I wonder how many Bibles you have? Most families have at least one Bible, while many Christian families have several copies of God?s word. How far do you think you would go to get a Bible? Would you walk a mile? Can you imagine loving the Scriptures enough to walk 25 miles just to get a copy? This is exactly what Mary Jones did over 200 years ago.
Born in 1784 Mary Jones was born into a very poor family. Her parents kept some animals but mainly spent their days weaving cloth. There was no way they could afford a Bible even if they could find one. They lived in a village called Llanfihangel near Abergynolwyn in Wales at a time of great Spiritual darkness. Very few people had a copy of the Bible in their homes. There were very few Bibles available in the Welsh language although the Rev Thomas Charles had a great burden to bring the Scriptures to Welsh speakers. There were many people who had no formal education and could not read. Despite this people could recite huge portions of Scripture that they had heard from preachers or at Sabbath School.
The love that Mary had for the Lord Jesus Christ would put many of us to shame. Before she had a Bible of her own she asked a local farmer and his wife if she could come and read their copy of the scriptures every Saturday afternoon. Mary would run up to the farm (which was two miles away) with paper and pencil and note down as many texts as she possibly could. She loved these few hours each week when she could pour over this most precious book. As her love for the scriptures increased, Mary resolved that she would save up enough money to buy a Bible of her very own. Earning money at this time was not as easy as it is today. Mary began saving when she was only 11 years old and had to be very creative to save enough to buy her Bible. Before she even started saving she asked her father to make her a money-box to save up her pennies.
Her first idea for saving money was to collect sticks for an old woman living nearby. A half penny every now and again was all she would get but Mary did not mind. She often remembered the promises of God that she had heard from Sabbath School 'For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee' Isaiah 54 v 10. Some kind friends of Mary gave her some chickens so she sold the eggs to raise some more money. She helped a stressed mother with her many children after school once or twice a week. Mary was happy to help with the ironing or the bathing of the children and in return she would receive another half-penny for her box.
After a year Mary excitedly opened her money-box to count up all her pennies. Despite all her hard work she had only saved a shilling (1p in new money). This was not nearly enough to buy a Bible. While feeling very downcast, Mary remembered the verse from Matthew 17 v 20 'If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can move mountains'. She became all the more determined to save up enough money and in the following year offered to do needlework for her teacher's wife. Another year came and went but still poor Mary didn?t have enough money for a Bible. During the next year Mary's father Jacob took ill. Much of Mary's time was spent nursing him. She was unable to earn much money and missed several months of school. Families were so poor in these days that while Jacob was ill Mary still had to cultivate the crops so necessary for food.
It was nearly six years before Mary finally saved up enough money for a Bible. She was so happy. She ran to her local minister William Huw to ask where she could buy a copy of the scriptures. To her surprise the pastor knew of no Welsh Bibles in the District. The only place to get a Bible was from the Rev Thomas Charles in Bala, a town 25 miles from Llanfihangel. At first her parents were concerned at a young teenage girl walking 25 miles all by herself, but soon realised that the same gracious God who had led her through all these years saving for her Bible would take her safe to Bala.
The day eventually dawned when Mary would take her important trip. She had breakfast with her parents and they worshiped together as a family before Mary set out on her important mission. As she hurried along she looked at all the great hills around her and thought of the words of the 121st Psalm. Eventually Mary reached the house of the local Methodist minister in Bala, Pastor David Edwards. He and his family let her stay for the night and as Mary knelt by her bedside she thought of the words from Psalm 121 'He that keepeth me will not slumber'.
The following morning Pastor Edwards took Mary across to see Rev Thomas Charles to see if he could give her a Bible. Mary told Rev Charles her story. He was amazed and saddened at how such an earnest Christian as Mary had no access to a Welsh Bible. Her persistence touched both of these ministers. Unfortunately Mr Charles said he had no Bible he could give Mary. When she heard this Mary sobbed uncontrollably. Despite having no Bibles to spare Thomas Charles found her a copy of the Scriptures and Mary went on her way rejoicing.
The tears that Mary shed were to have a dramatic effect on Wales and ultimately the world. The Rev Thomas Charles visited the Jones' cottage in 1802 shortly after Mary had visited him in Bala. He told Mary that he was going to a meeting of the Religious Tract Society in London. He told the meeting about Mary Jones and her Bible. The people were so moved that the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed in March 1804. Since then the Bible has been translated into almost every major language and has become available in most parts of the world.
The story of Mary Jones and her Bible is a reminder to us all of how precious the Bible should be. Would we miss the Bible if we didn't have it? How much of it would we remember if it were ever taken from us? The story also reminds us of how the Lord often accomplishes great things through difficult circumstances. The six years Mary spent striving for a Bible were a great testimony to many in her village and ultimately, in God's providence, led to the Scriptures going all over the world. Mary's parents described her as a 'Ruth'. Why don't you read the book of Ruth in the Bible and learn about a daughter who just like Mary Jones loved and cared for her family. Most of all they both loved the Lord who was their 'kinsman redeemer' or Saviour.