Some ministry opportunities simply can’t happen from behind a screen. While technology helps us stay connected across continents, there is no substitute for sitting across the table from a brother in Christ, hearing his story, praying together, and strengthening the relationships that make ministry possible.
This spring, Anthony High and Arlin Horst traveled to Senegal to spend time with Bible distribution and ministry partners. The trip was filled with meaningful conversations, shared meals, strategic planning, and powerful reminders of God’s work through faithful believers serving in challenging places. From hearing testimonies of courage under persecution to dreaming about new opportunities to expand Bible and radio ministry, every moment reinforced the importance of investing in relationships that advance the Gospel.
Our recent trip to Senegal was a good time of connection and relationship building. The primary focus was to spend time with several of our Bible distribution partners—some dear friends from previous trips, and others I was glad to meet for the first time.
It was a joy to gather with partners from Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Pakistan, Cameroon, Niger, Kenya, and beyond. Highlights included hearing the courageous stories from one of our partners about smuggling Bibles into Afghanistan and dreaming together about potential radio ministry opportunities with Herman from Guinea and Michel from Benin. We also had some strategic conversations with Joe Fleming from Training2Send about the future, including a shift toward using 40′ containers to get more Bibles into the hands of those who need them.
One of the most moving moments was a conversation with a brother who faces significant threats from extremist groups in northern Africa. Despite the danger to himself and his family, his commitment to sharing the Gospel with his people—and even into neighboring countries—was deeply inspiring.
While we faced travel complications on our return journey due to a national Muslim holiday, this unexpected delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It gave us the gift of extra, meaningful time with some of our master trainers, which only served to deepen our friendships and strengthen our shared ministry goals.
As many of you know, I work for HOH from the city of Reading. In this day of Zoom calls and Teams meetings, there is an impressive amount we can do online via computers. However, working remotely has helped me understand the value of meeting people in person, face to face. There is no substitute for being present and having real human interactions.
In May, I was privileged to meet in person many people I had known only through messaging or calls. These are leaders that HOH works with to help them with Bibles for their people. It was a blessing to meet them in person! I got to have conversations with them and hear their heart for the gospel. We shared meals together, had lively discussions, and even got to hear a few of them preach. It was an encouraging time, and I left knowing that our next Zoom meeting or call would be much better after having met them in person. So much of what we do is built on relationships and our time in Senegal was an investment in this very thing, relationships.
Thank you for your support and prayers. Our desire is to connect with partners face-to-face as often as possible, because the best communication happens in person, not through a video call or email.
To read more about the ministry, check out some of our other blog posts below!
