When Tim was 13, a Gideon stepped into his classroom, handed him a copy of God’s Word, and said, “This is the truth.” Tim kept it—and soon God kept putting His Word in front of him. A softball player signed a ball for him with John 3:3. A Pepsi deliveryman gave him another Testament signed with John 14:6. Everywhere Tim turned, he saw the book of John.

“Back at his hotel, another Bible—again opened to John’s Gospel—waited on his pillow. God was calling.”

Years later, while traveling for work, Tim carried that first Testament with him. In New Orleans, he was struck by a literal cross carried by a street preacher. At the ER, a nurse handed him a Bible placed by The Gideons, opened to the book of John, and asked him to read it. Back at his hotel, another Bible—again opened to John’s Gospel—waited on his pillow. God was calling. Tim prayed to receive Jesus Christ on December 16, 2001. The Scripture shared with him that day? John 1:6–7.

One Gideon’s faithful act in 1978 sparked a journey that led Tim to Christ and into a life of ministry.

Sarah* was born in Victoria to parents addicted to heroin. Her father disappeared before she was born and to this day, she has never met him. Her mother, who suffered from schizophrenia, attempted to quit heroin ‘cold turkey’ during pregnancy. At birth, she spent her first week convulsing and was left with permanent hearing loss. Her early years were marked by isolation, abuse, and instability.

By the age of 15, she was homeless on the streets of Melbourne, moving from one refuge to another. At 16, she entered a relationship with a man 12 years older than her. By 21, she was a mother of two and completely worn down; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Feeling hopeless and desperate, she made a heartbreaking plan: take her children to Tasmania and leave them in the care of the man’s ex-wife, a kind and faithful Christian woman she trusted. Then, on the return journey, she intended to end her life by jumping from the ferry.

“Aboard the Spirit of Tasmania, she locked herself in her cabin, overcome with fear and despair. In her solitude, she opened a drawer and discovered a Gideon-placed Bible.”

Aboard the Spirit of Tasmania, she locked herself in her cabin, overcome with fear and despair. In her solitude, she opened a drawer and discovered a Gideon-placed Bible. Flipping through the pages of Psalms, one verse gripped her heart, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” (Psalm 27:10). She broke down, weeping, and continued reading for hours. When the ferry arrived in Devonport, she told the ex-wife, “I just spent 12 hours reading the Bible.” The woman smiled and said, “Praise the Lord,” then led her to Christ that very day.

Over the next 12 weeks, she immersed herself in Scripture. Six weeks after coming to faith, she was baptized. At the baptism, a woman she had never met approached her, removed a silver locket bracelet from her wrist, and gave it to her. “The Father wants you to know He loves you so much,” she said.

As a child, she had once asked her mother for that exact bracelet but was mocked and denied. She had never told a soul. In that moment, she knew God had seen everything. Though she never knew her earthly father, she found peace knowing her Heavenly Father had always seen her. And from that day forward, she was certain: she would never walk alone.

“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” – Psalm 27:10 (ESV)

*Name has been changed to protect identity

I didn’t grow up religious, and after school, I drifted into a lifestyle of drugs. It all caught up with me in my late twenties, leading to a short stint in jail on remand. Thankfully, I was released with a probation sentence and had to stay clean.

Around that time, I came into possession of a Gideon-placed New Testament.

Not long after, a friend and I went fruit picking. We camped overnight by a creek. That night, I had a troubling dream that left me uneasy. The next morning, I went looking for a place to hide the marijuana seeds I had brought with me. But when my mate offered me a ‘joint’, I quickly forgot about doing this.

Later that day, two officers pulled us over and asked to search our bags. I was on probation and panicked. When I opened my pack, the New Testament was sitting right on top. The officer looked at it and said, “I don’t think we need to search any further.” After they left, I found the seeds just underneath the New Testament. I knew God had intervened.

I began reading that New Testament. One night, overwhelmed by conviction, I knelt and prayed the Lord’s Prayer. That was the beginning of my salvation. I believe the Holy Spirit had His hand on my life then and continues to do so now. I am still on my journey. I realise more and more that I can’t be a Christian on my own.

“I began reading that New Testament. One night, overwhelmed by conviction, I knelt and prayed the Lord’s Prayer. That was the beginning of my salvation.”

While I was attending university in Sydney, my supervisor was cleaning out his office. He threw two copies of Gideon-placed New Testaments into the bin. I had never seen a Bible before. After he left, I took the two Testaments home with me. I didn’t read them at the time because I was busy with my research.

I began carrying the little book in my pocket and started reading the Gospel stories and Psalms. Three years later, my wife and I became Christians. I gave one copy to her friend, who was curious about Christianity (I do not know if she has become a Christian or not). I keep the other New Testament with me to this day.

I came to understand that God’s salvation first came to the Jews (my supervisor was Jewish). Because they rejected the Gospel—the New Testament revelation—salvation came to the unworthy Gentiles, and I am one of them! I thank God for using the Gideons to provide His Word to so many people. May God continue to use you and bless your ministry!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16 (ESV)

On a dark and lonely night during the mid-1980’s, I found myself sitting on the edge of a bed in a nondescript motel contemplating the unimaginable after the failure of yet another relationship.

Heavily depressed and in utter despair, I noticed a small Bible on the bedside table.

Having been brought up in the faith, I cautiously reached over and fumbled my way to the suggested passages. I honestly cannot remember the exact readings, but what I do remember vividly is the sense of peace and well-being that embraced me as I read. My life really did have meaning, and I was filled with hope for a life worth living.

Suffice to say that I survived that darkest of nights and others throughout my life. I came to understand that our Lord and Saviour was with me supporting and encouraging me as I read the selected passages from the Gideon-placed Bible gifted to me that fateful night.

This little Bible was my lifeline when I needed it most. I’m certain I’m not the only one that has had this experience. I will be forever grateful for the power of His Word and the work of His servants who help make it so readily available for all. God bless you.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” – Lamentations 3:22–24 (ESV)

I am a Pastor in Western Australia. A member of our church and I were one of the groups participating in the R U OK Day at a High School where there was a Gideons team present. Unfortunately, we were involved with food on the day and were not located anywhere near the stall holders in the gym, but I want to provide feedback on the impact the Gideons had on the students.

“God is not dead in our schools and our young people are thirsty for Jesus’ good news!”

Whilst I am a local pastor, I am also a father of students at the school, I coach junior footy and am involved with the youth ministry. This means that I have lots of opportunity to connect with the various young people who took with them the Bibles given out on the day. I was blown away as student after student came up to us at the sausage sizzle and pancake station showing us the Bibles and asking questions about the Scriptures and various aspects of the contents of their new gift! Then at footy training that afternoon, they were reading through their Bibles and asking me different questions about the Scriptures, as well as quizzing me on my Bible knowledge with what they were discovering as well. God is not dead in our schools and our young people are thirsty for Jesus’ good news!

Thank you for the team that were there that day and for the positive impact they had on the school. Know that we are still involved in questions created by the distribution of those Bibles and I’m excited about what God will do through these opportunities.

“But he answered, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
– Matthew 4:4 (ESV)

It was 1982 when I received my first Gideon-placed Bible. I was only 10 years old at the time and I was briefly attending a girls club at a local church. I didn’t know much about God; perhaps there was a God somewhere distant up above, but I wasn’t sure. I’d heard about Jesus, mostly through religious instruction at primary school, but faith wasn’t something spoken about in my family when I was young, and the religious instruction class felt more like a history lesson.

I treasured that little brown Bible when I received it. Having it brought me comfort, even at a young age. Perhaps it made me wonder and hope. It helped me to start talking to God. I wrote my name and date in the back of the Bible where it mentions ‘making a decision for Christ’, but to be honest, I didn’t really understand what that meant at the time.

When I was 13, in Year 8, The Gideons visited with Bibles. I remember standing in the courtyard and a man from The Gideons was sharing. I can’t recall what he spoke about, but we all received a small Bible that day. This time I received a red one. I went home and over time I read parts of my small Bible (now I had two!) and this began my journey of faith in Jesus. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” was a verse that seemed to penetrate my heart. Over the next little while I ended up going with a friend to a local church, and I gave my heart to Jesus on the first night I went. This was the best decision of my life.

Now 40+ years on, my family also love the Lord. My husband and children walk closely with Jesus. My mum also is a believer.

Thank you Gideons, and to all those that God planted on my journey towards knowing His love.

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – Psalm 119:103 (ESV)

Three years ago, I gave my then 11-year-old grandson a Youth Testament as he was just starting out in secondary school. I knew that his new school, a government institution in our area, had previously declined to allow Gideon presentations, and so with this in mind I ensured he had access to the Word of God. I prayed many times for his salvation and the salvation of his father.

A few weeks ago, my grandson was staying with us as his father was away. We were heading off to church and we asked him what he wanted to do. His reply was immediate, “I want to go to church with you.”

That first Sunday sitting alongside my grandson at church sparked thoughts about how God was at work in him. He took notes on the sermon without being prompted and was singing the worship songs. When I gave him my phone with The Gideons Bible App open, he told me that he had already downloaded it.

My grandson was enthusiastic about going to church, so we arranged to make the 60km round trip to ensure he got there every week, and this is where, in the power of the Holy Spirit, my eyes were opened.

“As we were praying for his salvation since giving him his Youth Testament, the Holy Spirit was at work in his life. God did the work.”

Following the service on one Sunday, I decided that the time was right to witness to my grandson. It was clear he wanted to be in church with us. We opened the Bible together and what happened next astounded me. This is a witnessing experience I will remember for ever. Every verse he was directed to read, he read aloud and explained the meaning without fault. I even asked him at one point if he knew what the gospel was and his reply was, “Jesus died for my sins, he was buried and rose again on the third day and is now with His Father in heaven.” We prayed together and he accepted Christ.

On the way home he told his grandmother that he had been reading the helps in the front of the Youth Testament when he was going through some difficult times in his young life. Those helps pages and what he was directed to read, led him to pray the sinner’s prayer in the back of the Testament.

As we were praying for his salvation since giving him his Youth Testament, the Holy Spirit was at work in his life. God did the work. All we did was to be attuned to the Holy Spirit and the call to be witnesses.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” – John 6:44 (ESV)

Although it was the beginning of my life, my parents were halfway through theirs. As such, they already had a troubled walk with God. Therefore, we never went to church. Aside from my grandparents, my only exposure to God was through religious education in primary school. It was the highlight of my day, but for whatever reason they stopped teaching it after a few years. I loved hearing stories from the Bible, but over the years I started to hear them less.

I was in Grade 8 in 2013 when a group of four Gideons came to the school I was attending and spoke to our grade and distributed Bibles. Many of my grade took a Bible, including myself, and from that moment forward my life changed forever.

For the next few years, I always kept that Bible close and read it in times of need. It wasn’t until 2015, when we received news that my grandfather was going to die within the year due to cancer, that I began to read it more often and the first steps towards my salvation were taken.

Over the next few years, I would struggle with the expectations of the world while trying to learn the truth that Jesus Christ provides. For many years I had struggled with anxiety, and it was so severe l was afraid to go outside. My parents’ marriage ended, our family was fractured by sin, and what seemed like an impassable chasm between myself and my mother, was bridged over time through our shared fellowship in Christ.

For many years I have struggled with what to do with my life, but it is obvious now in hindsight that God was preparing me for His purpose. Nothing that has happened over the past year would have been possible without faith in God. Within a few months many of my prayers from the past eight years had come to realisation.

“A total restoration of my life, years in the making, thanks to a group of Gideons granting me the Word of our Lord, and God’s persistent mercy and masterful timing.”

This is a shortened story of what happened in those few months a year ago in 2022:

One day I was contacted by an old friend from High School. This prompted me to contact another old friend. At the same time, I had been given jury duty. I had been recommended a sushi place to try for lunch while on jury duty, and along the way l came across the man who l now call my pastor and friend. These events, prompted by God, seemingly had no connection until looking in hindsight. The miracle of it all is cemented by the fact that any other day l would have missed meeting my pastor. He plays the saxophone a few times a week in the local mall. Had I gone to the sushi place for lunch any other day, I would have missed him. The following time he would play, I was sick with COVID due to jury duty. It was a divine appointment that day for our paths to cross.

A total restoration of my life, years in the making, thanks to a group of Gideons granting me the Word of our Lord, and God’s persistent mercy and masterful timing.

I would like to thank all of you for doing the Lord’s work, and I hope that no matter how discouraging these times may be, please never stop fighting the good fight to bring the gospel of our Lord to the world while there is still time.

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” – Psalm 103:8 (ESV)

I wasn’t raised in a “Christian household” and went to a public school. Bullied and interested in science, I found myself quickly to be quite the angsty atheist. I was an atheist for as long as I can remember. When in Year 7 (2017), the Gideons came to our school, I unwittingly took a New Testament. Though I was apathetic, I kept it always in my bedside drawer. I’d occasionally flip through it, sometimes going to the “help with life’s troubles” section at the front.

By 2019, I was hurting. I fell into multiple addictions, and began seeking. I had seen several people around me who knew Jesus and they were different. They loved. They cared. In 2020, I really hurt a lot of people around me. I had become the most prideful, selfish, narcissistic and manipulative person I knew. Amidst that, I was invited to a Bible study through Genesis and Exodus. I accepted out of a fear of missing out, but it got me into the Word of God. I was using an online version of the Bible. After several weeks, we got into Exodus and it really hit me – wow, this is a perfect foreshadowing of what Jesus did on the cross. I can only explain it as God producing within me the desire to know Him, but I eventually gave my heart to the Lord, repented of my sins, and received forgiveness in Christ, turning to follow Him forever after.

“After several weeks, we got into Exodus and it really hit me – wow, this is a perfect foreshadowing of what Jesus did on the cross.”

After becoming a Christian, I was just using an online Bible for the Old Testament, but I always brought the Gideons New Testament with me wherever I went and read it daily through the Gospels. My foundation is on the Word, and through that I was able to know the Word who became flesh more intimately.

I have no words to express my gratitude to you and to the Lord. Praise the Lord, it is Him who gives the growth, and you were obedient and planted seeds. I still have my red New Testament and it is still very fruitful. This has been the single most precious possession I owned for a long time, and is still one of my most precious. I’m 18, and look forward to the rest of however long the Lord has given me to serve Him on earth.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17