Around the World: What God Is Doing Through Answers in Genesis

Throughout this year, we have specifically engaged in helping our supporters understand all of the various aspects of the AiG ministry that reach tens of millions of people each year. The most visible parts of the ministry are the two attractions (Ark Encounter and Creation Museum), and although they impact millions of people, with over 100,000 guests a year responding to the gospel, they are only part of the entire ministry.

So what does a normal day at the Creation Museum or Ark Encounter sound like?

Among the conversations of thousands of guests at the attractions, you will hear Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, and many other languages spoken by families who have traveled from around the world.

To take the truth of God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in their own languages

Those voices are a vivid reminder of both Genesis 11 and Revelation 7. At Babel, God confused human language and dispersed the people across the earth. Yet Scripture points us forward to a day when a redeemed multitude “from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues” will stand before the throne and worship the Lamb. That is the vision behind AiG’s international outreach: to take the truth of God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in their own languages—wherever God opens the door.

From Babel to the Throne

And they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands. (Revelation 7:9)

This month, as we continue with our end-of-year matching-gift campaign to build up and support the Answers in Genesis engine that fuels the entire ministry, I wanted to concentrate on and encourage you with a more detailed understanding of the global impact of AiG.

Reaching different language groups is not a side project for us. It is part of our commitment to proclaim and defend the authority of God’s Word and to point people to Jesus Christ. Billions of people will never be able to travel to Kentucky to visit the Creation Museum or Ark Encounter. So by God’s grace, we are taking the message to them.

Just recently, I (Ken) met a pastor from Brazil who ministers in the Amazon, training others to reach the people groups there. He so wants our books to be in his language and the language of the people he ministers to. I’ve heard that cry so many times over the years: “You have so much in English—can we please have these resources in our language?”

God Is Opening Doors Around the World

The scale of the opportunity is remarkable. Many of you may not know all AiG has been doing globally.

In the Spanish-speaking world (hundreds of millions speak Spanish), translated AiG books are being distributed throughout Latin America, and our associate speakers in Colombia, Peru, and Mexico conduct more than 200 conferences each year—an average of about four every week. Our Spanish-language media library includes more than 200 apologetics television programs broadcast across more than 1,000 cable stations in Latin America and beyond. The Spanish edition of Ken Ham’s radio program, Respuestas Hoy, also airs daily on more than 100 radio stations.

In Portuguese, AiG has an ongoing ministry relationship with a Brazilian university of more than 10,000 students and the evangelical association to which it belongs, representing more than 30,000 students. AiG speakers are helping professors and students learn to begin with the Bible in every area of study. A Brazilian publisher is also translating and printing new AiG titles, hosting conferences on biblical authority and the gospel, and helping expand Portuguese language media.

And the work goes far beyond Spanish and Portuguese. In September, AiG’s international outreach, under the leadership of Joe Owen, held events in churches and seminaries in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. At the same time, we are training 17 teachers and pastors serving French-, Russian-, Spanish-, Portuguese-, German-, Polish-, and Swahili-speaking communities—including ministry contexts in closed countries. Joe has traveled the world extensively for AiG, speaking at most of the events mentioned above. Joe (who is fluent in English and Spanish) has also translated talks for me when presenting in Spanish-speaking countries.

This is the kind of multiplication we pray for: not simply sending more speakers from the United States but equipping faithful Christians around the world to teach biblical creation apologetics in their own languages, churches, schools, and communities.

We subsidize this vital mission outreach as part of the ministry of AiG that God called us to.

I also want you to understand that in many countries people just can’t afford to pay for resources or for a conference, so we subsidize this vital mission outreach as part of the ministry of AiG that God called us to. It’s a big investment, but as part of this we are training others in those countries to continue the work once they’re equipped. To me, that’s a vital part of what we do, as we can’t do it all and we can’t keep this information to ourselves.

Be encouraged by these few testimonies—there are so many more we could give you.

Testimonies

• Ishaak (not his real name): The church in [unnamed Middle Eastern country for security reasons] is greatly oppressed and persecuted. . . . Our new generation faces many problems and challenges because of their Christian beliefs. They need to be taught and strengthened theologically and apologetically so they can stand firm in their faith. Secondly, we have many self-proclaimed pastors and prosperity teachers whose limited knowledge and inability to answer the questions of the new generation are creating a growing gap between the church and young people. We believe we need to bridge that gap through sound teaching and good, Bible-based study materials. Thirdly, with the growth of the internet, everyone is learning new things every day and has access to all kinds of material that speaks against the Bible and Christian doctrines. Creation and evolution are major topics that need to be addressed well. As I shared, most pastors are unable to answer questions on these subjects. As a result, the new generation often thinks that the church, the Bible, and pastors do not have answers or cannot defend a biblical position. We feel that we need to promote Christian apologetics and establish a platform that can help people learn more about these and many other topics.
• Maicol (Bogotá, Colombia): I’m 29 years old, and the ministry of Answers in Genesis has been a tremendous blessing in my life. On March 17, 2016, I attended AiG’s first conference held in Colombia. There, I was exposed to the gospel, and many of the questions and doubts I had about science and God were answered. That day, I was saved, and since then, I have dedicated my life to the Lord. I went on to receive ministry preparation at a seminary and have now graduated. Today, I serve as a volunteer with Answers in Genesis–Colombia, serve in my local church, and am studying history with the purpose of apologetically sharing the gospel wherever God desires. God has been infinitely good to me, and this ministry has marked my life forever. Today, I can say that my life and ministry are focused on His glory, and I am willing to do for others what was done for me: lead people to Christ.

Books, Books, and More Books!

Providing trustworthy biblical resources and giving presentations has always been at the heart of Answers in Genesis. Really, that’s how the ministry started in our home in Australia 50 years ago. Getting solid biblical resources into the hands of people around the world— in languages they can understand—is one of our major ministry goals, but it remains an ongoing challenge. Today, technology makes it possible for online articles to be translated almost instantly (though additional editing is required) through tools such as Google Chrome.

Producing books and curricula in other languages involves much more than translation. Resources must also be professionally formatted, prepared for printing, and in many countries, produced locally within each country or region. From there, trusted partners are needed to distribute them and place them into the hands of churches, families, schools, pastors, and ministry leaders.

Each of these steps requires funding, strong relationships, and ongoing coordination. In some underdeveloped countries, local publishers simply cannot recover the cost of producing these resources without financial assistance, making subsidies essential.

In other parts of the world, particularly where Christian teaching is restricted or believers face persecution, distribution must be handled with great care and discretion. Through trusted local relationships, however, biblical resources can still reach pastors, church leaders, and others who might otherwise have little or no access to them. Recently, after one of our speakers came back from ministering in a particular country, some of those involved in his events were persecuted by the authorities.

I have included a graphic showing just some of the major languages in which AiG resources are currently being distributed. We are grateful for the progress that has been made—but there is still much more work to be done. And we receive requests (really, pleadings) for other languages regularly.

Open Doors, Growing Needs

Many churches do their best to help with airfare, lodging, venues, and printing when they invite AiG to minister. But in some of the places where the need is greatest, local believers simply do not have the resources to cover those costs. Some are serving amid political upheaval; others live where Christians face serious restrictions or persecution.

Here are several opportunities before us right now:

• Resource materials for a few closed countries. We need funds to print and distribute biblical resources in four countries we cannot name publicly because doing so could endanger our ministry partners on the ground.
• A renewed opportunity in Venezuela. An AiG event planned for 2025 had to be postponed after major airlines suspended service amid the country’s political turmoil. With travel access reopening following Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power and transfer to US custody, pastors from a group of biblical churches have asked us to try again. Because of Venezuela’s devastated economy, AiG would need to subsidize significant ministry costs and print books inside the country so they can be offered affordably and without unnecessary border and customs complications.
• Biblical resources for students. In a number of countries, Christians still have access to impact public schools and universities in ways that are uncommon in much of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. While these doors remain open, we want to place gospel-centered resources into the hands of children and young people—resources that defend biblical creation and clearly explain God’s design for human identity, gender, marriage, and sexuality.

These are only a few examples. The needs are real, but so are the opportunities. Again and again, we have seen God provide—sometimes at the very moment a door is opening.

A Special Opportunity to Double Your Impact

That is why I am especially grateful for a generous family foundation that has committed to help strengthen AiG’s core ministry—which includes our international outreach.

From now through December 31, 2026, this foundation will match gifts dollar for dollar up to $12 million (our largest matching-gift grant ever), creating a total year-end campaign of $24 million. This would so strengthen our AiG engine that fuels so many different ministry areas.

Would you prayerfully consider making a generous gift today so we can take full advantage of the doors God is opening?

I’ve just concentrated on our international outreach in this letter. There are so many other aspects of the Answers in Genesis ministry impacting tens of millions directly and tens of millions indirectly each year.

Would you prayerfully consider making a generous gift today at AnswersDonate.com (that will be doubled through this matching opportunity) so we can take full advantage of the doors God is opening?

Thank you for standing with Answers in Genesis through your prayers, encouragement, and faithful support. It is a privilege to see what God is doing—and to serve together as we look forward to that great multitude gathered before the throne of the Lamb.

In Christ,
Ken Ham