It started with a flight. Cindi and Bill Walsh checked in at the Kajjansi terminal for their first ever flight with MAF. They heard through various Christian circles about MAF being a reputable flight service.
Bill was visiting for his second time after first visiting Uganda in 2013 with his son. Bill has been working for Crossway for a year but in the same like of work he’s been doing for the last 15 years when he made his first mission trip working in content ministries publishing articles and books.
The Lord gave him a burden for church leaders who have very little training in the 3rd world. ‘I’ve been learning how to better support church leaders with good material. I started in 2006 working for ‘Desiring God Ministries’ (John Piper) and travelled to China, Brazil, Indonesia, Chilli, Romania, Haiti, Cuba, Kenya and many other developing countries.’ Bill raises funding for publishing and distributing books so that Good News Publishing can help resource pastors who don’t have access available like in the west. ‘This is the first time I’ve worked for an organisation that publishes the bible. We’re finding that most christians in lower economic areas struggle to purchase a bible of their own.
MAF Flights help bring the Good News
The purpose of the Walsh’s trip to Moyo was to visit Jacob and Carol Lee’s ministry who are training and equipping pastors. ‘We’ve provided them with thousands of books in Arabic and English over the last 8 years. They’ve been training a lot of pastors that have come from South Sudan and have eventually returned more equipped. The material we’ve been able to distribute are study bibles, books on preaching and pastoring and bible studies.
We’re also discussing producing audio training for many that can’t read, but so far we’ve found that church leaders are usually literate…if we can equip the pastor then he can influence his entire congregation.’ It was Carol’s first-time visiting Uganda alongside her husband, ‘I’m so excited to see first-hand the impact Good News Publishing are having on the local community.
The Walshes have heard from a rural pastor in Kenya about how much he has valued the work of Good News Publishing, ‘This ministry changes everything for us. One of the biggest struggles I have as a pastor is worrying that what I am teaching to my church is even correct. The greatest gift that I can receive as a pastor is a resource that can help me understand Scripture deeper and give me the confidence to know that what I am teaching is faithful to the bible.’
The Good News across Africa
Good News Publishing have also released material addressing the prosperity doctrine that is rife in Africa and this has been translated into 12 different languages and been published 10’s of thousands of times. Bill went onto explain, ‘A pastor in Lusaka wrote a book for us called, ‘God’s design for the Church’ which is about how the church can be healthy for Africa. We’ll be printing it in Kampala, Nairobi, Kitwe (Zambia) and Capetown (SA) over the next couple of months with 77,000 copies in English across East and Southern Africa and then more translated into other languages. We also are building partnerships with trustworthy book printers and distributors that are based in the countries where we are distributing.’
As MAF are able to fly partners like the Walshes to remote areas across the third world, the written word is being handed down from generation to generation.
“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
Story and Photos by Jill Vine.
