Distribution of The Good News magazine and other Church literature from within Zimbabwe began in February 2000 after our pastor, André van Belkum, asked if my wife, Primrose, and I would be willing to take up the task, and we gladly agreed. Previously, literature was being posted to subscribers in Zimbabwe from South Africa.

At that time the country was in the early stages of a political and economic crisis that has progressively worsened until now when the annual rate of inflation is in excess of 1,000 percent—the highest in the world.

For eight months, from February to October 2000, all mail processing was done by hand. We were mailing out 40 GNs per issue and about 25 booklets per month.

In October 2000, Mr. and Mrs. Darris McNeely visited Zimbabwe and brought us a computer kindly donated by the congregation they pastor. This significantly transformed our operations so that by November 2001, we were mailing out 500 GNs per issue. By July 2004, 1,600 GNs were being mailed out per issue with about 300 booklets per month being sent out.

Meeting the Challenge of Skyrocketing Costs

Unfortunately, however, beginning with the September/October 2004 issue, we were for the first time unable to send out The Good News to our mail subscribers because of sudden, massive increases in postage costs—700 percent over a period of four months. Except for a few copies that were mailed to members and coworkers, the bulk of that issue was distributed by delivery to universities, hospitals, doctors' offices, pharmacies and a few business offices.

This effort seemed to bear fruit as we received scores of requests for booklets from people who had collected the GN from these places. We continued with this method of distribution until February 2005, with Harris Hlazo and me making deliveries in the capital city of Harare and two other smaller towns, while Stephen Tshabalala covered the second largest city of Bulawayo.

In March 2005 we reached an agreement with Kingstons Bookstores, a leading bookstore and magazine distribution chain, to distribute the GN through their branches in 14 cities and towns throughout the country for a nominal fee.

Currently, a total of 2,000 copies of the GN are distributed per issue, with about 300 booklets and 50 Bible Study Course lessons mailed out per month.

We receive about 13 requests for literature per day via the Internet. Those asking for The Good News are advised that they can collect their free copy of the magazine from their nearest Kingstons branch, while requests for other literature are processed and the literature sent out by post.

Many are writing in to express their gratitude for having the biblical truth clearly explained to them. UN