A Church in Norway was able to give refugees Bibles in both Arabic and Farsi in time for Christmas after receiving a generous donation. 

Elias Samer Nema, a refugee who arrived in Norway last year, started attending the Seventh Day Adventist church shortly after arriving in Vadso, having crossed the Russian border.

He was keen to tell other refugees about Jesus and help them to get Bibles.

One of the elders at Vadso Seventh Day Adventist Church, Hilde Huru, told the Norwegian Bible Society about Nema's request, to which the Bible Society responded by giving a number of Bibles in both Arabic and Farsi for distribution.

"We see a deep gratitude in the eyes of those who received Bibles. This is really important to them," said Huru.

The church has sought to engage with the refugees, giving them Bibles and using smartphones in order to communicate through Google Translate to overcome the language barrier.

They have also developed a multi-lingual Sabbath School, translating each lesson's handout into both Arabic and Farsi.

For one refugee, the Bible he received was the first he had owned. He had belonged to an underground church in Iran and was unable to own a Bible out of fear that his Christian faith would be discovered, putting his life in danger.

"I have never met anyone in the Middle East with such a love for God as you have," said one of the refugees