his own Audio Bible he is now able fill his long lonely hours being comforted by listening to the Word of God.

Where We Will Be

We will have a ministry team in Denver, CO next week attending the National Hospice and Palliative Care Conference sharing with the hospice professional care givers how they can order free Audio Bibles for their hospice and palliative patients. If you are attending this conference, we hope you will come by our booth in the exhibit hall and visit with us.

I encourage you to spend spend a few moments browsing our Audio Bibles For The Blind web page. We have posted several new, informative and interesting videos that tell more about our ministry. I think you will enjoy watching them.

Thanks again for your partnership in helping us do what we could not do without your prayers and financial support. Please do not hesitate to contact us when we can be of service.

That is how I see it.

Until Next Time,
Jim

Jim's View

Do you realize that every seven minutes someone in America will become blind or visually impaired?

We are thankful for the opportunity to send so many Audio Bibles to those who are not able to use print Bibles. This is a very busy time of the year for us. Our production staff is going full steam ahead to keep up with the demand for Audio Bibles.

I was on the phone today talking to a veteran who has lost his vision. He is an amazing individual. We had the joy of providing him with an Audio Bible. Another individual wrote us thanking us for the Audio Bible we had sent. She said, "It has been many years since I was able to read the Bible so it was such a treat to relax and listen to the Word of God." Another lady wrote telling us about the illness of her husband and his battle with cancer and the treatment he is undergoing. She said the Audio Bible has been a wonderful blessing and encouragement to him, and he listens to it every day.

I wish you could be with us to meet some of these neat people, or listen in on phone conversations when they call. You would truly be blessed as we are.

I am often asked how we can give the Audio Bible for free. My response is always the same. I tell them we have wonderful caring partners who believe in this ministry and help us financially. Otherwise we could not do it. We have volunteers who come and give us a hand in our production department. We had a group of seniors from a local church who came today and helped us assemble five hundred Audio Bibles. Those Bibles will soon be going out to visually impaired and print handicapped people all across the country.

I say it often, but I can never say it enough. We are wonderfully blessed and so very thankful for our ministry partners. We thank God for you and the valuable caring service you perform.

That is how I see it.

Until Next time,
Jim

Jim's View

Have you ever considered how many people cannot read their Bible because of their visual impairment? The number is staggering! Some estimates put the number at 180 million people worldwide. That is hard for me to grasp, but if all those people were equally spread throughout the United States, it would mean roughly one out of every two people would be visually impaired. That number would equal the combined population of England, France and Italy. Of the 180 million who have visual impairment, 45 million are blind and 135 million have partial sight. Low vision ranks as the second leading cause of disability in America. According to Prevent Blindness America, twice as many people will be blind in 2030 as there are today. It is our passion to provide God’s Word to help bring light into their darkened world.

Responses From Audio Bible Recipients.
We recently received a request from an Activity Director requesting some Audio Bibles for her patients. She writes, "I am requesting the New Testament on audio cassette in the following languages: (1) Haitian-Creole for two residents, both of whom are solely Creole speaking. They are nearing the end of life, and are unable to read at this time. (2) Greek for a resident who has dementia and lost the ability to read. No one here speaks Greek and hearing her language will be familiar and soothing to her. (3) Farsi for a resident who is legally blind with dementia. Thank you so much in advance for the Bible tapes. They will be a great way to improve our resident's quality of life."

A note from the Czech Republic reads, "Oh, what a joy it is to see our blind listening to the Word of God. Most of our blind had no one to read for them so you can only imagine their happiness since you made it possible for them to listen to their Audio Bible any time they want."

Where We Will Be
We currently have a team in Milan, Italy attending the International Federation of Library Associations. They are there to share information with libraries from around the world how they can provide free Audio Bibles to their visually impaired and print handicapped patrons. If you happen to be an attendee, stop by and talk with Joe and Georgia Aleppo. They will be happy to meet you.

We are continually updating our web page. Check out all the links and let us know what you think. Among other things, you will find information about a free service we have recently begun in order to offer help and suggestions about estate planning and planned giving. If we can be of service to you, I hope you will contact us.

We continue to be thankful in these difficult economic times for those who are faithfully standing with us in helping us provide Audio Bibles to those who are unable to read because of their physical limitations. Requests for Bibles are coming to us in even greater numbers. Without the help of our ministry partners, we would not be able to fill the orders. Thanks to all who are part of the team.

That is how I see it.

Until Next time,
Jim

Jim's View

Betty and I had the opportunity to represent Aurora Ministries/Audio Bibles For The Blind as exhibitors at the annual conference of the American Association of Diabetes Educators at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. We received an overwhelming response from the diabetes educators as they learned of the availability of free Audio Bibles for their visually impaired patients.

• Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among most adults.
• More than 21 million people in the United States have diabetes.
• 6.2 million people with diabetes are unaware they have the disease.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults ages 20 to 74.
• People with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to develop glaucoma.
• People with diabetes are 60 percent more likely to develop cataracts.
• 16 million diabetics are prime targets for blinding disorders.
• 700,000 diabetics are presently at risk of blindness.
• 25,000 new cases of blindness are caused annually by complications of diabetes.

When learning about this free service for her blind patients, one health care professional said, "This alone was worth my trip to Atlanta." Another said, "Your booth is the most important one here. Thank you for being here." Another health care provider said, "You have no idea how many Audio Bibles I have ordered for my visually impaired patients. This is a real ministry. The Word of God is the best thing we can give. God bless you for being here."

Responses From Audio Bible Recipients.

"My dad who had terminal cancer was given one of your Audio Bibles. It was such a comfort to him in his last days. Thank you for providing this valuable gift to him."

"I have patients who listen to your Audio Bibles as they walk to lower their blood sugar."

"I recently ordered an Audio Bible for a friend of mine who is a 91 year old woman in a nursing home. Up until last year, she was a very active Christian woman. I brought her the Audio Bible and she was beyond thanks. The Audio Bible made her very happy. Enclosed is my donation."

Where We Will Be
Our next conference is the Florida Health Care Association 2009 Annual Conference in Hollywood, Florida. Steve and Ben are our representatives. You will find them at booth 173. They would be most happy to chat with you.

Have you read our Stories Of The Month? If not, you will enjoy doing so. Just click on STORY OF THE MONTH on the right side bar of our home page and read stories about Wounded Warriors, Mike, Marie, Richard and others.

Thanks again to all our ministry partners. This is a busy time of the year for us. Your prayers and support mean more than I can say. Our staff is working full time to keep up with the requests for Audio Bibles, and to produce and ship them as quickly as possible. We count it a joy and privilege to be able to provide free Audio Bibles to anyone who cannot read print materials because of their physical limitations, and we are so thankful for our ministry partners who help us through your prayers and financial support.

That is how I see it.

Until Next Time,
Jim

Jim's View

Guide dogs were a common sight at the National Federation For The Blind Conference in Detroit, The American Council For The Blind Conference in Orlando, and the Sight Village Conference in England. It is amazing to watch these beautiful and wonderfully trained animals work and help their owners get safely from one place to another. It was a great opportunity for our staff to meet so many visually impaired individuals and share with them about the free Audio Bibles we can provide to them to help guide them in their spiritual life. We were also able to meet many professionals who work for organizations for the blind. Many told us their clients often inquired about Audio Bibles and they were anxious to receive the information to pass along to the visually impaired people they serve. The response we received at these conferences was most gratifying. Audio Bibles are now on their way to visually impaired people around the United States and the United Kingdom.

Betty and I had an interesting experience getting to Birmingham England for the Sight Village Conference. We almost missed our departing flight at the Bradenton Sarasota Airport. We did not notice a change of departure time, and were able to make our flight only because of the kind assistance of a Delta agent. We flew to Charles de Gaulle Airport in France for a connecting flight to Birmingham, England. When we finally arrived in Birmingham some 23 hours later, we had no luggage or display for the conference. We inquired at the baggage counter, and the agent told us that our luggage was still at Charles de Gaulle Airport, and was scheduled to be sent back to Birmingham, Alabama. Thankfully we got that situation turned around and received all our luggage the next day. Oh well, so goes traveling. We were able to get our display set up on time and had a wonderful response from the attendees at the conference. Sight Village does a wonderful job in providing this conference for blind people in the UK. We were able to stop over in London for a couple of days after the conference and meet up with Cettina, who came to the States last summer and volunteered in our office.

From Our Recipients

A social worker for an organization for the blind told us a rather sad story about a blind child who lived with relatives. The family did not have the child enrolled in school. He was very isolated in his dark world. The child loved music and was very talented. The social worker was excited to be able to get a Children's Audio Bible for this child. It would be a prize possession that would open up a new world for this child.

Where We Will Be

Betty and I will attend the American Diabetes Conference in Atlanta at the World Congress Center August 5-8. Many diabetics have vision problems, and many lose their sight completely. In fact, diabetes is a leading cause of blindness. We will have the opportunity to meet many professionals who work with diabetic patients and let them know how they can help provide this free service to their visually impaired patients. We will be located at booth number is 463. If you are attending this conference, we hope you will stop by.

Story of the Month

Check out our Wounded Warriors story of the month. Don't miss it! You can find it on our AudioBiblesForTheBlind home page. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our soldiers. Many of them are coming back home severely wounded. Many have been blinded, or lost arms or legs by IED explosives. Thanks to our ministry partners, we are able to provide Audio Bibles to many wounded warriors. If you would like to bring a little cheer and send a word of thanks and encouragement to a wounded warrior, you may email it to me at jpike@auroraministries.org or mail it to me at P.O. Box 621, Bradenton, FL 34206, and I will see that it is passed along to a wounded warrior.

Thank you for standing with us as we seek to provide God's Word to those around the world who are unable to read print materials. You are indeed a blessing.

That is how I see it.

Until Next Time,
Jim

Jim's View

My heart was really touched by this story.

Last week Betty and I were in Orlando to attend the meeting of the Home Care Association of Florida. We had the opportunity to share with home health nurses from around Florida and some from neighboring states about our free Audio Bibles for their handicapped patients.

A nurse stopped by our booth and shared a remarkable story with us, yet there was a sad note at the end. Her family often goes to Haiti on medical mission trips. They came in contact with a family who had a little girl who was blind and deaf. The family was very poor and had several other children. The nurse was able to bring the little girl to the States and found doctors who donated their services to perform surgery on the little girl. Operations were performed on her eyes to restore her sight and on her ears so she can now hear with hearing aids. The little girl has just blossomed with life.

The sad part is that she is going to have to be returned to Haiti. Her parents don't want her back, and they are going to give her to some relative who lives up in a remote mountain area. There is suspicion that the parents may be selling the little girl to this family, but it is only a suspicion. The nurse would like to adopt the little girl, but she is running into all kinds of resistance and red tape from our government. Government officials are demanding that the little girl be returned to Haiti by the end of July and have not been willing to even grant an extension. The nurse has come to love this little girl and can not stand the thought of what may happen to her if she has to go back to Haiti. She has asked for prayer that something might be worked out so she can keep her and raise her as her child.

From Our Recipients

We often receive braille letters and letters in various foreign languages. We are fortunate to have someone who can translate our braille letters into print and our foreign letters into English. We received the following letter from Helena who lives in Poland:

"I would like to express my heart felt thank you for making my dream come true. It has always been my dream to have my own recorded Bible and a player for listening, but it has been a dream that could not have come true if it was not for your wonderful love filled hearts."

Xmarik from Belarus wrote:

"I would like to express my gratitude for your care, understanding and help which you have been giving our blind invalids. Thank you so much for the Bibles on tape and the players which you have provided for our blind. We are not able to describe the joy you have caused in the hearts of those blind people whom you have presented with your gifts."

These stories always touch my heart and remind me of the wonderful opportunity we have to be able to give Audio Bibles to these dear people who otherwise would not have access to the Word of God. I also know that we here at Aurora Ministries/Audio Bibles For The Blind could not accomplish this task alone. Our ministry partners who pray for us and give financially in support of this ministry are very much a part of what we do.

Where We Will Be

We will have a team at the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) conference in Detroit, July 4-7 at booth C 60, and at the American Council for the Blind (ACB) in Orlando, July 4-9 at booth 23, and at the Florida Association of Homes and Services for the Aging in Orlando July 8-9 at booth 305. If you are attending one of these conferences, be sure and stop by. We would enjoy the opportunity to meet you and share with you about our services for the visually impaired and print handicapped.

I want to remind you again about our story of the month. I think you will enjoy Mike's story. Just click on "Story of the Month" on the lower right side of our web page. I also want to remind you again of our latest service of Estate Planning and Planned Giving. This service can be very valuable in giving peace of mind and making sure your wishes are carried out according to your plan, not the government's or the plan of someone else.

In these difficult economic times when many are struggling, we are very appreciative of our ministry partners and pledge to you that we will do our best to be good stewards of the resources God provides. We want to be accountable to our ministry partners, but most of all, we know we have to be accountable to God who sees all and knows all. Thank you for standing with us in getting God's Word to those who are unable to use print materials.

That is how I see it.

Until Next time,
Jim