A Simple Word, A Shared Hope

How the PEV Bible Is Opening Doors for Northern Queensland

We often celebrate stories of lives transformed in distant and hard-to-reach places around the world. Yet sometimes the most powerful stories are found much closer to home.

Across North Queensland, many young people from remote Indigenous communities leave their families to pursue their education. Living away from home can be both exciting and challenging, making places of encouragement, support and hope more important than ever.

One such place is Cowboys House, an accommodation and education facility supported by the National Rugby League’s North Queensland Cowboys. Cowboys House provides a safe and nurturing home-away-from-home for Indigenous Australian students in Years 7–12 as they attend school in Townsville.

Recently, school chaplain Joshua Lane was able to distribute 20 Plain English Version (PEV) Bibles to students living at Cowboys House. Developed specifically for Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, the PEV Bible presents God’s Word in clear, easy-to-understand English. Through Bible League’s partnership with Scripture Union, these Bibles are provided free of charge to students eager to engage with God’s Word.

For the students who received them, these Bibles were far more than books. They were an opportunity to encounter God’s Word in a language and style they could readily understand and connect with.

Joshua understands the importance of this. An ordained minister who has served with Scripture Union for more than two decades, he has spent years investing in the spiritual lives of young people and helping them discover the hope found in Christ.

For students living hundreds of kilometres from their families and communities, owning a Bible can carry special significance. It is a reminder that they are loved, valued and never alone. It offers comfort, guidance and the assurance that God is with them wherever they are.

What may seem like a simple gift can have a lasting impact, helping young people build a foundation of faith that will remain with them for years to come.

The students at Cowboys House are just some of the many Indigenous Australians whose lives are being impacted through the Plain English Version Bible. With your support, many more people can receive God's Word in a language they can readily understand and engage with. Will you help provide PEV Bibles through Badayala for Bibles? Every gift received before 30 September will help place Scripture into the hands of Indigenous Australians who are eager to know Jesus and grow in their faith. Together, we can help share the hope of God's Word with communities across Australia.