Against the odds, the word is read – from SIM

Photo Credit Gert-Jan Stads International Food Policy Research Institute 2007 CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

This story is from SIM International – March, 2026

Two women sit together on a woven mat set in the shade of a red brick wall. They come from different countries — different hemispheres — but share this afternoon, leaning over their respective Arabic copies of the New Testament. One reads aloud, halting periodically to sound out the foreign names of faraway places and unfamiliar people. The other nods along, encouraged by the familiar words spoken in a new language. 

This is more than an encouraging ministry scene. It’s proof that God can use regular obedience to defy incredible odds.  

According to UNESCO, the country of Chad has an adult literacy rate of just over 27%. For women, these odds are even lower, with a literacy rate of about 19%. That means only 1 in 5 adult women in Chad can read and write.  

It’s easy to take the gift of literacy for granted. Most of us grow up attending school, learning letters, reading children’s books, and then novels. We learn to write, then type, then text rarely stopping to imagine what life would be like without these skills. For those raised in the church, Scripture often becomes familiar early on, verses learned and memorized without much thought to the privilege behind them. 

But for many around the world, the word of God remains a mystery. Not only because they have no access to a bible or a believer, but because many cannot read. What good is a bible distribution to unreached people who cannot make sense of the text?  

These are the types of questions Faithful Witness workers have had to consider when working in Chad. There are, of course, language and cultural barriers. Many of their friends and neighbors are Muslim. Poverty, health disparities, and spiritual darkness are daily realities. But there is also a great number of Chadians who cannot read. Their hearts might be open, but they face an incredible barrier to entry with the word of God.  

The image described above isn’t imagined. It’s a true story of workers in Chad who, through diligent work and longsuffering, have opened the door to the gospel through reading lessons. The women are currently meeting once a week and reading through Mark. 

“I’ve been able to see the fruit of my colleague’s hard work as she’s been teaching women who’ve never had the chance to go to school, how to read,” the SIM worker explained, “I’ve recently been able to start reading together with her first student to help her practice.” 

The Faithful Witness team in Chad has carried significant grief in recent months. Teammates have departed, families have suffered loss, and all of it has unfolded within an already demanding context. The workers are tired. And yet, amid a long list of reasons for discouragement, we are encouraged by these stories of rhythmic obedience and gospel breakthroughs. 

What is now two women reading through Mark can serve as a catalyst for much more. And we trust and pray that it will. 

Consider that the Lord chose to reveal Himself to humanity in many forms, but most prominently through His word written in a book. In fact, throughout scripture, we see God commanding his prophets to write things down. 

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.” Jeremiah 30:2 

“Now go, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may serve in the time to come as a witness forever.” Isaiah 30:8 

“And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Revelation 21:5 

These are just a few examples of the Lord’s command to write and bear witness to what He has done. And still today, we trust that Scripture is living and active, a faithful testimony to His character. It is only fitting, then, that God would also make a way for His people to read it. Even in Chad. 

Join us in praying and supporting the Faithful Witness team there as they overcome incredible odds and barriers to bring the gospel to places where it does not exist. 

As 19th-century missionary Sarah Foulger put it, “To teach one child to read is to open one heart to God.” 

• For more workers to be raised to take the gospel to communities where Christ is least known 

• For the people of Chad, that they might come to a full understanding of who Jesus Christ is and how he can transform their lives 

• For the workers in Chad, as they deal with their grief at the loss of team-mates that they would trust in the loving goodness of our God