Saturday 11th March marked our first Run for the Bibleless event in South Africa! Despite a few bumps along the way, the organising team did an amazing job to put together such a fun morning. Praise God who directed and encouraged us at every step.

What Happened?

The day started bright and early, with people from far and wide joining the fun run. After some stretches, encouragement and a time of prayer, the first group set off. This group was competing for the fastest times. Our winner of the 7 km route finished in only 25:59 minutes!

The next group to set off were the fun runners and walkers, including some dogs. It was so special to see such a variety of people, all in white and joining together on behalf of the Bibleless people of the world. We even had some people dressing up, with our best-dressed prizes going to Noah’s Ark and Queen Esther.

There were also several stalls to visit, a dance show and presentation by the Sepulana language group, and a testimony from our guest of honour Kabelo Mabalane.

Who Joined Us?

Overall, more than 53 churches were represented through the 287 fun runners and 52 volunteers, ranging from ages 3 - 80. We had visitors from organisations like Impact Missions and Trans World Radio, and runners from places like Mpumalanga and as far as Kenya. Even Bible Man made an appearance.

We received R42,000 from registrations, R6,335 from sales, and R74,439 from donations and sponsorship so far. A huge thank you to House of the Lord Benoni, NewLife Boksburg, Maranatha, GodFirst Benoni and GodFirst Fourways for being the churches with the biggest contributions!

What a special day – the first of 10 events to be held in Joburg in partnership with BTL Kenya. Our dream is for this event to spread across Africa and to see God’s Word transforming lives in every language.

FEEDBACK

	“In my opinion, this was a morning well worth it and if you were not there you missed out!”
	“Thank you to our Lord and Saviour for blessing such an event.”
	“I pray that it was a successful event for God’s kingdom. It was certainly fun.”
	“First time volunteering at an event this size. It was a very fun experience and I would definitely do it again!”
	“It was awesome!!! I thoroughly enjoyed being there with people from so many different churches.”
	“We were so blessed to be a part of this weekend.”

REMOTE RUNS

In total, there were about 30 people who ran in different locations in South Africa in support of Bible Translation.

Let My People Go Ministries

On the 11th of March 2023, Let My People Go Ministries was involved in a fun run and walk. This activity was in support of Wycliffe SA’s initiative (Run for the Bibleless). A group of about 25 youth took part in the event. Most of them opted to walk 7 km and a few (about 7) ran the same distance. The fastest three runners were given trophies, and their excitement was unbelievable.

The money raised on the day was R243, and after the walk, the young people shared a meal and played football inside the church yard. 

Lee Gooch

Lee Gooch is a cancer survivor who ran in Boskruin with a couple of other runners. Before the event, she said:

“So looking forward. It’s my first big walk since receiving news on 21 February that I am in remission from cancer.”