Newsletters
Aurora Ministries - The Cassette Tape Years (video)
It's hard to believe it was nearly 10 years ago we switched from analog cassette tapes to digital media. Go back in time and watch a couple old videos that show how we used to make cassettes in high-volume.
If your are interested in reading more about our history, visit our about us page.
July 2018 - "THANK YOU"
One of our favorite things is when we receive a “thank you” letter or email from one of our Audio Bible recipients. What a joy it is to hear that the Bible we sent was in their hands and how much it means to them.
Today, I want to share with you a couple of quotes from some of those people—after all, we couldn’t have sent them the gift of an Audio Bible without the love and support of friends like you. So, these “Thank you” letters were meant for you too.
“I write to communicate to you how radically grateful I am for the gift of the Audio Bible. Many weeks earlier the Texas State Library accepted my membership for the Talking Book Program. When I inquired about the Bible for visually impaired, I was told of your ministry, and that I could receive the Bible. I guess I assumed that meant I could check out the Bible as I check out other books, but was told it was for me to keep. Thank you for blessing me with the recorded Word of God!” –Sharon
“Thank you for the King James and Spanish Bibles you sent me. I will use these in a home for blind children. I feel that these Bibles will be a blessing to the children and I want to thank you for this gift.” – Jamie
“On behalf of my wife Ada, we wish to thank you for the Audio Bible you so graciously sent to her. It has been very uplifting.” –Robert
“I have lost most of my vision and it is wonderful to have the Bible “reading” available on a personal basis. The audio is well done and the indexing makes it possible to locate passages.” –Trenna
“Thank you so much for the gift of the Scriptures in audio. I am really enjoying the hours of listening. As my sight has failed, the one thing that I have missed the most is not being able to read my Bible. I truly do appreciate this Audio Bible.” –Bill
“I wanted to let you know how thrilled my client was recently when he received his Audio Bible. I was happy to be there visiting when it arrived. We opened the package and he was praising God the whole time. Thank you so much from me and him. –Deanne
“Getting the Bible was one of the greatest things anybody ever did for me. Enclosed is a small contribution. I wanted to do for somebody else what you all did for me. I know that I’ll never be able to get out there and personally help, but I can do the best I can to help others by giving.” –Thenita
Perhaps your own life has been blessed by the touch of God’s Word. If so, I invite you to respond as Thenita did. Please help us provide the life-changing gift of an Audio Bible to someone that is blind or print-disabled with your generous gift.
Whatever you are led to send, I know it will indeed help others and bring a true blessing into lives darkened by a print impairment.
Please, prayerfully consider how you might partner with us.
- Allen Decker
June 2018 | Make 'm Smile/NFB
For the past several years, Aurora Ministries has been attending a special event called “Make ’m Smile” by Nathaniel’s Hope Foundation. Make ’m Smile is an outdoor festival for children with special needs, referred to as VIP’s (very important person).
Companies, ministries, and vendors set up booths around beautiful Lake Eola, a 23 acre park in downtown Orlando Florida. Each booth provides resources, information, activities and games specific for the VIP children and their families.
While most of the VIP’s have some eyesight, they also typically suffer from a print-handicap that keeps them from being able to read or manage the pages of a printed book, especially the Bible, so each year we distribute hundreds of free audio CD’s to the VIP’s. These CD’s have selected Scripture readings from The New Testament to tell them who Jesus is.
This is the first time some of them have heard the name Jesus.
Last month, hundreds of the VIP’s received a free CD, while many more requested a Children’s Bible and Children’s devotional on MP3 disc or a talking book cartridge for the National Library’s digital Talking Book Player, which were also provided to them at no cost. It’s also a chance for them to get a “hands-on” demonstration of our low-cost, accessible Audio Bible players, audio Story-Teller players, and audio book players.
If you could only see the smile on a child’s face when they receive this free gift—It’s hard to put in words their joy and excitement—and the joy we receive just watching them! I’m sure you would feel this also if you could be there with us. But in some ways, you are. If it weren’t for the support of friends like you, none of these children would have been able to receive these gifts.
If you missed the opportunity to support us for this year’s Make ’m Smile event, it’s not too late. There isn’t a week that goes by that we don’t receive a call, email or letter in the mail to help a VIP child with a print disability receive an Audio Bible, Bible story, or Bible devotional. This is why we added the International Children’s Bible to our list of available Audio Bibles over a decade ago.
It’s not only VIP’s—we want to help as many blind & visually impaired people as we can—but we’d never be able to provide Audio Bibles to every print disabled person that requests one. This is why we are asking for your help.
By the time you receive this letter, we will already be attending another event at the National Federation of the Blind’s National Convention, where thousands of blind men, women, & children, will stop by our booth and ask who we are and what we do.
It’s the perfect opportunity to give them an Audio Bible for their accessible devices and players—free of charge. It’s not uncommon for a non-believer to accept our free gift. Only God knows what happens after they leave our booth, but if we can introduce Jesus Christ to just one person, it is worth it.
This is why we must go and share with them the Good News.
Providing Audio Bibles in many different formats is our specialty. Visitors to our booth are often amazed that we have Audio Bibles available for so many accessible devices and players.
We do this because we believe the Word of God is of great importance and we want everyone, regardless of print disabilities, to have access to the Scriptures. We hope you also believe this.
Please, prayerfully consider how you might partner with us.
P.S. If you haven't seen our short video from this years Make 'm Smile event, you can watch it below.
- Allen Decker
- Tags: Make M Smile NFB
May 2018 - Leo
The Lord called David “a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” Acts 13:22.
Every now and then, I’ll meet a person with a heart after God. Someone who will do all God’s will, just like David did. A person with a heart so big, it shows in their compassion for others. I’m sure you’ve met them too.
Leo was one of those people and I wanted to tell you his story.
As a B24 bomber pilot in WWII, Leo flew 35 missions over Germany. A lot of planes were shot down, but Leo was able to return from every mission without one crew member ever being lost.
There were many times when it was questionable whether they would have enough fuel to make it back across the English Channel. Sometimes Leo discussed with the crew how they wanted to handle the situation if they didn’t have enough fuel to make it back to their base. By God's grace they never had to ditch their plane and always made it safely back.
The plane Leo flew had no protective shield on the bottom of the plane, and often enemy fire penetrated the bottom of the plane. On one occasion, a piece of shrapnel came through and missed Leo's leg by inches.
Children loved to see the planes land. They would line up by the fence at the air base, and Leo would often go over and give them some sweets or oranges. He especially remembered one 9 year old girl. He made such an impact on her life that she stayed in contact with Leo after the war and later wrote a book and told about how she had received these acts of kindness as a little girl. She sent a copy of the book to Leo.
Leo was a faithful supporter of Aurora Ministries. There were different charitable organizations Leo supported, but he would tell us that this ministry was always number one. Even as his health was declining, and even in his final days on earth, he directed Mickie, his wife, to send monthly contributions to help provide God’s Word to the blind and print disabled. He was a faithful ministry partner to the very end of his life.
As family members gathered around him near the end of his life, he was unable to speak much above a whisper. They realized Leo was talking to someone other than them. The last word they heard him utter was "Jesus." That same night, God took him to heaven.
Since his passing, his wife Mickie rapidly lost her eyesight. It was a joy to send Mickie an Audio Bible so she could continue to "read" the Bible that she and Leo loved so well. Mickie is now able to enjoy the fruit of the ministry she and Leo so faithfully supported for years.
Leo's goal in life was to do God’s will and bring the joy of the Lord to others. He certainly did this through his partnership with Aurora Ministries.
Maybe God is calling upon you, just like He did Leo?
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 (NKJV)
Your donation, no matter the amount, will make a giant impact in the life of a person who’s been living without access to the Holy Scriptures. Some might have had a Bible before losing their sight, while others may be experiencing God’s Word for the first time. What greater gift could you give?
Thank you for your support.
- Allen Decker
