If you really think about it, odds are that the movie was one of a few types you’ve probably seen before, but with a different spin. And even if you’ve seen something like it before, you can still really enjoy the new one.

We might say the same about the Manga Bible. The stories contained in its pages are not new; they’ve been around for thousands of years and are well-known by a vast majority of the world. And yet, we have seen that the manga has appealed to a wide variety of cultures and people – people who may very well not have heard the Word otherwise – and have come to know Christ through reading them. Why? Because it’s God’s living, breathing Word, presented in a fresh, new way. The message is the same, but the presentation is different.

New Life Ministries partners with various organizations around the world to get the Manga Bible translated into the local heart language. “Many who have never even heard the name of Jesus,” says Roald Lidal, Chairman of New Life Ministries, “will learn of God’s wonderful plan of salvation as a result of the manga materials.”

What a privilege NLM has in doing this work from God! This is an on-going project for NLM, and we are always looking for supporters and prayer partners.

Read more on the Manga Project

To order manga for your ministry, click here for more information.

By Hideo Kanda, Director of Friends with the Voiceless International

●This article has been featured on the January 2013 issue of New Life Ministries’ Tsunagari newsletter

I have learned many valuable lessons over the past 30 years, serving at the Christian NGO that we started out of a desire to provide those in poverty and to be an answer to the prayers of Japanese Christians for the Lord to ‘provide the daily bread’ for those in need.

Limited Resources

In times of crisis, it is crucial to provide food and supplies for those in need. However, I have unfortunately witnessed firsthand how providing supplies for people over a long period of time can create a ‘dependency’ mindset, where people lose the drive to work, and they consequently draw further away from becoming independent. Just providing for those in need with money and supplies does not ultimately solve the heart of the issue when it comes to hunger.

In the Book of Acts, Chapter 3, when Peter and John met a man who could not walk since birth, they told him, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you’. They knew from their own experience that money cannot buy a real solution to the problem. What they shared with this man was the healing that they themselves received when they met Jesus and were touched by His Word.

With an Ethiopian evangelist

A ‘Hopeless’ Worldview

In the 1980’s, I worked for my first relief program in a village in Ethiopia that was facing severe food shortage, with most everyone in the village nearly starving to death. Without question, the first response was to provide emergency food supplies. The Muslim village was gripped by this notion that the state they were in was their fate, as a punishment from Allah for the sins that they commit. The feeling of ‘condemnation’ seemed to be covering the entire village. Although we wanted to share the Word of God to them, since it was a Muslim village, it was not permitted. We decided to obey and focus on the Bible’s calling to simply serve our neighbors.

The Biblical Perspective that Changed a Village

Over time, people started asking us why we are acting so kind to them. Even in a Muslim environment, as long as we are asked a question to answer, we are free to give a response. It was from there that we were able to share about the Gospel and what Jesus had done in our lives. When they started to understand the values we presented from the Bible, there was change in their hearts; they started to have self confidence. They found the true meaning of being valued as God’s creation. Their attitudes started to change, and they became more active in improving their lives. A true ‘sharing’ of lives started to happen in the village. Others saw the change in their lives and started reaching for it themselves. Soon the whole village was transformed. I give glory to God after hearing that currently, there are 35 new church plants in this village.

With the Muslim village’s chief

Light that Shines in the Darkness

How can someone call on a person that they have never heard of? When we as Christians served the village, and gave simple help that we could give, the Word of God reached the people, and a miracle happened as peoples’ lives started to change. The Bible has the power to transform people’s lives and societies.

As there are people who do not have bread to eat because of poverty, there are many who are not given the ‘Bread of Life’, which is the Word of God. I praise God for ministries such as New Life Ministries that work to print Bibles and send them out. I pray that the Word of God grows in the hearts of its readers and that its light would shine bright in the darkness, giving glory to God!

For many years the third grade class of Christian Academy in Japan has visited New Life Ministries for a tour of the facility. Every year brings new kids, each with their own anticipation of what they’ll see, questions about how Bibles are made, and unique view of what they see.

After they arrive there is a brief orientation session. In addition to addressing basic factory environment safety we also share the mission heart and purpose of New Life Ministries. It’s important that the children understand that we are a ministry and how this ministry helps others.

Their joy of discovery is a wonder to behold! Some children are amazed when they see the display of Bibles in other languages. The thrill of seeing God’s Word printed in non-English or Japanese characters seems to have a magnetic pull for some children, they just can’t get enough of looking at those Bibles. They are amazed at the variety of languages and the characters used to write those languages.

It seems that their favorite part of the tour is watching our staff use the various machines. They are amazed to find out that in the process of making a Bible the text is actually printed onto an aluminum sheet – the sheet is used in a high speed web press. 

At first they can’t believe that there is such a thing as a paper counting maching, but when they see that it quickly and accurately counts thousands of pages they understand that it helps save a lot of time.

One demonstration the children love to watch is seeing the paper cutter in action. They are astonished at the speed and precision with which our staff can slice through hundreds of sheets of paper leaving a nice clean edge.

The New Life Ministries staff look forward to this and other occasions when children tour the facility. Everyone enjoys seeing the bright smiling faces of the children, answering their questions, and taking in their new perspective of our every day work. It really is uplifting!

The questions and comments are lots of fun and truly give us a new perspective on our work. After seeing the Bibles or manga we’ve printed in many different languages sometimes the children will look at us in amazement and say, “Wow! Can read all those languages?” Sadly, we have to admit that we cannot. A few boys used their sense of smell to investigate huge rolls of Bible paper. After smelling the wrapping they proudly announced, “It smells like chocolate!” After seeing so many Bibles all around New Life Ministries one boy exclaimed, “With so many Bibles around this must be just like heaven!”

If you or your group would like to experience the wonder of a New Life Ministries tour, please let us know at here.

Read more our project

In September 2014, NLM had a send-off ceremony for its 3rd Phase, sending 200,000 copies of The Messiah to children in Uganda. NLM had the honor of hosting Her Excellency Betty Grace Akech-Okullo, Ambassador of Uganda to Japan, at the event. In addition to the ambassador, NLM welcomed around 70 people from the missions community around Tokyo to join for the joyful occasion. (More about the event can be found here. ※Japanese only)

From there, World Vision in Uganda received the booklets to use in their programs. We recently received this report from World Vision on the use of the materials thus far.

Below is a sample from the report.

In November 2014 World vision Uganda received 200,000 copies of Children’s Messiah Bibles from New Life Ministries and donors in Japan. These are in line with World vision mission of Following Jesus Christ by working with the poor, seeking justice, promoting transformation and bearing witness to the Kingdom of God. And this consignment also supports the work of World Vision in Uganda through the fulfilling the desire that Children Experience the love of God and neighbors as well as promoting their spiritual nature.

World Vision Uganda works in 53 Areas Development Programs and the focus of the programs is in
health, education, livelihoods and food security as well as spiritual nature of boys and girls and therefore the donation was in line with the programs and principles in Uganda and this was also focused at bridging the gap in reading culture due to lack of access to bible literature….

The churches have realized a significant rise in the number of children attending Sunday church services as compared to what was happening two months ago before the receipt of the Sunday school bibles…This donation has spiked up the demand and interest by children to know more about God through the stories that they read, they have also shared amongst themselves even with those who can’t read by looking at the photos and asking who the people in the Bible are and what they were doing and their relationship with God.

In conclusion, on behalf of the beneficiaries…we greatly appreciate the generosity New Life Ministries and the donors who funded [this project].

Thank you all so much for your prayers and financial support for this project!
NLM is currently looking for supporters for the 4th Phase of the Manga Project for Uganda.

Read more on the Manga Project