Many things in the mission universe can go quite slowly. Sometimes it takes years, decades for an idea to become a reality. And sometimes, not.

As we mentioned in a previous article, Bissa-Barka is one of three dialects of the Bissa language. Bissa is a Mande ethnic group of south-central Burkina Faso, northeastern Ghana, and the northernmost tip of Togo. The Joshua Project puts the population of the Bissa people at 1.1 million people. SIL/Wycliffe has been working among the Bissa people for decades. A New Testament has been completed in one of the Bissa dialects, as has the Jesus Film. Although 22% of the Bissa people identify as Christians, discipleship is often neglected. Part of the reason (we are told) is that simple tools that are user-friendly, faithful to the scripture, and easy for pastors and workers to use to help new Christians are few. And so, we will once again join our friends in West Africa to put the “little book” into the hands of people asking for it.

Pastor Nebié Badiou has been a champion for Clear and Simple Media in Burkina Faso. He believes in discipleship and is always on the lookout for churches that need help accomplishing that task. He was a plenary speaker at a conference southeast of Ouagadougou a few weeks ago, when he found himself engaged in conversation with a small group of Christian leaders. They discussed how to disciple people, especially those who had only recently come to faith in Jesus from Islam or one of the tribal religions so common in West Africa. When Nebié mentioned the book, “Simple Truths,” a pastor/translator told him that he knew of the book and, in fact, had already begun translating it into his home language, Bissa Barka. Pastor Nebié contacted us when he returned home and told us that the churches in the Boulgou Province could use “at least 2,500 books, right away.” We approved the project the last week of June. The translator continued his work. The first readers approved the translation. The people secured a local printer. A team picked up the finished books on August 14. And the books started the journey to the provincial capital, Garango, a few days later.

That, in the world of international missions, is fast!