The Bible Society’s most
precious donation
CAPE TOWN, South Africa —
One of the most precious donations ever received by the Bible
Society of South Africa (BSSA) was an ear of maize sent in by a
small boy called Ananias Selaelo.
It was in 1990 and the Bible Society
was preparing for its first Bibliathon to raise money for Bible
work. Information about the campaign was sent to schools around the
country, including the small rural school that Ananias attended.
When his teacher told the class the story
of Mary Jones and explained the work of the BSSA, Ananias was so moved
that he wanted to give something to help provide Bibles for people who
could not afford them. But he had no money to give. His family, like
many others in the shantytown where they lived, was so poor that they
could not even afford bread for their children’s lunch.
The only thing that Ananias had to give
was his lunch – an ear of maize that he had carefully set aside from
his dinner the previous night. With the help of his teacher, Ananias carefully
wrapped the maize in an old washing powder box and sent it to the BSSA.
(WR 361/6 - 7/8.01)
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