COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (ANS) -- Christians are heading to Iraq providing relief and hope and more than 900,000 Bibles in Arabic have already been sent in aid, The Los Angeles Times reports.

The March 18 front page article of the Los Angeles Times states the growing concern for safety for missionaries traveling to Iraq. However, the distribution effort by Cook Communications Ministries International (CCMI) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been met with enthusiasm -- a development that is a surprise to those who are involved in spearheading the actual delivery of the Bibles to the almost exclusively Muslim nation.

CCMI is leading in the effort to reach out in Christian love with the hope of the Gospel message, by providing its classic perennial bestseller Picture Bible for free distribution to the war-weary children of Iraq. The operation is currently underway by CCMI and is being undertaken as part of the organization’s mission to encourage people all over the world to come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

“During our visit to the Children’s Teaching Hospital, we met the administrator who welcomed us,” said Nabil Costa, executive Director of the Lebanese Society of Educational and Social Development. “He got a copy of the Bible and then led us through the different wards of the hospital so we could distribute the Bibles to the children.”

Costa and his associates were astounded at what happened next.

“When we began passing out the Bibles, EVERYONE wanted a copy,” he said. “Doctors, nurses, the entire staff --suddenly everyone had children and wanted a copy. I had only taken 80 copies, and they were clamoring for the ones I had. I returned the next day with 120 additional copies.”

CCMI’s gift to the people of Iraq has been an evangelism catalyst promoting the spread of the gospel throughout the country. Since the distribution began, there has been a request for 50,000 additional copies of the Picture Bible that will be distributed to the Kurdish people in the area that they currently occupy.

“We are so excited to see how God is using this ministry effort in Iraq,” said Tim Gunsolley, Vice President of Development, Bible Literature International at CCMI.

“Our goal at Cook is always to reach out to people and provide them with the information and tools they need to pursue a life with Jesus Christ as their Savior, and the people of Iraq are hungry to learn the truth. To see the smiles on the faces of a child or an adult who receives a Picture Bible is such a wonderful blessing. They have such gratitude for even the simplest act of kindness. We are honored to be involved in such a worthy project,” Gunsolley said.

Cook Communications Ministries (CCM) is a non-profit Christian communications organization providing discipleship resources for churches and families in the U.S. and other English-speaking countries.

CCMI is currently working in over 80 countries and in 150 languages to strengthen both the church and the family by offering development training to Christian publishers as well as other products to support individual discipleship.