Pedalling for peace to the Ukrainian and Russian embassies

Author: Simon Bartz, 19 January 2023

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Bible Society’s Joshva Raja made a dash for peace as part of his Bike for Bibles fundraising challenge last year. He was armed with two Bibles.

Joshva had been happily riding 50 miles around his hometown of Salisbury, circling the cathedral and taking in other landmarks.

He’d been praying for Ukrainians and Russians to be at peace with each other. And that’s when a lightbulb went on in his head.

He jumped on a train and headed to London. Upon arrival, he hired a Boris bike and pedalled on to the Ukrainian and Russian embassies, counting up even more miles on his Bike for Bibles challenge.

When he reached the embassies, he handed over a Bible in Ukrainian and a Bible in Russian, respectively.

‘I gave them a Bible each saying, “We pray for your nation, your leaders and your people, particularly those who are caught up in the war”. They received them with a smile,’ said Joshva, who heads Bible Society’s International Bible Advocacy Centre, which champions the role of the Bible in public life.

Joshva added, ‘I was just given two minutes at each embassy and conveyed my personal wish and prayer for peace. Both officials received me with respect. They said thank you for my prayers and for the Bible.

‘My purpose was to tell them that I represent myself both as a Christian individual and as a Bible Society employee. I wanted them to imagine peace and justice as part of the values of the Christian faith that they can draw from the Bible.’

Altogether, Bible Society supporters rode more than 3,000 miles and raised an amazing £9,170 to provide the Bible to Ukrainian refugees, forced to flee from their homes due to war.