A MAF flight delivers Youth With A Mission (YWAM) staff to Lake Victoria’s islands, distributing Bibles to some of Uganda’s most isolated communities.
Joyce Nabwire, a 68-year-old grandmother and village elder, was overjoyed to receive a new Bible. She’d been holding onto hers for over 30 years, with some of its pages now missing.
“I am very happy to receive a new Bible,” said Joyce.
“I will preach the gospel in the islands and beyond with more confidence, knowing that I have the full Word of God. There’s beauty in having the Word of God fresh. I feel more energised and renewed.”
I am very happy to receive a new Bible,” said Joyce.
MAF flew the YWAM team to the islands of Bukasa and Bugala, where they evangelised through the donating of Bibles.
Abel Rukundo, from Jinja in eastern Uganda, is the leader of End Bible Poverty Now Uganda, a project under YWAM. Abel recounted the role of MAF in helping them reach Bukasa Island with speed and safety, on a flight fully funded by MAF.
“MAF saved us the trouble of being on a boat for very many hours. We never had enough money to fund the trip, but MAF stepped in and provided free transportation, so we were able to access the unreachable,” he said.
Among the beneficiaries of the Bibles provided by YWAM was Farouk Mugisha, who made the bold decision to give his life to Christ last year.
During a recent cyclone, he narrowly escaped death while working at a construction site. He had slept on-site, and that morning, when the cyclone hit the island, his roommate lost his life when their house collapsed. Mugisha felt humbled by the fact that he was not at home when the cyclone struck.
“I believe I survived the storm because God has a great plan for my life. He saved my life for a reason,” he said.
Prior to his conversion, Mugisha struggled with negative influences and drug addiction. In his new life, he had long yearned for a Bible.
“I’ve always had a thirst for the Word of God. Now that I have my own Bible, I’ll study more and increase my knowledge of the Word of God,” he added.
MAF flew 360 copies of the Luganda Bible to Bukasa. Pilot Andrew Parker, who completed the 20-minute flight, shared his excitement.
“I’m excited to fly God’s Word to people in their own language. The Word of God is powerful and effective, and I’m thankful for people like YWAM who do this kind of work. I’m glad we played a small part in that.”
I’m excited to fly God’s Word to people in their own language.
Ruth Jack, the Country Director of MAF in Uganda, expressed her enthusiasm.
“I’m so excited for YWAM and for the people of the islands who are going to receive a Bible in their local language. I’m personally privileged that we get to partner with YWAM to deliver these Bibles.”
A great witness to the gospel journey of the islands was Geoffrey Mwebesa, 65, who came to Bukasa in 1993 from Hima in western Uganda.
That year, the first church on the island was established. He was not fluent in the local language, Luganda, but felt the Spirit leading him to preach, even without an interpreter.
“The gospel was for the old – the youths shunned it. But now, we can see a great change in the church today.
“People who started without Bibles are now owning their own Bibles, freely given to them. We now have people who come here to teach us how to read the Bible,” he said.
