25 Apr 2021

Revelation Times Ministries International Jwaneng branch on Saturday donated 100 Bibles and children’s activity books to COVID-19 isolation centres.

The donation was a partnership between the church and Bible Society of Botswana.

Speaking at the handing over, Jwaneng branch overseer Mr Philimon Ramono said the donation was part of their commitment to uplifting the communities they served.

“We have interacted with patients who are in isolation and they indicated that there were no Bibles in the isolation rooms.

We therefore decided to partner with Bible Society of Botswana with the purpose of giving hope because patients feel lonely in isolation” he explained.

He noted that the Bibles would go a long way in giving patients spiritual strength so that they could handle the physical challenges posed by the virus, while the children’s books would keep the children busy.

“There are children who are in isolation who tested positive and those who are there because their parents are admitted.

The intention is to keep them busy and entertained during isolation,” he said. Bible Society of Botswana general secretary, Mr Ofentse Maruping noted that the aim of the organisation was to ensure that every Motswana had access to the Word of God because it has the power to build and transform the mind. Consequently, he said they realised that people would need more than physical strength when COVID-19 struck.

“We have a programme in which we have partnered with the American Bible Society to ensure that this mandate is executed, and we were pleased when Pastor Ramono approached us with the idea of donating Bibles to isolation centres,” he said.

He noted that since they wanted universal access to the Word of God, they were in the process of translating the Bible to various local languages and plans were underway to start working on the Bible for the deaf.

He said the main objective was to be inclusive while at the same time not distorting the message.

He pledged their continuous support to the church and was optimistic that such collaborations would go a long way in augmenting government’s efforts.

Jwaneng Mine Hospital pharmacy manager, Ms Mpho Masalila underscored the need for Christians who were frontline workers to put on the two hats at all times since there was a lot that needed to be done to fight the pandemic.

“We have so many admissions in our facilities and we are thankful for Christians who identified a gap in our isolation centres. With this donation, we are hopeful that faith will be restored,” she said.

She urged religious organisations to continue praying for healthcare workers to uplift their spirits and strengthen them during this difficult time.

Jwaneng mayor, Ms Olga Ditsie applauded the two partners for playing such a big role at a time when most organisations were hit by COVID-19. She said the value of the donation was beyond monetary terms as the Bibles and books would contribute towards development of recipients.

“We have seen how people are dying because of COVID-19 and most people who test positive are not certain about what will happen. Therefore this donation came at the right time so that they can have hope that this pandemic will be defeated,” she said.

She commended Revelation Times for their consistency in making an impact on the community and their contribution in helping government fight the pandemic. Ends