LIKE RAIN FROM THE FOREST
HOW GOD USED MAF TO ANSWER PRAYERS FOR BIBLE ACCESS
by Hannah Braly
In the dense jungles around the village of Monkoto in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 17 pastors are working to make Jesus known. Of the 17, only one owns a tattered Protestant Bible, and two own other translations.
Third-generation missionary Dan Grings once attempted to bring more Bibles. Dan and his wife, Christine, have spent the
last 42 years serving as missionaries in the country—particularly focused on getting the Word of God into the hands of believers.
“We started going through the jungles and got lost on elephant trails for days,” shared Dan about his Bible-delivery expedition. “Our food and time ran out, and we couldn’t continue. These villages are very remote and difficult to reach without MAF flying us there.”
Dan’s friend Boikia—one of the 17 pastors—didn’t give up, continuing to ask him over the course of years to try again.
Boikia and Dan met at a Congolese Bible college in 1989, after Dan’s mom led Boikia to Christ. Like many pastors in the jungle, Boikia never learned to read beyond a sixth- grade level, which made school difficult. After one year of Bible college, he decided to return home and begin planting churches.
Boikia (holding the box of Bibles) stands alongside the other local pastors, Dan (to Boikia’s left), and Pango (to Dan’s left).
In God’s Timing
In May 2025, MAF pilot Stephen Hale had empty seats on his flight from Kinshasa to Monkoto, so he arranged for Dan and local pastor Pango to tag along. They agreed to stay until the next MAF flight one week later.
Every morning, Dan and Pango taught the group of 17 pastors, and at night they showed the JESUS film to anyone who wanted to watch.
The following week, instead of extra seats, MAF pilot Emmanuel Mbodwam had available weight capacity. Dan had left a box of physical and audio Bibles at the hangar, so Emmanuel loaded them on the plane. The audio Bibles include the New Testament recorded in Lingala—a common language—as well as recordings of worship music and messages from Congolese pastors. Through these, many can be blessed.
“The audio Bibles have solar panels on them to recharge,” said Emmanuel. “They can also be downloaded to people’s phones.”
Now, each of the 17 churches has a Bible in French, one in Lingala, and an audio Bible.
“After we left, a local pastor called and said that people came out of the forest like rain to get Bibles,” said Dan.
Seeds of Scripture Taking Root
Each morning, Dan and Pango taught the group of 17 pastors.
Dan (front chair) and Pango (back chair) continued teaching the community as they waited for the MAF airplane to arrive.
With Bibles available in common languages and in spoken form, the pastors around Monkoto can continue growing their relationships with God, teach confidently, and plant more seeds. The work that Dan’s parents and grandparents started many years ago by sharing the gospel with Boikia can move forward.
“There’s no way we could have planned it, even a week before the flight,” said Emmanuel. “But God in His wisdom is bringing it all together, and if we can be faithful in the way God is asking us to serve or give, that’s going to build something really beautiful in the future.”
The 17 pastors who received Bibles through MAF, along with Pango (back row, second from left) and Dan (back row, far right).
