President Danny Faure received five members of The Gideons International Seychelles Camp at State House this afternoon.

Headquartered in the USA, The Gideons International is a global association of Christian men and women dedicated to sharing the message of Jesus Christ and providing Bibles and New Testaments free of charge. They are mostly known for providing scriptures to hotels, but also distribute them to hospitals, schools, police stations, prisons, and other locations where people may find them. The camp in Seychelles has been around for 34 years, and has a presence on both Mahe and Praslin. They are best known for distributing small blue pocket bibles.

President Faure was presented with a special bible from The Gideons International Headquarters in Wisconsin, USA, that commemorates two billion bibles that have been distributed worldwide since the inception of Gideons in 1903. Gideons has a presence in 201 countries around the world.

Talking to President Faure, the members shared testimonies of people in Seychelles whose lives have changed because of encountering the bible, and explained the power that the words contain. They said that before giving away a bible to an individual, they take the time to explain the context, particularly when they meet young people, to fully explain the significance of the bible.

The President thanked the members and the organisation for their noble work, and taking their time to explain the message and the power of the bible. He encouraged them to continue their work, particularly with young people and vulnerable groups in society.

The President of the Gideons International Seychelles Camp, Mr Javan Shariff, and the Country Coordinator of Gideons for Seychelles, Mr Gilbert Poris, thanked the President for meeting with them, and also thanked Government for providing them with the ability to visit schools and prisons and freely access people who may not have encountered the bible.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Mr Poris highlighted the importance of knowing God, saying, “It is important that as a country, as a community, we focus on spirituality and hear the words of God. We must invite Christ into our lives. My work is very fulfilling as it enables me to both share and give away the word of God.”

Also present at the meeting at State House today were members of the Gideons Seychelles camp, Mrs Melina Josephine, Mr Brian Sinon and Mr Emmanuel Naiken.