Bringing Bibles by boat and road in Siberia

The Siberia branch of the Bible Society of Russia is prepared to go a long way in order to ensure that it reaches as many people as possible throughout its vast region.

Alexei Bulatov, Director of the Siberia branch of the Bible Society of Russia, on a boat which was used to bring Bibles to communities on the River Ob.

“Life is very hard for people in Siberia,” says Alexei Bulatov, Director of the Siberia branch. “Many people can’t afford Bibles, so we take them to them.”

In northwest Siberia, it recently visited the Nenet and Komi communities where it distributed audio Bibles. Traditionally a nomadic, reindeer-herding people their culture was impacted when they were forced onto collective farms by the communists in the mid-20th century.

In western Siberia, it hired a boat to reach villages on the River Ob, where it distributed Bibles and children’s materials to people in isolated communities.

Through long-distance road trips, too, it is reaching many, including people in drug rehabilitation centres, and those in desperately poor parishes.

It’s a challenging region encompassing not only great distances but many different ethnic groups and languages. But it’s a challenge which the Siberia branch is more than willing to try to meet.

This article is from The Word at Work – Autumn 2012