Bicycle Missionaries

Theodore Asare

The first bicycle was invented in Germany in 1817. Today, the bicycle is used around the world. In Ghana it is being used to transport audio scriptures to rural areas.

According to Theovision International, approximately 70% of the population in Africa is not literate, and "if nothing is done to reach the non-literate population with the Word of God, in the people's own languages in oral form, a great number of Africans would be denied access to the Word of God."

Theodore Asare founded Theovision International to record the Bible in different languages to reach those in Africa. Partnering with organizations like Wycliffe, SIL and Faith Comes by Hearing, among others, Theovision International has produced more than 200 audio Bibles in different languages in 22 years.

Asare shared about a program to designed to bring audio Bibles to remote locations using "bicycle missionaries".

“They put the audio Bible and a playback [machine] inside a backpack," said Asare. "They ride their bicycle, and they go to [rural areas] where there are no churches. They sit under a tree and they play the tape and [people] will come and sit down when they hear their language. They sit down and get excited. They listen. They do discussions. They begin to answer questions and some of them give their life to Jesus. Churches have been planted where there are no churches.”

Because people in oral societies learn primarily through hearing, listening groups are formed like Bible study groups. Instead of reading, they listen to the Bible and talk about what they learned from what they heard.

“Just listening to the Bible and discussing it opens up their minds and they want to follow Christ,” Asare explained. Groups are formed like Bible study groups. Instead of reading, they listen to the Bible and talk about what they learned from what they heard.

Asare said that through this ministry many have received healing, giving through tithing has increased, and discipleship has flourished.

One church was spiritually stagnant because only a group of young men could read and write. They preyed on the young women. 

The young men did not reveal to the pastor scripture passages about adultery and lust, so they were never preached about.  Since it was thought that the Bible did not say anything about those issues, they were not corrected until the church received the audio recording of Matthew in their own language.

“When they begin to listen in their own language, right from the beginning, it makes sense to them; it becomes life to them. This is very, very important to us,” Asare explained.

Theovision has recorded audio Bibles in African languages spoken by about 80% of the people in 30 countries.

Photos: Theovision and Ann Kuy

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