There have been several issues of SIM South Africa’s magazine SIMnow that I produced but never posted here. I’m going to post them now to celebrate what God has been doing through the ministry He has continued to entrust to us throughout these many years. This post was actually published Aug. 13, 2023, but I’ve dated it by the magazine issue’s publication for the sake of issue order.
Here is the Winter (June) 2020 issue. Like everyone else in the world, our ministry workers had to adjust to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic—including my work of producing this magazine. Many stories we’d planned before the pandemic gained public attention had to be canceled, as most ministries shut down for months due to the tighter restrictions than those in the US. Even the cover had to rely on a heavily cropped cell phone photo a colleague took of our interim director helping distribute emergency supplies in Cape Town, the only ministry allowed to continue there.
Other ministries were able to continue in other places, though, and some colleagues who already served remotely were able to continue their work, too. We were able to help publicize SIM International’s then-new “Faithful Witness” initiative, which helps prepare, fund and send teams to new communities (rather than individuals to established teams). Additional articles included a two-year mentoring program to help develop new leaders, our workers adapting to serving during the pandemic, a networking trip several SIM workers and leaders had taken throughout South Africa’s Northern Cape province, and how radio evangelism had been especially well-suited to continuing ministry during the pandemic.
The Lord was not surprised by COVID or caught unprepared, and we remain grateful that our workers faithfully pursued what He had prepared in advance for them to be able to do.
You can read or download the magazine at SIM South Africa’s website.
The Heffron Family 