Boy’s Wish Is to Give Bibles to African Pastors
An ailing Texas boy recently chose to supply Bibles to African pastors when he was granted a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Steven Downey, 16, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease in July 2002. He learned through his church that African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries, which trains pastors and ministry leaders, needed Bibles.
When the North Texas chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation offered to grant him a wish, Downey asked to provide study Bibles to the African pastors.
The 210 French-language Bibles went to pastors in Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Celestin Musekura, president of African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries, said the contribution to the organization is particularly meaningful.
“Steven’s giving is indeed sacrificial, and none of us will ever forget this special wish,” Musekura said in a statement.
The Make-a-Wish Foundation, which began in 1980, grants wishes of children with life-threatening diseases. It was inspired by a 7-year-old boy who wished to be a police officer for a day, despite his diagnosis of leukemia.
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