The Bible finally arrived in Nyamira conference after visiting the South Kenya conference.
Hundreds of church members had gathered at the Conference grounds to welcome the Bible and lead a procession to the District officer's grounds where thousands others were waiting.

The match was waved off by Pastor Paul Musya, the executive director for East African Union, who has been the main speaker in every town we have visited. The event also attracted several leaders from government, banks, and NGO sector.

Over five thousand people attended the meeting. Choirs from across the conference graced the occasion as leaders from other religious organizations urged all present to go back to the Bible, which they said can help alleviate challenges that we face in the world today.

Speaker after speaker praised the Adventist church for taking a bold step to take the Bible around publicly. Nyamira town residents who did not want to come into the grounds stood round the fence through-out the meeting.

Local businessmen closed their businesses to join Christians in the celebrations.
Certificates were awarded to those who had completed reading the Bible in one year as others pledged to continue reading while others pledged to start.

By Catherine Nyameino-Ontita

The historic Bible made its way to Narok, Kenya on March 31 and was received by the whole town. Hundreds of people lined up by the roads, causing massive traffic as the church members matched on the highway before branching to the road leading to Narok Central Sun.

The scorching sun and dust did not deter people from lining up by the roadside. One would be mistaken to think that they had been arranged and also asked to be silent. One could see gazes of amazement as each person looked at the Bible as it passed.

Some businesses were paralyzed as people jammed every available space to have a look at the Bible. Maasai Adventist church members who carried the Bible in turns also danced to the music from the band as they walked past the big crowds.

The procession -- which had over two thousand people -- also saw many town residents join in all the way to the church compound, with some of them staying for some time to enjoy the pathfinder match.

The Maasai choir later sang in their vernacular and their men demonstrate their skill of jumping almost to the ceiling of the church. Faces shone brightly as each presentation was made.

Due to the hot sun, we relocated to the church and it was soon filled to capacity. After Pr. Muasya's sermon, heavy rain fell and for nearly two hours people stayed inside the church. Meanwhile, despite poor lighting in the church, photographers took pictures of all those who wanted.

When the rain stopped, church members rushed out to have more pictures taken, and none seemed to mind the mud that stuck on them in the compound.

The traveling Bible made its way to Ranen conference on Sunday, March 27. The first stop was at Rongo station where about two hundred church members had assembled to have a look at the Bible.

Some church members had been waiting since six o'clock in the morning, participants said. Among them were mothers and their babies, young children and very old people who would not have made it to Migori, the main venue.

One lady on crutches said, "I have seen the Bible, touched it and taken a picture with it. It is great. I can now rest in peace." She called the Bible one of the eight wonders of the world.

Pastor Paul Muasya and Pastor Makori briefly addressed the church members and explained why the Bible was being taken round.

The convoy the proceeded to Serare, the last Kenyan town bordering Tanzania. This small but famous town is known for its traders who trade in both countries. The members, mostly from the Kuria community, gathered outside the parking bay for trucks that transport good to either country.

Soon, the singing started and a big crowd formed. The procession then left the boarder to the middle of town. As we moved down the streets, the crowd swelled as local residents headed to the Catholic Church with palm leaves in hand stopped joined the procession temporarily. Some stared at the procession until it was out of sight.

Church members in Serare prepare to start the procession. The crowd soon swelled to a about three hundred.

Again the convoy left for the main venue in Migori. The procession was led by several motorcycles and a police officer on a motorcycle. As the church members who numbered about one thousand matched down the streets, traffic came to a standstill. Hundreds of local residents rushed from different places to have a better view of the Bible.

At Migori Primary school where the function was held choirs presented music items. Several people representing various language communities recited John 3:16 in different languages.

Pastor Muasya who has been speaking on the need for Christians to read and live by God's word, led people into recommitting themselves to the study of God's word.

In attendance were the former Migori Mayor, the local area chief, and a leader from an independent church.

The rains which had threatened the meeting did not fall as expected and after a few minutes, the meeting resumed.

Those who had completed reading the Bible in one year were awarded certificates.

By Catherine Nyameino-Ontita

The traveling Bible continues to attract thousands of people to each venue that it has been to. In South Kenya conference which is in Kisii town, thousands of people attended the meeting on Tuesday, March 23.

The procession commenced at Nyanchwa Teachers College where over two thousand students from the institution spent their better part of the morning waiting to see the procession start.

The procession then went through several roads of Kisii town where business came to a standstill as local residents rushed from their business premises to the roadside to have a look at the Bible. Led by South Kenya Executive Director, Obed Nyamache, the church members followed the Salvation Army band closely as they sang choruses.

On arrival at Kisii Central Church compound, the procession was met by over two thousand people who had already occupied vantage points in order to have a better view of the Bible. Several religious leaders from independent and mainstream Sunday keeping churches who attended expressed their joy for having been invited. Each of them urged the church members to read God's word.

Pastor Paul Muasya who has been the main speaker in the entire venue explained the need for members to turn to God's word. Choirs from various churches presented inspiring music as the choir sand the theme song 'Give me the Bible'.

Those who had completed reading the Bible in one year were give certificates. Pastor Lumwe asked members that have not started reading the Bible to do so.

The Follow the Bible Tour: A Community Celebrating the Scriptures is coming to the Howard Performing Arts Center on the campus of Andrews University on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010. A special program takes place from 4:30-6 p.m. and the Bible will be on display following. This event is free and open to the public.

This community event celebrating the Scriptures will host a one-of-a-kind traveling Bible written in 66 languages -- one for each book. Lebanon, Dubai, Mexico, Jamaica and the Arctic are just a few of the places the traveling Bible has visited as part of the Follow the Bible tour, a Seventh-day Adventist-sponsored event traveling the globe. The 12 x 18 inch Bible is a symbol of intercultural Christian solidarity and consists of 1,500 pages. Readers can view Deuteronomy in Japanese, Joel in Haitian Creole, Matthew in Indonesian and many other translated books.

The 4:30 p.m. program will include an archaeological standpoint of the scriptures by the Horn Archaeological Museum; "The Bible in English Literature" by Scott Moncrieff; recitation and chanting of scripture; scriptural songs lead by Stephen and Susan Zork; and more. Displays in the Howard Lobby will feature many organizations including Banner Books of St. Joseph, ABC Christian Book Center, the Old Rugged Cross Foundation, and art work from the Andrews University Department of Art. The lobby displays will be open starting at 3:30 p.m. and will remain open for a period of time following the program. For additional information, contact Glenn Russell at glenn@andrews.edu.

Follow the Bible is an initiative to stimulate a deeper interest in reading the Bible. The tour began fall 2008 in the Philippines and will travel to each Adventist world division until July 2010, when the journey climaxes at the opening of the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Session in Atlanta, Ga. The tour's stop at the Howard Center is sponsored by the Department of Religion & Biblical Languages at Andrews University in partnership with various community Christian organizations.

Seventh-day Adventist leaders and church members in the Dominican Republic welcomed the Traveling Bible with open arms and a strong commitment to continue promoting the Follow the Bible initiative launched by the world church during its first journey in 2008. The unique Bible made its way into Santo Domingo on Jan. 12 where it was escorted by national police and followed by dozens of vehicles carrying banners and decorations until reaching the eastern part of the island.

The Bible arrived in San Pedro de Macoris, where a multitude of Seventh-day Adventist leaders, students and civil and military authorities were gathered. The fire department, national police, the Red Cross and the civil defense were also in attendance. The Bible journeyed through the streets of the city, stopping in the central plaza for a special program.

The Traveling Bible also made its journey to the mayor's office in Santo Domingo, the Supreme Court of Justice, National Congress and the National Palace. More than 1,000 Bibles were distributed to government officials and workers.

The Bible then traveled to the southeastern part of the island, where the governor delivered a speech defending the truth about the Sabbath to hundreds of people there. He spoke in front of the Faro a Colon.

The traveling Bible then made its way to the northern part of the island in Santiago de los Caballeros where the reading of the Bible was promoted with Senator of Santiago Francisco Dominguez Brito and Governor Nidia Bisono de Tavarez. They both spoke on the importance of reading the Bible to students and professors in the community. The Catholic Church sent its priest Miguel Marte, who read a portion of the Traveling Bible.

The special book continued its journey to San Francisco de Macoris, Bani, and Azua where special programs were held in public plazas and the Bible was paraded through the streets. An ambulance from the Vista del Jardin Medical Center accompanied the Bible throughout its journey along with pathfinders and master guides to cities on the island.

The unique Bible made a final stop in Santo Domingo's Olympic Book where a special program and baptismal ceremony took place.

In all more than 50,000 Bibles were distributed on the island during the Follow the Bible initiative which began earlier this year with Bible reading and transcribing marathons throughout every city and community on the island.

The Bible's journey into the Dominican Republic was the 116th stop around the world and the final stop on Inter-American soil.

-- Silvestre Gonzalez Tabar/IAD Staff