Tataya explains it simply:
“Where I live, many people cannot read. The Talking Bible helps them understand.”
Tataya is a Maasai evangelist in Tanzania. Like many Maasai men, he never learned to read because he grew up herding livestock and attended school only occasionally.
This creates a heartbreaking barrier. Even when printed Bibles are available, many Maasai cannot read God’s Word—it remains out of reach.
As Tataya explains, “In this world, it’s better if we have both a printed Bible and a Talking Bible. But where I live, many people cannot read. The Talking Bible helps them understand.”
Six months ago, Tataya received a Talking Bible. For the first time, Scripture could be heard clearly in the local language—first at Friday and Sunday gatherings.
But the listening didn’t stop there. People hungered for more. Tataya began sending the Talking Bible home with different believers each week so families could listen longer—even while tending their livestock or working in the fields.
God’s Word was no longer distant or locked away. It could be heard—personal, alive—and people were eager to listen.
Because of the Talking Bible, God’s Word now reaches people in Tataya’s community who cannot read. Families gather at home, neighbors stop to listen, and even elders—who often resist printed Bibles—hear Scripture aloud. One small device is shared again and again, boldly spreading God’s Word throughout the community.
“When Scripture is spoken aloud,” Tataya explains, “people can meditate on God’s Word day and night—just as Joshua 1:8 describes.”
“I love seeing my people’s faces light up when they hear God’s Word,” he adds. “It reminds me why I keep sharing.”
One Talking Bible now reaches entire families—and sparks conversations throughout the community.
The Talking Bible Tataya uses today is part of a legacy that began over 40 years ago. In 1983, president, Paul D. Hoesktrat, recorded the Maasai New Testament in a small mud hut on the Serengeti—a project that took three months! Today, updated recordings continue to bring God’s Word to thousands who cannot read.
Tataya’s story is just one of many. Across Tanzania and beyond, millions of people cannot read—and right now, they are waiting to hear God’s Word. For them, the Talking Bible is not a replacement. It is a lifeline.
More Changed Life Stories




More Changed Life Stories



More Changed Life Stories









