April Holthaus played many roles at Magazine Training International (MTI)—staff member, volunteer, and long-time donor. She served in MTI’s office in Austria and travelled with Founder Sharon Mumper to Russia, China, and Hong Kong, where she gained a firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities Christian publishers face. April’s support reflects that same heart to strengthen their work worldwide.

For April, the heart of MTI’s ministry has always been its deep care for the people it serves. MTI lifts up magazine publishers around the world by “caring for and being interested in them personally. [MTI] really meets their felt needs in all aspects of publishing,” she says. This personal investment becomes clear when witnessing the challenges publishers face in difficult contexts.

One moment that stayed with her occurred during an in-depth training in Russia. “There was a great need for all phases of publishing in 1998. People came from all over the Balkan area, not only Russia.” During that time, she gained a close-up view of how eager—and how underserved—Christian publishers were. “In Moscow I got to know some of the attendees and saw their thirst for knowledge of publishing well. I heard many of their stories—successes and failures.”

Participants from the Russia conference in 1998.

April’s journey with MTI began almost by accident but quickly became a calling. “I had gone to Budapest for an Eastern European Christian women’s conference. On the way back to Frankfort we stopped in Vienna to see Lorry Lutz’s friend Sharon Mumper. Sharon indicated she needed help. My desktop [publishing] background seemed to be needed so I shook her hand and said I’d be back. After a trip to Israel, I went there instead of coming back to Colorado.”

Reflecting on those years, April says she was grateful for “Sharon’s patient training of me to understand MTI and her passion for helping publishers to publish excellent Christian magazines.”

These experiences deepened April’s insight into the enormous challenges Christian publishers encounter—and the vital role MTI plays in supporting them. “I wish it was understood how difficult it is to be passionate about sharing God’s word well in countries with laws that restrict, where they have few resources that are expensive, and how desperately they need highly trained Christian publishers from countries that have the resources to share.”

For April, MTI’s impact is clear and vital. “These publishers are missionaries to their own people. They need support to do their work of publishing the Word and getting it to their countries.”

What MTI provides, she says, goes far beyond training resources. “[MTI] is different. It’s not just sending information and hoping it helps answer publishers’ questions. It puts people, in the same work, shoulder to shoulder. Getting to know one another, seeing their problems are the same and gaining knowledge and encouragement from one another.”