Easter with JESUS in Madagascar

The JESUS Film has not been shown in Madagascar since the 2009 governmental coup d’état. Since this time, large public gatherings have been outlawed as the current governmental situation is not stable. In light of this, showings of the JESUS Film have been non-existent. In a country like Madagascar, showing the JESUS Film in an open field or at a school could easily attract 300-500 people per showing, as there are no real movie theaters.

During Easter week, Pastor Theres Ravelomanantsoa decided to show the JESUS Film at her church as part of the lead-up to the Easter weekend. Her church does not have an actual building yet but meets on the premises of the Madagascar Street Kids Center where she is also the director. On Sundays, the church meets under a small covered area and spills out into the surrounding basketball court. It was the perfect venue to show the JESUS Film. The screen was erected and in true JESUS Film style, just by the sheer fact that a movie was being shown, the excitement was building. Pastor Theres said that there were about 400 people viewing the JESUS film that night, with many of them being children and youth. The Street Kids Center is erected in a densely populated area and many houses and dwellings are crowded around the Street Kids Center. There could have been many more people watching and listening from their windows that look down onto the Center’s basketball court.

We thank God that there are pastor’s who think creatively and still find ways to use powerful evangelistic tools such as the JESUS Film, particularly in a country that is so void of good, solid Biblical teaching and information. Please pray that the political situation changes soon and the JESUS Film can once again be shown openly and freely.

Help to get the JESUS Film and equipment to other world areas like Madagascar.

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Reaching into the Hardest to Reach Places

On DEC 6, 2012 a plane landed in Monrovia, Liberia carrying 10 stateside volunteer members of a Jesus Film Partner Trip led by Darrell Leber, Director of Partnership Development. This type of Partner Trip was designated as a BaaB Trip (bike and a backpack).

The objective: To meet up with missionary Tim Eby and work alongside the local Jesus Film Teams as they minister to the villages located far into the interior of Liberia, and to do so by riding motorcycles, while delivering the much needed Jesus Film Backpack equipment (including 3 new motorcycles)… into the hardest to reach places for the local ministry to use. Showing the Jesus Film in villages such as Chocolate near Monrovia, and  much farther out beyond Ganta in a village called Nimba.

The excitement of the trip mounted as the team, with various bags of Jesus Film equipment, divided up between four small taxi cabs and started to travel 9 hours into the interior of Liberia… that is when the adventure began!

The first 6 ½ hours of roads went from bad to worse, with constant dodging and weaving of very large potholes, wash-outs and crevices. You could hear the sheet metal buckling and popping in the roofs and floorboards as the little taxi-cabs flexed and twisted along the way to the town of Ganta where the taxi cabs were finally released of their services. The team spent the night enjoying Liberia style dining and the next day received new motorcycles and also some rental units for both the stateside and local team to mount up and ride… for the another 2 ½ hours. The team enjoyed an adventurous ride as there was enough dust, dirt and mud to satisfy the most adventure seeking junkie!

The best and most important part of the trip was in setting up and doing the Jesus Film showings in the small “hard to reach” villages.

When we first arrived in Chocolate there was a large disco-type party taking place across the way from the place where the Jesus Film had permission to set up. This was a very loud party with a very loud sound system. After setting up we started PRAYING for the success of the Jesus Film to be heard. We walked into crowd at the dance party and invited them to come meet Jesus…and guess what? Many of them did come see the Jesus Film…more and more as the movie played and eventually it was quiet by the time the call was made for people to make a decision for Christ.

In Chocolate over 300 people came out of the darkness to see what the Jesus Film was about…and 138 asked Jesus to come into their hearts and be their Savior!

Much the same happened in a truly hard to reach place called Nimba where the roads were twisty paths and lights were by lantern. The people started coming out to see what we were doing as we set up the Jesus Film equipment. Removing all of the gear from the pack seemed amazing to them as the big screen was assembled, the speakers set out, the projector focused and the lights strung…and all by solar charged battery packs…without a noisy generator (which is how most places would get power that far out).

The crowd continued to grow as people filled the area on both sides of the screen  with curiosity to see what the Jesus Film was about…and when the call was made to come and pray the crowd kept coming in waves! They literally were lining up to wait and pray with team members to ask Jesus into their hearts! I Personally held hands and prayed with 45 people that night…and many of the team members did the same…AMEN! Glory to God!!!

Sharing Jesus is what we are called to do. Never miss an opportunity!
Consider registering for one of the many Partner Trips listed in the newsletters and on the Website.

Many Blessings and thanks for all you are doing in Kingdom Building,
Darrell Leber
Director of Partnership Development

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A Thousand Brought to Christ in Togo

I want to share with you how the Lord is answering our concerted fasting and praying for the 4-14 window, a movement to reach children aged 4 to 14.  On June 14-21, the South Togo intentionally ministered to children.  Not only that, but they called children to intentionally evangelize in villages.  They recorded 464 children receiving Christ as their personal Savior.  On the third night, they showed the JESUS Film and reported that 576 children received Jesus during the film.

According to Pastor Yaovi, they “were able to establish a Nazarene church for children [so as to] not lose the 930+ newly repented.”

The most exciting part is that the work is only beginning!  The major of the village has offered land to rent.  Please pray for wisdom for all the leaders involved in this effort. Pray for intentional discipleship of these children. Pray that everyone will be able to go forward and reach these and even more children.

Let us not grow weary as we pray and fast… lifting up each who are on the front lines of ministering to children!  Yes, let the little children come to Jesus.

Article Source: By Laurie Watton for Out of Africa online newsletter
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Before JESUS Comes

Pastor George of Gyedu church and I did house-to-house evangelism in Wamahinso, Ghana on Tuesday, October 2, 2012.

As a church planter and district superintendent, I always challenge my people to think of winning souls for Christ. Pastor George and his wife Cynthia took the first step of this evangelism. At our zone leaders’ meeting at Gyedu, Pastor George asked me to accompany him to Wamahinso and I did.

Rev. Alex AKOMANING

He took me to four houses where he and Cynthia had visited before. I shared the word of God with these new people one-by-one in their houses. I started by asking these questions: ‘Where do you come from? Why are you here on this earth and from here where will you go?” No one was able to answer my questions, so I took time to explain everything well for their understanding. At the end, two men, two women and two youths accepted the Lord as their Lord and Savior.

Needs were met. Two poor, sick women had nothing to eat for the day. We were touched and shared the little I had and put smiles on their faces. We prayed for the sick. The one with the foot problem was able to attend our meetings the following day at Gyedu. Pastor George said the other one has been touched and is doing well. Praise the Lord!

We use this as a groundwork to gather people before going in with the JESUS film.

Children will come in numbers when the JESUS film gets started.

Wamahinso is in the Brong Ahafo Region in the zone 3 area of the Ghana Midland district.

Article Source: By Rev. Alex AKOMANING for Out of Africa online newsletter
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Christian films visualize Gospel in Papua New Guinea

Editor’s note: Jeff and Susan Myers have been serving in Papua New Guinea since June 2001. They live on the Kudjip Nazarene Hospital compound where Susan is a doctor. Jeff has worked with Nazarene radio programming in Papua New Guinea and is currently working toward ordination.

As missionaries, part of the fun in the journey is the people God brings across our path, people that we can share the ministry with. One of those people is Paul Finch. He was here as a volunteer and was a tremendous help in the work of the hydro-electric project at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital. Before he came, he asked about bringing video equipment so he could show Christian films. He was told yes and packed the equipment needed. Paul said, “Then I remembered that most of the bush churches have no power. God reminded me that my pastor had a small suitcase-sized generator. I brought that along in my luggage.”

A few days after his arrival, he showed his first film (picture left: Paul setting up a screen in a village). After that, it was four nights a week and close to 40 different showings.

Toward the end of his trip, Paul said, “In the 11 weeks I have been here, over 4,000 people have seen a film. The most popular is the film End of the Spear. At first, I was amazed at how much it meant to them. But the longer I am here to see the culture, I realize that revenge killings and brutal treatment of people are expected. This film gives them hope. For the Christian, it is hope that their communities can change. For the non-Christian, it reveals other options to the violence, that forgiveness is possible. The pastors here are so thankful to have it shown in their church because it is very hard for them to get across to their people. This film gives a visual similar to the culture of the Papua New Guinea people of which they can relate to.”

At one of the first services where End of the Spear was shown, a pair of women came up after the film and forgave one another. It seems that one was married to the brother of the other. The sister blamed her for his death. She publicly forgave the wife for accusing her and asked for forgiveness for all the wrong things she had done. Many tears were shed, and a lot of hugs shared.

Also shown was the JESUS film for children. Nearly 900 students, from the school just outside Nazarene hospital gates, packed into a church to see The Story of JESUS for Children and End of the Spear. God planted many seeds that day!

At one church there were so many people that they were pulling the siding of the church back to see. At others, when the windows and doors were full, as many as 25 to 40 people had to leave because they could not get in to see.

As mentioned before, the hydro-electric project is under way to repair a hydroelectric power generator for the Kudjip Nazarene Hospital, so the hospital can have reliable electricity, as the government-provided utilities are intermittent. The administrative team for the hospital has a system worked out with the local village people that every month they rotate workers to get as many involved as possible with the work. At each month’s changing of the crews, on the last Friday that they got paid, Paul showed a video (picture right: film showing for the hydro-electric crew at the hospital chapel). Earl, our project manager for the hydro-electric project, had asked me to be involved with the last one, and to have a wrap-up — an altar call if you will — at the end of the movie. The movie dealt with a friend giving his life for his buddy. After talking with the group for a few minutes, I said any who wanted to repeat a sinner’s prayer after me could do so. I was told that eight people prayed the prayer.

One Sunday night, we showed End of the Spear at Wagmil Nazarene church (picture left) and there were over 100 people present for the showing. At the end of the movie, there were many who prayed the sinner’s prayer. It was also neat that Apa, a national, was translating and helping in the understanding of the movie as it was playing.

Paul said, “I stand in awe of the power of the Holy Spirit to be able to communicate through these films that are in English, to people that don’t speak much English at all. I now have a man named Apa who goes to interpret for the people. He has a passion for spreading God’s saving grace. I hope to return to Papua New Guinea to be able to go to more bush churches and share this film, if that is God’s will. With His help, I am willing.”

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” — Galatians 6:10

(Photos by Paul Finch and Jeff Myers.)

Article Source: By Jeff Meyers for Engage Magazine
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