Kim is a typical fun loving, live–life–to–the–full, fifteen–year–old! Everyone who knows her talks about her kind heart and her big smile. She enjoys riding horses, swimming, playing badminton and loves books. Kim has big dreams for her future– to be a wildlife photographer and artist.
Kim spent the first seven and a half years of her life in Thailand, with some of that time spent in Rainbow House, run by Christian Care for the Disabled. She has an acquired brain injury, which has resulted in left–hand sided hemiplegia and epilepsy. But she hasn’t let this stop her! She is a girl who gives everything a go and never gives up! We count it a privilege to have met her and to tell her story.
As a lover of books, Kim enjoyed discovering the wonderful stories of Narnia written by CS Lewis. She fell in love with the character of Aslan, and after watching the DVD one evening made a commitment to Jesus and asked him to come into her life. Now with the support of her home church Ballyholme Presbyterian in Bangor, Northern Ireland and Scripture Union camps, her faith is nurtured, and she has wonderful people who pray for her.
Her mother, Heather has been reading the Jesus Storybook Bible to her every night, to help Kim understand and remember the story of creation, the fall, and God’s plan of Salvation. Heather spent years trying to find an age–appropriate Bible she could read herself, but ran out of options.
It wasn’t until a kind friend gifted Kim with an NIrV Accessible Edition that things started to change. Heather recalls the time when Kim first saw it:
‘As usual our curious Kim opened up the Bible in the back of the car to take a look. After a few quiet moments, I could hear her start to read it. Then she yelled, “Mummy, Mummy! I can read it; I can read my Bible!” ‘
Being able to read independently is so special to Kim, and an answer to prayer too. She is more interested in the Bible, knows the stories so well and that knowledge will enable her to focus on the text and boost her reading skills. Kim can now bring her Bible to youth group at church and read it just like her friends can. This is just so precious!
As a literacy support teacher, Heather was pleasantly surprised to find that the Bible was able to combine an adult flow to the sentences and bring down the level of reading required at the same time. She felt like the Bible passages seemed no different to what she reads herself in her own Bible.
At Biblica, we want Kim’s story to be replicated throughout the UK. We count it an enormous privilege to work alongside our partners in developing the Accessible Bible to make sure that God’s Word is open and accessible to everyone.
We plan to share more stories with you of the real difference an Accessible Bible can make to people in evangelism, personal discipleship and deepening of their faith.
To finish we want to share Kim’s mother’s words when we asked her about the impact the Accessible Bible has had on her daughter and her family:
“The Accessible Bible has become the means of unlocking the joy, peace and strength that comes from being able to search the scriptures, for those who can find reading difficult. It has become a means of unifying friends who in other areas of life enjoy the same things, in the ability to share in Bible studies together. This has been so important for Kim as a teenage girl, longing to be part of the group. Thank you Biblica for making this happen.”
To find out more about the Accessible Bible and ways you can order copies for your church please go to www.biblicaeurope.com/our-work/the-accessible-bible
Alternatively you can donate here to the Accessible Bible project, to allow us to distribute copies to those who need them.
