Society members hear about girl's search for Bible |04 December 2004

Friday December 3 we published an article in Living Page, which gave the background of the girl's life and quest for a copy of the Bible.

Today we carry the details of how her search ended, starting a global effort to translate the scriptures into people's native languages.

The officials who were voted into office on Tuesday last week are; Mrs Flavie Jackson who was voted in as the chairperson, Father Lala as vice chairperson, Mr Bill Jackson as treasurer and Father Lonnie Adrienne as the general secretary and Mr Robert Bibi, Pastor Michael Bijoux, Mrs Menzie Accouche, Mr Patrick Mein, Mr Sam Andrade, Pastor Gordon Robert, Mr Vincent Alcindor and Mr Gilbert Poris as members.

The chairperson of SBS, Mrs Jackson, accompanied by regional officials of the societies, recently updated the Minister for Education and Youth, Mr Danny Faure, on the progress her society has made towards translating the Bible into Creole.

On Tuesday November 23, Dr Krijn van der Jagt, the United Bible Societies regional translation programme consultant, told the members and friends of the SBS the story of Mary Jones, the rest of which follows:

When Mary Jones learned her father would have to work in the mines for six months to earn money for a Bible, she said she would earn the money herself.

Mrs Evans was touched by the child's sincerity.
"My dear, I believe you can do it – and I'm going to help you. If you will memorise all of Matthew chapter seven, I will give you a cock and two little hens. You'll soon have a nice flock of laying hens, and can sell their eggs to buy your bible."

From that day, Mary worked to earn her beloved Welsh Bible. The coins went into the little tin box slowly, half-pence by half-pence. Some days nothing at all went in, because her tender little heart was moved by the great needs of others. One day at school a stray dog stole a little girl's lunch. Mary shared her meager meal with the child.

It took six long years of persistent work:
Six years tending colicky babies for tired mothers, six years collecting firewood on Cader Idris, in the dark before dawn, and hauling it down to the village in sleet and ice, six years of running errands, gathering eggs and candling them, six summers of digging a garden in rocky soil, planting seed, weeding, harvesting, and selling the vegetables.

But Mary never doubted that the God who had created the want in her heart for a Bible was going to satisfy that want.

Eight years later

The little hoard of coins grew, until at last – at long last! Mary had saved the money Mr Evans thought she'd need to buy one of Thomas Charles' Welsh Bibles.

She was 16 years old that bright morning when she started out for Bala, the town 40 miles away where Mr Charles Thomas and his Welsh Bibles lived. Her money was in a little purse tied about her waist, her wallet of biscuits and cheese tucked under her arm, and she carried her shoes so they wouldn't wear out. It was long after dark before she reached Bala, so she made herself a bed on dried leaves under sheltering bush, and slept as a sweetly as if she were in her own bed.

Early the next morning she found the home of Mr Thomas Charles.
"Mr Charles, I'm Mary Jones, for Llanfihangel-Y-Pennant."
"My you've come a long way. Come in."

"Do you remember Mrs Evans, the lady in Llanfihangel-Y-Pennant you sold a Welsh Bible to? For ever so long I've wanted a Bible of my own, and I've worked and saved and now I have the money, and please, sir, sell me a Welsh Bible."
Thomas Charles was shocked.

Out of stock

"Oh, my dear child, did you walk all the way from Llanfihangle-Y-Pennant to get a Bible? I wish you had saved yourself the journey. The Welsh bibles are all sold."

It was as if Mary could not hear the man's words. "Mrs Evans says that since God made the want, He'll satisfy the want, and oh, Mr Charles, I do want a Welsh Bible!"
"There are no Welsh Bibles left," Mr Charles said above the torrent of words.
"Let me give you an English Bible."
Mary shook her head. "Mr Charles, I can't understand God speaking in English. By the time I figure out the words, I've forgotten what God was saying."

She began to sob. "NO, it has to be a Welsh Bible."
Mr Charles tried to comfort her, but Mary could not help the fountain of tears that gushed from a heart too pained to heed.

"It's like somebody said to me, 'Mary, you are doomed to grow up in darkness. You will never see the sun again!’"

Mr Charles impulsively reached for his own beloved Welsh Bible, hesitated, then looked at the child's bowed head, heard those racking sobs, and held out his Bible to her resolutely.
"Here, take my Bible."

"Not yours, Mr Charles." She could see in his face his pain at giving up the Bible. But her deep, unsatisfied hunger would not be quieted.
"Can you get another?"

"You’ve laid a burden on me to get the Welsh Bible back in print and I will try."
"Then I thank you with all my heart. Here's the money."

"Oh, there's not enough money in the world to buy that Bible!"
Mary's face lighted the whole room.

"I know – but let it be a seed, a fund for printing more bibles. I'm going to help you!"
Mary Jones little feet tripped across the mountain paths toward home, clutching her precious Bible-in the language God speaks, and carrying her shoes. Her father and mother were waiting at the cottage door. Her face was still tear-streaked, but she was radiant.

When her father asked her softly, "Is it well with you, child?" she answered: "It is well."
The heart of Thomas Charles was deeply stirred by Mary's hunger for a Bible in her own language. He established a Bible Society, a fore-runner of the British and Foreign Bible Society, for translating the scriptures into other languages.

Mary married a young weaver from Bryncrug named Thomas Lewis. God gave them a brook of children, and her days were filled with sewing, learning, teaching Sunday school, and teaching her children from her beloved Welsh bible.

Mary Jones Lewis kept her promise to Thomas Charles. She kept bees, and sold the honey for household needs, but sold the wax to help print Bibles. When her children were grown, she served on the staff of the Bible Society. Mary Jones Lewis lived to be 82 years old. When she died on Dec. 28, 1866 she was clasping that beloved Welsh Bible in her arms.

At the time of this story, God's Word was available in less than fifty languages. Today there are printed portions of God's Word in over two thousand languages.

Some day, the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ tells us, around the throne of God will stand a great multitude some from every nation, tribe, people and language, singing.

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealthy and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise, because they all heard the Gospel in the language they could understand. What a miracle of grace beyond the highest imagination of that little girl in Wales who long ago prayed, "Dear Lord, please let me learn and not grow up in darkness!"