Dear Friend of "JESUS,"

His power is amazing…His love incomparable. What a wonderful Lord we serve!

David and Stephanie serve with Renew Outreach, a tremendous partner that develops portable tools of technology to advance the gospel. Their solar-powered projectors and audio players enable people in difficult, restricted places to experience "JESUS" and God’s Word.

They were traveling by boat through the western Amazon basin. I have asked Stephanie to tell you all that happened: “We were moving upstream through the never-ending jungle. It was hot and humid…our classic jungle river boat was old and very rickety. And we still had days to go before reaching a small, isolated people group, the Gwonas.*

“As we slowly moved upriver, an unusual, powerful storm overcame us. After a couple of hours, the winds became like a hurricane that threatened to tear our boat to pieces. Even our seasoned boat captain was crying out, fearing that he would drown. My miracle-believing brother confidently began praying out loud for God’s intervention. Suddenly, the howling winds became quiet and the storm just seemed to evaporate. It was clearly a miracle.

“The next day, we were approaching the villages of the Gwonas. This hidden people group (no more than 5,000 people) believed they were uniquely made by a Supreme Being, and therefore good. All other peoples were made by the devil and were evil. It’s no wonder that as we climbed ashore the women hid their faces, turned and ran. The children disappeared behind the trees.

“Slowly, they came out and began to accept us. As we began to greet them, we were moved by their poverty and the diseases that were literally consuming them. We met with the chief (who could speak a little Spanish). He said, ‘You are among the first foreign visitors to come to my people.’

“Before our journey, we knew that many miles away, an elderly Wycliffe Bible translator had been working for decades, and was still translating their Scriptures. But the progress was slow. The Gwonas with whom he shared the gospel didn’t understand. Something more was needed.

“So when I asked the chief,‘What can we do for you?’ I was startled by his response. He pointed his finger directly at me and vigorously charged me, ‘Bring to me God’s Word in my own language!’ I felt helpless. I wanted to do it right then but I didn’t know how.

“At our first opportunity, we visited the Wycliffe missionary. He told us that the fastest way for the Gwonas to hear God’s Word would be the JESUS film. To record the film, we prepared to bring the tribal voice actors to a studio. Then we realized we had made a mistake. It was the dry season and their rivers were too low for travel. No one could get through. So David prayed that the Lord would do another miracle. He did! The waters rose by 20 feet just in time to bring the voice actors. This water rise in the dry season broke a 100 year record!

“Several months later, the Gwonas translation of JESUS was completed. We met a delegation of the tribal people half way up the river. Thirty-six came. It was so fantastic. The people were very excited. They could hear Jesus speak in their mother tongue. The gospel captured their hearts. People were saying to us, ‘I’ve waited my whole life to hear this story!’ The village chief finally had the Word of God and he too understood. Then an unexpected event which shocked everyone…the chief fell deathly ill.

“We didn’t know if it was heart failure, a dangerous food reaction, or Satan. For hours he struggled for every breath, as though each would be his last. The nearest doctor was 12 hours away. He would never survive. So we gathered everyone around, including all 36 Gwonas, and prayed ‘God, show your power. Heal this man!’

“Then I saw it with my own eyes. He jumped to his feet, completely, instantaneously healed! He danced and danced, wildly, and with so much energy, for all to see. He kept saying, ‘This Jesus is not just for the white man. He’s not just for the Hispanic. He came for us too!’ It was incredible.

“We gave the people solar-powered DVD players and DVDs so they could take JESUS from village to village to reach the Gwonas. Today, there’s an awakening among this tribe that is historic. In spite of the fact that there are no foreign missionaries living among them, those tribal leaders have learned the Word of God and have become missionaries to their own people. Now they use the film so that the unreached can see JESUS.”

I am deeply grateful for David and Stephanie, for their vision and partnership to give people the Word of God, for the innovative equipment they have pioneered, so everyone, everywhere can experience "JESUS."

This brings me to why I’m writing. There is truly an awakening in the Amazon, and not just among the Gwonas, but starting among scores of unreached people groups. As you know, the Amazon basin is huge, spanning eight countries of South America, with an estimated 3 million miles of navigable rivers! Living along the endless banks and tributaries are 400 isolated people groups (that we know of!), who speak 400 unique languages. Only 200 have some gospel witness. And 200 of the groups have never once heard the name of Jesus. Missionaries have been requesting translations of JESUS for some of these groups for the past 20 years! These are the lost sheep the Good Shepherd seeks (in the parable of the “ninety and nine,” Matthew 18:12). And they are not alone. Unreached people groups all over the world who have yet to hear the gospel.

As you may know, lip-sync, multi-voice versions of "JESUS" are highly effective, but require sometimes two to three years to complete. Fortunately, David and Stephanie saw the Gwonas version completed in a matter of months—a rarity. That’s because these multi-voice, lip-sync language versions are far more involved, yet cost effective for larger people groups of 50,000 and more. But how do we give these much smaller groups the gospel not only in the vast Amazon, but also in Papua New Guinea, and to tribal peoples of the Middle East?

This then is the promise of the newer, “Single Voice Narration” versions. All that’s needed is one speaker of the language who narrates the film, who becomes the voice for all the characters in the film—who merely narrates the story. That narrator can even be an oral learner, with no reading skills. For those who listen, it’s like having a master storyteller explaining the action, supported by powerful visual images from the "JESUS "film. This is how "JESUS" can be translated far more quickly and efficiently for these many smaller language groups, of which there are literally hundreds. Ultimately, this new approach can enable the taking of the gospel to “everyone, everywhere.”

Two pioneering, highly specialized studios are being established in the Amazon, with others planned for various areas of the globe. Their primary mission: to create Single Voice Narration language versions of "JESUS" and other JESUS Film® media for people groups of less than 50,000 speakers. The process has been field-tested and proven. A single team can produce new language versions at the rate of nearly two per month!en.  So these two studios are each expected to produce nearly 100 new versions of "JESUS" in the next two years.

Then, using equipment like solar-powered DVD players, local Christians will spend weeks in the Amazon jungles and other remote areas, showing "JESUS," leading thousands to Christ, discipling new believers, and planting churches. The Single Voice Narration language versions are so strategic that other partners are joining in: YWAM, Aurora International, and others…all working together in obedience to Christ to reach “the lost sheep.”

May I invite you to join with them in this exciting opportunity? Computerized, portable recording/editing equipment is needed for dozens of these partner teams. A full set costs $15,000, and each partner team needs two of these powerful packages. While one person is recording in the bush or jungle, another will be editing a previously recorded language version. So $30,000 is needed for each team (two complete sets of equipment per team).

Very few of us can send a gift of that amount. But we can all join in, taking on a portion for one of these recording/editing sets. And once funded, and in the hands of trained partner teams, a single team could produce enough language versions so that tens of thousands of people will be enabled to see, hear and understand the gospel in their heart language.

As you feel led, could you consider a gift of $100, $250, $500 or $1,000? Whatever the size, your gift will make a difference as it is joined with gifts from other friends of The JESUS Film Project to help provide this much needed equipment.

And while these teams are working to reach the smaller groups, there remain hundreds of larger language groups asking for "JESUS," with populations of 50,000 or more. Their size makes the traditional, multi-voice, lip-synced versions practical and highly cost effective, at $38,000 each. Your gift will help with these as well.

Lastly, providing the equipment for the Single Voice Narration versions, or for a full multi-voice lip-sync version, can be a great project for your church or small group. Giving a portion every month, over the course of a year or more, a group could give "JESUS" to an unreached people. (You can find out about the power of group giving, by mobilizing friends and associates, by calling (800) 387-4040, or by visiting fundraise.jesusfilm.org.)

Thank you for doing what you can to let people hear Him speak, that He might become their Lord and Savior. You are much appreciated.

Until Everyone Sees Jesus,
 

Erick Schenkel
Executive Director
ES:olt The JESUS Film Project

P.S. The testimony of that Amazon chief is amazing, and glorifies our Lord. Teams are ready now. So if possible, kindly send your gift by November 30, 2015. To learn more about group giving or to fund an entire language version, please call (800) 387-4040. You can also send your gift online at this page. Or, give via credit card by calling (800) 387-4040. Gifts of stock or appreciated property can leverage much help while potentially reducing your tax liability. If you have any questions, feel free to call. May God bless you for however you can help.

* I’ve changed the name of the people group for security.