Amazing Results

More than 17,400 people in Southern Sudan have made commitments to Christ through our ministry this last year. One of the most effective evangelism efforts we have employed this year is our village and marketplace crusade and film ministry. Our teams do open Air Crusades with The Jesus Film and The Passion of Christ, in villages and markets. Our teams have conducted well over 100 film showings in the last year. When a crusade team goes to a village or market they start the meeting each afternoon at about 4:30 we started the crusade with worship, testimonies, exhortations, singing and then just before it starts getting dark someone preaches a short salvation message and gives an altar call, people are asked to raise their hands and then to come forward, they are taken to a prearranged place where someone talks with and prays with each individual.

While this first stage of the meeting is taking place the crowd is building, people are walking by and coming and going. The kids are squeezing into the front as tightly as they can. If we didn’t put up barriers they would back us right out of the stage area. There are no chairs so people are mostly standing; some are perched on different objects of opportunity around the area. After the people respond to that altar call we do more singing with the main crowd and maybe do one more testimony.

Then the second phase of the meeting starts just as it is getting dark. We show a film usually the Jesus Film the first night and then The Passion of The Christ the second. We may repeat the Jesus Film the third night and then we show various other films. The Jesus Film is usually in the language of the people. When we show other films which are not in the local language one of the crusade team members narrates it. Before the film ends we stop it and make a second altar call for the evening. Those who respond are taken out, are led in a sinner’s prayer and given a couple pieces of literature.

One piece of literature has the gospel message on one side and an AIDS awareness message on the other side, the second piece is a discipleship tract that talks about salvation, water baptism, Holy Spirit baptism, the Bible, church attendance, and prayer. All those who respond to the altar call are also invited to a Next Day Discipleship School which will be held the following morning. (Back at the crusade.) While this is going on the crowd is shown the rest of the film and at the end they are asked to come back the next night. An invitation is also given to anyone in the crowd who just gave their heart to the Lord and for any believers who want the training to come to the Next Day Discipleship School.

Another effective evangelism effort has been school outreaches. We have targeted primary or elementary schools that have students as old as mid and late teens, secondary schools which have students from their teens to mid twenties, and the colleges which have people from their twenties to forties. The churches are also becoming a place of evangelistic ministry. One exciting development is individuals leading others to Christ.

One of the more unusual outreaches came when one of our leaders had the opportunity to evangelize the military. He was asked to preach to 2500 soldiers for ½ hour each morning for two months as they stood on parade. Every soldier (all 2,500) received our brochure with the Jesus loves you salvation message and an Aids prevention teaching. He was able to lead 280 to faith in Christ as their personal Savior. He also visited the disabled military hospital regularly. These men are often very despondent, bitter and angry; 60 out of 162 came to know the Lord as Savior. Some healings were also reported. He has been asked to work with other soldiers as well.

We use every chance we have to invite people to receive Christ. Even at our leadership conferences we had several people make commitments to Christ. You might wonder why unsaved people would be at a Christian leadership training event. It is simple, in many of these villages we have the most interesting thing going on, and also sometimes unsaved students go to meetings just to hang out with their friends. Therefore at the Christian women’s events, seminars, church services etc, we give people the opportunity to receive Christ.

God has greatly blessed our efforts to win people to Christ this year. We are expecting that in the coming year we will have even more opportunity to reach out to the people of Southern Sudan with the Gospel. We want to thank all of you who have helped us reach so many souls. It would not have happened without your financial support.