The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) is the closest hospital to many remote communities across South Australia and the Northern Territory, especially people needing heart surgery. For the hospital’s many Aboriginal patients it is an unfamiliar setting—far from home and surrounded by people who don’t speak their language. The Spiritual Care Centre at RAH provides patients with emotional and spiritual support throughout their times of distress.    

Bible Society Australia has been providing chaplains at the Spiritual Care Centre with Indigenous language Bibles in print and in audio player form, through our yearly Indigenous Bible Scripture Grant. The audio Bibles are a light in the darkness for the patients there, according to Bek, one of the Spiritual Care chaplains. 

“It’s more than just the book of Mark, it connects them to their language, their culture, their home, what’s important to them and their God,” she said.   

Lynton, another chaplain, said that the impact the audio Bibles for people wo don’t speak English is remarkable. “There’s almost an immediate connection in [about] seven out of ten cases,” he said. 

“I don’t know how good the literacy rates are but I’m going to guess probably only about 50% of the people we meet would have reasonable literacy, might even be a bit less,” he added, while also emphasising the power of having the Bible in your own language. “So, they might recognise some words but the idea of sitting there and reading the app—not so much there—but they do find listening really, really positive.”  

Bek said she gives out a couple of audio Bibles every week and they’re very well received: “[the patients] will be slumped down and their whole bodies will kind of sit up and their eyes will be bright and it’s really quite amazing, that connection when they hear their language and the Scriptures in their language, it’s a really beautiful thing.”  

Audio Bibles touching lives 

Bek and Lynton shared a story of an elderly Pitjantjatjara man, who could speak English but was unable to read due to his deteriorating eyesight. After listening to the Bible in Pitjantjatjara he shared a remarkable fact with the chaplains: he was listening to his own voice! As it turns out, he had been part of the project to record the Bible in Pitjantjatjara some years ago. He was with us for a little while and we were able to minister to him, and often when I’d go in, he’d be listening to it, which was just so lovely to see,” Bek said. Lynton added that the man was once the CEO of an Indigenous art corporation and had shared his story with people he had met there. “There’d been a couple of people visiting from that corporation … each come away being quite interested and impressed that there was the audio Bible facility available in so many of the Indigenous languages,” Lynton said. “It was nice to see some other people that are interested in Aboriginal work, that are not part of the Christian church, aware of that involvement as well through him.”  

Lynton shared another story of a Luritja woman who was in ICU in a serious condition after a heart attack. Lynton and her carer set up an audio Bible to play for her, and the reaction was immediate. “She just looked at us with this look of almost wonderment,” he said. “I sat there for about 10 minutes—not understanding a word myself… and you could just see that it was bringing her peace.”  

“A real gift to people that value and are hungry for the gospel”

There are numerous other testimonies like those ones. The chaplains are supported by a dedicated team of volunteers — including a Lutheran faith representative who speaks fluent Pitjantjatjara and both Arrerntes and manage passable Luritja and Walpiri. Between them, they give out audio Bibles to between 1 in 8 and 1 in 5 Indigenous people they come across.  

The staff at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Spiritual centre would like Bible Society Australia supporters to know that the audio Bibles are having a truly wonderful impact. “This is a real gift to people that value and are hungry for the gospel,” Lynton said. Bek says to those who are supporting the supply of these Scripture resources and Bibles, “[You should know] that they are being put to a really good use; [for] people who are often at their most vulnerable or sometimes at the hardest time of their lives…it’s like a little light in the darkness for them.”    

If you would like to read more or support Bible distribution and audio Bibles for Indigenous communities, you can do so here: https://www.biblesociety.org.au/projects/australia-equipping-chaplains/