Dear Friend of Jesus Film Project,

There is real joy in hearing what He has done through JESUS and His Word! As a friend of the ministry, I know you will be greatly encouraged by these latest reports.

◆ They didn’t know how they could ever survive. Ehsan’s 6-year-old daughter cried out in fear as her mother held her tightly. It was night. The wind was fierce. Icy waves of the Aegean Sea crashed over the fragile bow of their inflatable boat, soaking the passengers.

They were a refugee family, among thousands from the Middle East who have fled war, radicalism and poverty, looking for a better life in Europe. Ehsan, the head of their family, had already renounced his faith. Driven away by ISIS, he was done with all he had believed...a common story among people from the Middle East. He knew there was a creator, but didn’t know His name.

Now, with their lives threatened and helpless against the sea, Ehsan cried out to the unnamed God...“Save us!” Suddenly, inexplicably, and miraculously, their corner of the sea became calm and still. Amazed, they continued their journey and by dawn, safely made it to a Greek island.

Weeks later, Ehsan and his family were in a church in Germany. After receiving humanitarian aid, and at the invitation of their hosts, they decided to stay and watch a film. A worker placed a DVD in their player. The screen came alive. The film was in their heart language. As you already know, it was the film JESUS, based on the Word of God, accurate to the Scriptures. Therein lies the power of this historic tool of evangelism and church planting that your gifts and intercession support...the Word of God.

Sitting there now in a church, watching JESUS, Ehsan experienced the scene where the disciples were threatened by the wind and waves on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus stood and commanded the waves to be still and the sea became calm, light flooded into Ehsan’s soul. Instantly, he knew that Jesus was the Creator-God who had saved them during their stormy ordeal on the seas weeks earlier! Tears of joy poured down his face, soaking his shirt. And he now knew His name...Jesus.

A few days later, Ehsan and his family were back in the same church, now packed with refugees like them who—through your partnership—also experienced the film JESUS. But this time they were ALL THERE TO BE BAPTIZED AS NEW FOLLOWERS OF JESUS!

Before the crowd of new believers, nearly all of whom were from the Middle East, Ehsan stood and told their story, how he had journeyed over the ocean for a better life, but as he put it...“God moved me from complete darkness into the light of Christ.” Now his prayer was that everyone in his country would have the opportunity to watch JESUS.

How wonderful that this church, their pastor and lay volunteers routinely use those DVDs of JESUS to explain the gospel to immigrants. After receiving humanitarian aid, often through churches, and then seeing JESUS, refugees begin to understand the love they’ve been shown. Many refugees and immigrants then ask for their own DVD of JESUS or Magdalena (the adaptation of the film for women). It’s your partnership that sends the DVDs. Thank you!

◆ Let me take you to the South American nation of Guyana. It lies just north of the vast Amazon basin and is a very different place than Europe. More than 1 million Pakistani and Indian immigrants live in Guyana, and most practice the religions of their home countries.

Amil* is a strong Pakistani Christian, born in Guyana. He travels regularly to Pakistan for missions work. Amil also speaks fluent Urdu and organizes outreaches to Pakistani immigrant homes throughout Guyana. His teams have given out several thousand DVDs.

Amil sent this report: “The Guyanese brothers and sisters can’t wait because of their excitement in reaching the lost for Christ our Lord. Yesterday, they started using the {assembled DVD} packets to reach 2,500 immigrant homes, people from India and Pakistan. We will also be reaching out to tribal people on the tributaries of the Amazon using portable Jesus Film equipment.

“The Lord is opening so many other doors in other countries for us to take the good news to those who have never heard. Very soon we will need another 25,000 DVDs for Guyana. We also need 100,000 DVDs for Pakistan, and 10,000 DVDs to start ministry among Pakistanis in New York City.” God bless you Amil for your vision!

◆ Moving over to the huge nation of India, Christian workers and leaders just held a conference for 2,000 students. This groundbreaking event was the beginning of a massive project to establish student-led ministries to reach 450 Indian university campuses, and that’s just in one part of the country! In fact, they have a vision to win, disciple and send out 10,000 students in the next few years, equipped to use short films and JESUS. And nearly 60 percent of the students at the conference were learning about discipleship and spiritual multiplication for the first time.

Many left eager and zealous to win these 450 new campuses to Christ. Those tiny memory cards are perfect for sharing the gospel in hostile areas. Jesus Film is duplicating thousands of micro SD cards to give to the students in upcoming follow-up meetings.

Incredibly, each micro SD card contains 1,569 short film clips—from JESUS, Magdalena, My Last Day, and other evangelistic short films that are used to start spiritual conversations. Referring to the short films, a ministry leader wrote: “So I hope this encourages you, because Jesus Film Project is placing these digital tools into the hands of believers. These 2,000 students are sharing their faith with friends and family today, and, by God’s grace, we’ll see a rich harvest of souls in the months ahead.”

This brings me to the reason for my letter. We want to respond to these historic God-ordained opportunities! Currently, we have urgent requests that have come from the Middle East, Europe, Africa, India and other locations...for thousands of DVDs and micro SD cards. The people requesting these tools all state that people are open to learning about Jesus as never before.

In some nations, they will need DVDs and SD cards shipped in. In other locations, where it’s more difficult to share the gospel, the best strategy is to produce these tools in-country using DVD mass duplicators ($2,360 each). There is also a great need for funding to support live streaming, so people anywhere with a smartphone, video tablet, laptop computer and the Internet can watch and hear the Word of God in their heart language in complete privacy, and say “yes” to Jesus.

Workers are ready to let people who have never heard learn about the gospel. Would you be moved to equip them with these tools? As the Holy Spirit leads and provides, here are some ways you can help:

• Your gift of $108 will send 24 DVDs of JESUS. Many will be given out one-to-one on college campuses where students can take the DVDs back to their dorm rooms to watch and listen in their mother tongue. They will be given to refugees and immigrants in Europe and the Middle East. In closed countries, people will accept a DVD when they learn it is in their heart language, eager to watch later in private. Perhaps you can send a gift of $216 for 48 DVDs, or $432 for 96 DVDs. As God has blessed you, you might be led to provide a very generous gift of $2,250 or $5,000. A gift of that size can powerfully touch thousands with the gospel.

• A worker can carry hundreds of micro SD cards in a pocket or bag. They fit into most cell phones in the developing world. People can watch privately and safely, and share the micro SD cards with others. Consider a gift of $200 to equip five workers with ten micro SD cards, preloaded with JESUS and other Jesus Film media.

• Requests for hundreds of video tablets are coming in, especially for use by evangelists and students across the globe. You can equip a worker or student with this versatile evangelistic tool through a gift of $380. Video tablets are also delivered pre-loaded with JESUS, Magdalena or follow-up films to ground new believers in their faith.

• Live streaming over the Internet is essential in reaching the urban unreached. The pastor of one those German churches (page 2) reports that many immigrants and refugees have seen JESUS online. Your gift of $650 will make JESUS and other films available to reach 1,250 viewers. Or your gift of $1,300 will help present the gospel to 2,500 people.

• Or, perhaps you would like to provide a mass duplicator for open or difficult/closed nations. Workers and volunteers will operate these for many hours at a time, duplicating DVDs. You can provide one mass duplicator for a gift of $2,360.

Thank you for considering one or several of these options. Whether an immigrant family watches a DVD in a church in Germany, a Pakistani immigrant family experiences the gospel in their living room in Guyana, students share the gospel on 450 campuses in India using SD cards, or people in the Arabian Gulf experience JESUS on a laptop or mobile device, behind closed doors, in their own language through live streaming...lives will be touched and transformed because of you. Thank you for however you are enabled and led to give.

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of people, now and for eternity.

Until Everyone Sees Jesus,
 

Erick Schenkel, Ph.D.

P.S. We recently heard of a college student in a central Asian country—where following Jesus can cost you your life. A worker gave the student the JESUS film. But he was living in a dorm with 30 other men from the dominant religion. So he dared not watch in their presence. So using headphones, and projecting JESUS on a tiny screen, he watched in bed, covering himself completely with a blanket. Once again, the Word of God did its work, with power. That student gave his life to Christ and is now a ministry leader working among young people in his country, and quietly winning others to Christ through JESUS! These various tools are marvelously effective wherever they are shown, even under a blanket! They are much needed, in short supply, yet with seemingly endless opportunities. We can send these tools as you pray and give, as you are able and led. If you can, please send your gift by August 31, 2016. You can also send your gift safely and quickly on this page or via credit card by calling (800) 387-4040. To make a tax-wise stock or IRA Rollover gift, call Ben Grames or Debbie Williams at 888-278-7233, or simply email them at: stock@jesusfilm.org. Thank you for however you are led and enabled to help.

* I’ve changed his name for security.