Add near insurmountable financial and logistical obstacles to the very inhospitable Arctic climate (think a frigid -15 degrees Celsius in the summer!), and many might have let the initiative to lug two tons of Bibles to the North Pole freeze over.
Add near insurmountable financial and logistical obstacles to the very inhospitable Arctic climate (think a frigid -15 degrees Celsius in the summer!), and many might have let the initiative to lug two tons of Bibles to the North Pole freeze over.
But not Sebastian Tirtirau, founder and director of the Pilgrim Relief Society. Whether by plane, train, or—in this case—dogsled, Tirtirau matches the persistence of Arctic permafrost when it comes to reaching earth’s remotest tribes with education, health care, and ultimately, the message of Jesus.
Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the not-for-profit Pilgrim Relief Society was launched in 2001 and is committed to improving the quality of life for indigenous peoples. Currently, project implementation is focused on the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, Amazonian forests of South America, Congo Pygmies, Papua New Guinea, and the Inuit people of Northern Canada.
And it’s from Northern Canada that Tirtirau just returned. When he learned 5,000 Bibles translated into the Inuit’s Inuktitut language—printed by the Canadian Bible Society and purchased by It Is Written—were collecting dust because no one could conceive of how to get them to the Arctic, Tirtirau saw a mission with his name on it.
Because 5,000 Bibles pose quite a shipping challenge—especially to the Arctic, where travel is costly—he split the cargo into two shipments, said Shawn Boonstra, speaker/director for the It Is Written TV ministry.
It Is Written has recently partnered with the Pilgrim Relief Society and Boonstra hopes to participate in the delivery of the next shipment.
Upon his arrival to the Arctic, Tirtirau reunited with Inuits he befriended during an April 2005 mission trip. Not only did the Inuit people welcome Tirtirau back to their villages, they provided dogsleds and helped him distribute the bibles. “If it wasn’t for the kindness of the Inuit people, the North would be a much colder place,” Tirtirau remarked.
Along with the ruthless weather and persistent poverty, Tirtirau cites boredom as one of the greatest challenges Inuit people face. During summer in Northern Canada, the sun shines nearly 24-hours a day. The remoteness of the Inuit villages and their limited resources make books a rarity. “I am so happy that they have Bibles to read so they can get a fresh hope for the life to come,” said Tirtirau. The smiles of those who received Bibles certainly echo his sentiments.
But the distribution was hardly without hurdles. Summer in the Arctic means constant thawing and re-freezing, making icecap travel treacherous. “[We] had to navigate through these cracks [in the ice], making the trip very scary. We were miles from anything and if you get wet or you sink, it would be a long walk back to the village—if you make it!” related Tirtirau.
As Tirtirau and his team learned, that “if” is very real, thanks to a blizzard that beset the team on their return trip. When the rugged, ice-riddled Arctic terrain catapulted Tirtirau from his dogsled seat, he landed on a metal rod. With nothing but snow for an interminable radius, the team had no choice but to push on toward the village of Igloolik for medical treatment.
Despite his personal suffering, Tirtirau doesn’t regret the trip. “I praise God, my Father, for His work in the Arctic, because the Bibles and their message will only be spread by His power and grace. All I can do is go there and be a witness for Him,” said Tirtirau. “I also praise God,” he added, “that He spared my life!”
Bibles have now been distributed to the Inuit villages of Iqaluit, Apex, Kimmirut, Pangnirtung, Qiqirtarjuak, Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Nanisivik, Arctic Bay, Resolute Bay, Grise Fjord, Sanikayak, Igloolik, and Cape Dorset, among others. Three thousand homes (averaging 5 people each) have now received a Bible. And Tirtirau will be back with the remaining 2,000.
Also during this trip, Tirtirau distributed 40 Bibles in Inuktitut to a local prison, where he says inmates were “in a miserable state. The Bible will give them hope and will introduce them to Jesus,” he said.
Supported by an It Is Written Television team led by Boonstra, Tirtirau’s next expedition will send him to South Africa’s Kalahari Desert in August.
There, the team will distribute another sort of Bible: the Godpod. A solar-powered digital MP3 player, the Godpod holds up to 160 hours of audio content—enough to pack the entire Bible, a series of Bible studies, and a translation of Steps to Christ in the iPod-sized gadget. All the content will be in the Bushmen “click” language, which makes Ellen G. White the first English-speaking author to be translated into click.
The Godpod replaces the old version of the audio Bible, consisting of 99 cassettes and a cumbersome tape deck. “The windows God is opening are just amazing,” said Boonstra of the new technology and its upcoming distribution. [See also ANN, Jan. 24, 2006.]