Entries by Kent Kiefer

They Communicate and Learn Differently

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“They communicate and learn differently.” This is one comment that came up in our recent team discussion about how to express the distinctives and uniqueness of Scriptures In Use (SIU) in our upcoming website release. Unfortunately, SIU is often labeled a Bible Translation ministry, and others assume we are averse to Bible translation. Both are far from the truth. SIU is an Oral Scripture Engagement organization that sees Bible translation and effective Scripture engagement working hand in hand. Our focus is on those whose communication and learning styles are not based in literacy.

Power to Heal and Protect, and a New Challenge

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Jesus has great power to heal and protect. Through Oral Scripture Engagement, God’s Word shared through word-for-word Bible stories and parables, opens hearts to the Gospel of the Kingdom. This leads to deliverance, healing, and victory over fear through faith in Jesus. Stories and parables are the way Jesus taught over 2,000 years ago, and Jesus’s teaching style continues to have great impact in the 21st century. It can reach those who have been abused, forgotten, or ignored, and those who have not yet had an encounter with our risen Savior! Here are a few more stories from our recently released SIU 2025 Annual Report.

Ordinary People, Transformed Lives, and a New Challenge

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We are seeing so many lives transformed through our Bridges equipping and training events across Asia and Africa that we feel we are compelled to keep sharing these amazing, real-life transformation stories with you! God’s Word, engaged in stories and parables through oral Scripture Engagement, is the same way Jesus taught over 2,000 years ago. Jesus’s teaching style continues to work in the 21st century, reaching those who have been forgotten or ignored, and those who have not yet encountered our risen Savior! Here are a few more stories from our recently released SIU 2025 Annual Report.

Celebrating Impact in 2025 and a New Challenge

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We just released our SIU 2025 Annual Report. The report is full of stories of impact as we see the Great Commission being fulfilled among oral culture communities around the world. Our trusted partners across Asia and Africa reported training 23,191 workers in 769 Bridges training events across 30 countries, in 32 different heart languages! This is amazing! However, what is even more inspiring is that about 78% of these 769 Bridges training events were held without SIU funding! This reflects the heart of SIU’s equipping and training approach – organic replication and multiplication. In just this last year alone, our partners reported…

Behind the Scenes, the Ones that Just Missed

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It’s that time of year again—we’re getting ready to release our 2025 Annual Report in early May. Each year, our team reviews hundreds of testimonials and impact stories, then narrows them down to a clear theme and 7–8 testimonials that represent all our harvest fields. It’s a tough process! There were so many powerful stories that didn’t make the final cut, so we’re excited to share a few of those with you here.

Wars and Rumors of Wars – Jesus Knew

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This month began with the United States and Israel attacking the leaders and strategic military assets in the country of Iran. Our country is now fully engaged in war, with our service men and women at the front lines of the Middle East, fighting against Iran and its proxies. Prayers are needed for all impacted by these tragic events. Let me be clear. I don’t like war at all. I particularly don’t like how difficult, challenging, and sometimes deadly it is for all the citizens, the common people, who are seeking peace and freedom from oppression. So, what did our Lord Jesus have to say about this?

Engaging God’s Word Through Story

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It’s that time of year again: Annual Reporting. We are compiling field training reports, stories, and testimonies from our partners and their networks across Asia and Africa from 2025. There are too many stories of transformed lives through engaging God’s Word in Story form to share them all. I have selected a couple stories from Harvest Fields of Asia and Africa to share with you.

Can YOU get resources to the unreached?

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The following testimonial is from one of our SIU ministry partners who lives in a country with much persecution. It reveals that the Lord is working in mighty ways to reach the unreached in some of the most dangerous parts of the world:

“Bridges training is the way forward for my country. One day soon the Bridges method will be the only way to share the Gospel here. Persecution is increasing and it is very difficult for ministries to do crusades and big conferences. When people do open air preaching or distribute tracts, they can face persecution. Even carrying or giving out Christian materials can get people arrested.
When we tell stories, no one can say anything. I tell you that storytelling is the best and safest way for reaching the unreached in our country. One day storytelling will be the only way for the church to sustain and multiply here.”

Tragic Imbalance

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I mentioned in my recent blog that approximately 91% of our Bridges training events include participants who are reaching out to unreached people groups (UPGs). Whoa! Did you catch that? That means nine out of every ten of the hundreds of SIU Bridges training events held each year include those reaching out to UPGs across Africa and Asia! Our partners are pioneering in so many new areas that it feels as though the Lord is saying to them, “Go here, go there, go everywhere!” We are obeying and trusting our Lord, believing He will provide the funding to continue this great work. I am going to share another statistic. Unfortunately, this one is very disappointing.

Transformed Lives One Story at a Time

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As we approach the final few months of 2025, I am so encouraged to hear stories of those who have been trained through recent Bridges training events held by our Partners in Africa and Asia. Testimonies and stories of transformed lives come to us all the time. I am thrilled to share a few of these impact stories with you now. Our Lord is truly at work in the harvest fields around the world. Here are handful of these wonderful testimonies: …

About Kent Kiefer

Kent Kiefer is the CEO & Executive Director of Scriptures in Use (SIU). He has over twenty-three years of International Ministry experience; in his eleventh year with SIU, and previously four years with a faith-based International Missions’ Sending Agency (“ABWE”) and eight years with a faith-based International Parachurch ministry (“Focus on the Family”).

Kent has a heart and passion for “reaching the unreached” and believes strongly that the oral arts, communication bridges training approach designed specifically for the indigenous men and women of peace around the world is one of the most effective means to reach the nations with the Gospel.

Kent is widowed after his wife Melissa (“Missy”) was promoted into Glory in November 2021 after a 14-year battle with Parkinsons Disease, and has four children (all college age young adults). The Kiefers are involved with two local churches with the body of Christ in Southeast Tucson (“Grace Church of Sahuarita” and “Pantano Christian”).