Transformed Lives One Story at a Time

Here are handful of these wonderful testimonies:

They Love Stories

“Our people say they have tried to reach a neighboring tribe many times with the Gospel, but it always ended with fights. After going to the SIU training and learning how to communicate the Gospel through stories, things changed. They love stories! When we tell Bible stories they listen very well. We also apply the stories to life situations. In three months, 34 people among our neighboring tribe have decided to follow Jesus.”

Everyone is a Storyteller

“For years I thought only educated people could share God’s Word. But now, through storytelling and Scripture in local song style, I can teach my village about Jesus. People gather around in the evenings, and we worship using our own instruments and dialect. Three families have already started meeting regularly in my home—we are becoming a church!”

Intentionally Sharing Stories

“Juliet is a disciple maker who attended an SIU training. She went back home and started learning and practicing stories to intentionally share with neighbors in her community. She started five storytelling groups, and one has become a church. Praise God!”

Stories in Daily Life

“Many coastal Kenyan communities do not value education very much. Therefore, the Bridges training stands out for them. Donna attended a Bridges for Women training where she participated in workshops to memorize stories. Since then, she is using stories in her daily life. Donna has engaged her community with Bible stories, and she has started two house church storytelling gatherings.”

Speaks Our Language

“My people are deeply rooted in our culture—we’ve always been proud of who we are, and for a long time we resisted anything from the outside. When churches were first planted in our area, many of our chiefs and elders were very skeptical of the Christian faith. They believed it would change our way of life, take our children away from our traditions, and eventually cause them to abandon our leadership and heritage. As the churches began to grow, the elders watched closely. They saw how those who became Christians started to live differently, and that made them even more resistant. It felt like a threat to our identity.

“I remember when we were first introduced to singing the Psalms through the Bridges training. At first, we were all suspicious. We were being trained to use our own village melodies and traditional instruments, things we never thought could be part of worship. It was unusual and even uncomfortable for us as Christians. But then something amazing happened. The elders and chiefs heard us working on a Psalm using our own musical style, and instead of rejecting it, they encouraged us. That gave us the courage to continue. We went on to work on many Psalms. Not long ago, a violent dispute broke out between our community and neighboring groups. It happened over the use of the river—fishermen were fighting, and sadly, many of our people died. What touched me deeply was what happened after. Some people in our community, who were not even believers, started singing Psalm 137. Even though the words didn’t exactly match the situation, they could feel that it was a lament, a song of grief—and they used it to express their sorrow. To me, that was a powerful sign. It showed me that when the Word of God comes in a way that connects with our culture and heart, even the most resistant can be moved by it. That’s the beauty of sharing Scripture in a way that speaks our language—not just with words, but with music, emotion, and identity.”

Great Power

Wow. God’s Word memorized, dialoged, and engaged in the heart language and culturally appropriate ways, as trained and encouraged in our Bridges training, has great power to transform lives! These testimonies and stories encouraged me SO MUCH I had to share them. I felt like they would encourage you as well. Our sovereign, almighty Lord is at work adding believers to His Kingdom each day. We have the privilege of being a part of it. How blessed is that!

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