History Of Books Without Borders

Excerpt from What the Bible Teaches About Life After Death

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, ..."

Ephesians 1:4a (KJV)

    God had a plan!  Before the world began, God had a plan for the whole world to be saved through Jesus' death on the cross.  At the age of 10, I accepted God's plan and asked Jesus to save me.  At fourteen, I publicly acknowledged that God had called me to full-time Christian service.  I yielded my life to the Lord to go anywhere and do anything He wanted me to do.  In 1993, at age fifty-five, I asked God to help me share the Gospel with people around the world in a unique way.  Two years later He enabled me to step out on faith in Him to write and illustrate What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death, in such a clear and simple way that it can easily be translated into any language.

     God overwhelmed me in 1995 when a family, who wishes to remain anonymous, gave $100,000 to finance translating the book into Russian, printing and distributing the book into former Soviet Union countries. 

    In 1995, the anonymous donors requested that I start a non-profit organization.  As a result, on July 7, 1995, Books Without Borders was created.  This name was chosen because the long term goal of Books Without Borders is to transcend all borders around the world and communicate the Gospel to all people in every country.  This organization was founded and continues to operate on the command of Jesus - The Great Commission - "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel..." Mark 16:15a (KJV).

    At this writing, over one million dollars has been given by many people across America to begin to accomplish this goal.  In addition to being translated into Russian, What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death  has now been translated into standard Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, and Turkish;  it is now ready to be printed and distributed to many more parts of the world. 

    Books Without Borders History, His (God's) Story

    Over the years God heavily burdened my heart for people all over the world to become believers in the only Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.  Each year since 1996, He has continued to make ways for this to become a reality. 

    At the University of Virginia, I took a graduate children's literature course.  God used an inspiring professor to motivate me to not only write a book for class credit, but also later to write What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death.  The principles learned in that class enabled me to write and illustrate this book in such a way that it can have a global effect.  The eye illustrations are generic, the pictures of heaven and hell are symbolic, the biblical concepts included will stand forever. 

    In February 1996, the first Books Without Borders newsletter, "Books Without Borders News", was mailed to many churches and Christian friends.  Recipients generously responded with gifts totaling over $150,000.

    In June of 1996, thousands of books were distributed in Russia for the first time.  My husband and I also traveled to Minsk, Belarus where What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death is printed.  While there we heard Russian General Vycheslav Borisov's personal testimony of how he cried out to be saved when the helicopter he was in was shot down during the Russian war with Afghanistan.

    Later that year, upon his visit to America, we met former General Borisov and he asked to see a copy of What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death. He read the book and stated, "I want a copy of this book for every Russian soldier!"  Not knowing how many Russian troops there were, I just started asking God to provide the funds.  Then the gifts started to come.  First a $70,000 gift came, then a $40,000 gift, a $30,000 gift, and many more smaller, yet important, gifts.

    In 1997, people across America responded to a letter to get What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death to the Russian people by giving $116,000.  Through Revival Fires Ministries, headed by Rev. Cecil Todd, I met his son, Chuck, and daughter-in-law, Helen, who is Russian born.  Through them God enabled us to meet the head of 70,000 Russian public schools while at the Russian Federation of Education in Moscow.  While in Moscow we were able to share the Gospel in the classrooms through What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death  and distribute 5,000 copies to students and faculty. 

    As copies of What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death were discovered by missionaries throughout former Soviet Union Countries, they began to regularly request copies of this book for distribution.  Josh McDowell Ministries and the Samaritan's Purse representatives each requested 40,000 copies.  Ten thousand copies were requested for Ukraine.  Five thousand copies were given to the Association of Christian Schools International where members of Calvary Church in Moscow agreed to distribute the book.  Advancing Native Missions enabled Books Without Borders to get 5,000 copies What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death to a pastors' conference in Siberia.  Through a single mom at my church, God miraculously provided the needed $500 to airlift these books from World Wide Printing in Minsk, Belarus to Siberia. 

    During the summer of 1997, we met General Borisov in Moscow and delivered thousands of copies of What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death to an army base outside Moscow.

    A Books Without Borders group of nine traveled to Kiev, Ukraine during the summer of 1998.  Upon our arrival we discovered that the books were sealed in a room, and we could not distribute them without paying an import tax.  Not wanting to set a precedent for future trips to the Ukraine, we refused to pay the import tax.  After we left the country and the government officials were sure that the books were not to be sold, but were indeed a gift, they allowed the Ukrainian churches to distribute the books.  Forty-thousand books were distributed throughout Ukraine, which has a population of approximately fifty-three million. 

    In June of 1999, our group of eleven went to Moldova, a small inland former Soviet Union country.  We experienced great religious freedom.  In two large cities, the city band played Christian songs while seated on the porch of a five-hundred seat Cultural Center.  In the past, these buildings where we met for evangelistic services had actually served as Communist Headquarters Training Centers.  We helped distribute 10,000 copies of this book to the people of Moldova, on the street corners, in schools, and orphanages. 

    In June of 2000, the Books Without Borders mission team of twelve ministered in Pushino and Seplakov, cities outside Moscow.  This group helped to deliver 50,000 books to the Russian military, orphans, drug rehab patients, juvenile delinquent girls, elderly ladies, hospital patients, guests in our hotel, people on the street, firemen, and to a large crowd at a Saturday flea market.  

    On July 12, 2001, our group, along with many other Christians from across America, boarded a large boat in Moscow.  We traveled to six cities along the Volga River.  The entire group handed out 50,000 New Testaments and 10,000 copies of What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death.

    In July, 2002, the Books Without Borders missions team raised $15,000 for Bibles to present to people along with a copy of What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death.  While in Russia, various members of our team of fifteen preached, gave testimonies, presented the "Our Redeemer" pantomime, conducted Open Air Evangelistic Campaigns through street art, and sang in six cities along the Volga River.  This team also ministered to people in orphanages, hospitals, at bus stops, train stations, flea markets, and in churches.

    In July, 2003, the mission team members traveled to Saint Petersburg, Russia, where the Diemers led a conference for Russian Pastors and Russian Ladies for the city of St. Petersburg.  There we also ministered to people at an orphanage, refugee camp, young men's drug rehabilitation center, and a youth camp.  We also handed out copies of the book to  people at a train station and to a large crowd at a market place.

    Between 1996 and 2004, the generous giving of Christian friends across America provided funds for over one million Russian copies to be distributed in many former Soviet Union countries.  Since the book has now been translated into Hindi, standard Spanish, Arabic, and Turkish, the doors are wide open  to continue to spread the Gospel around the world through What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death.

    God's plan continued to grow when Books Without Borders received an anonymous $25,000 gift to have What The Bible Teaches About Life After Death published in English.  All profits from the sale of this book will be used to print the book in other languages.  Jesus' command still stands, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel..." Mark 16:15 (KJV).

    You are an important part of God's plan.  As we thank God for all the people who have taught us and stand with us, let us now invest in the lives of others in our family, those in our neighborhood, and people around the world.  It is still God's plan, and it is a perfect plan, to reach the world that includes you.  You are important to God!

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, ..."

Ephesians 1:4a (KJV)

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature..."

Mark 16:15 (KJV)

"The Lord is ... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

 II Peter 3:9b (KJV)