Whew, praise the Lord we made through that crazy summer of travel! Oil changes are done, school has started, and Chelsea is blessing us with home-cooked meals after way too much fast food on the road, and ministry is in full swing.
As we told you last month, the highlight of our trip was our National Staff Conference in Fort Collins, CO – Cru17. It was encouraging and inspiring in many ways, but our favorite was being a part of the Jesus Film Project meetings for the first time. The stories we heard of how God is using the Jesus Film to help fulfill the Great Commission around the world were incredible! And they just don’t stop! Here are some of the highlights:
God at work in the Amazon:
Alongside our partners, we are in the process of reaching each of the 411 distinct people groups along the Amazon river with the gospel. A few months ago one of the most notoriously violent tribes sent a messenger to a church in Brazil with the message, “Please tell us about the Son of God.” Not sure if they would be killed, church members boarded a plane equipped with the Jesus Film in that tribe’s heart language. The response was nothing short of a movement of God. The entire tribe placed their faith in Christ, spent the next 24 hours on their feet confessing their sins and giving testimony to the Lord, then all went together to the river to be baptized! This tribe is already sending out missionaries to neighboring tribes with the Jesus Film. We were able to get this amazing encounter on film, and should have it edited and ready to share in a few months!
God at work at the Vatican:
Earlier this year our Jesus Film Project leadership team met with the Pope in Rome. The Pope expressed tremendous praise for the work of the JFP and gave the Jesus Film his official stamp of approval. Since then, tens of thousands of copies of the Jesus Film (branded to reflect the Pope’s endorsement) have been given away to visitors and pilgrims outside the Vatican.
We can’t wait to share more stories with you in the upcoming months! Thank you for your loving partnership that helps make all of this possible.