The Escondido Church Sunday School Class

The Sunday School Class Challenge!
A Donor's Testimony

A few years ago, Jack & Ann Price of Escondido Church of the Nazarene, attended a JESUS Film Harvest Partners World Challenge, prior to the International Laymen's Retreat in Nashville. They became aware of the need to support teams showing the JESUS Film. They learned that there were some teams in a gospelresistant country that were doing remarkable work and they wanted to become involved with one of them, but they didn't want to do it on their own. They mentioned this need to some of their Sunday School classmates who were also attending the Laymen's Retreat, and then to their whole class.

Brian Helstrom, Executive Director of JESUS Film Harvest Partners, went and spoke to their class and preached at their church. "It was a real privilege for Brian to be with us and to encourage our class to accept this project," Jack stated. This is the fi rst and only Sunday School class that has taken up the challenge of supporting a JESUS Film team. Jack continued to say that "the class felt that this would be a wonderful project, so we took up commitments from our members and we were able to support a team for 2004 and 2005. The return on this commitment has been remarkable. Each month a church is established that equals our class size. And that's not all, the new converts are from a Muslim nation. We're just thankful that we have a part in world evangelism, and feel we have our own team of national workers sharing Christ in a dangerous part of the world, winning souls for the Kingdom."

A traditional house built for their seven-day stay

The Fields Are Ripe for Harvest...

A JESUS Film Country Coordinator from a gospel-resistant country in the Horn of Africa reported recently: "Greetings from the jungle of Africa. The year has started on a good note and we keep praising our King all the time as we witness the miracles of the Kingdom business.

"We are seeing the light through the tunnel as people keep coming to join our Holiness Church. We are moving toward the goal!

First Assembly held:
"We drove for fifteen hours to reach the venue of the assembly. Most of the places we drove through are grass fields. We were tired and worn out as we arrived at 9:30 PM, but were delighted as we were received by many pastors, leaders, and excited Christians. For three days we interviewed eighty-five pastors and evangelists during the credentials board meeting. Most of the pastors had traveled for three days to come to our meeting. Some had blisters after walking for days and hours.

"On Saturday at the assembly, 85 pastors reported over 13,000 in worship attendance. What a number!! The Lord is in the movement.

JESUS Film:
"In one month, we witnessed the greatest harvest in history for the Kingdom of God. It was the first time people saw the film of Jesus Christ in the southern part of the country. All fi ve teams report a record number of 712,700+ who attended the shows, and 607,480+ for those who now have their name written in the Book of Life. Are we not smiling that we are part of this ministry? We will see them in our next home. In the same month, six new churches were started by the JESUS Film Ministry.

The People:
"The life in the South is totally remote. There are no regular or normal schools. 99.9% cannot speak any other language apart from their mother tongue. The pastors are literally half naked! The children up to age ten are still walking totally naked. No clean water apart from dirty pond water. A girl of ten, who lost her parents in the war asked us to take her as our daughter. She did not want to leave, so she stayed with us all the time. One night, she slept outside our door. We cried when we found her outside in the morning.

Our House:
"They built for us a nice traditional house where we stayed for seven days. It was real life-changing for us to stay in it. We have truly fallen in love with these people. They are ours! Please continue to pray for our work here. We need more bicycles for Pastors and more Bibles!"

Ernestine Slabaugh

In Memory of Ernestine Slabaugh...
"Well done, good and faithful servant!"
A Donor's Testimony

Partner, Darlene Gerber wrote to us about her mother, Ernestine Slabaugh, who passed away recently. She writes, "My Mom, Ernestine Slabaugh, was raised in the Church of the Nazarene. She loved her local church and was deeply committed to the work and mission of the General Church. At one point in her youth, she felt a call to missions. For reasons unknown to me, she didn't follow that call. Instead she went on to become a wife and a mother of 5 children. My Dad, Jerry Slabaugh, was also a devoted Christian. But his life's work was as a long distance truck driver. This meant that he was gone many consecutive days of the week. Yet Mom always made sure that her five children were in church for Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evening, and every revival service. She was passionate about her faith and sharing it with others. Her love of missions was evident to us from an early age.

In her later years, health kept her from being as active as she once was. But she became a prayer warrior for any and all who asked. In her daily devotion time, she had a strict procedure. Part of that was praying for the JESUS Film. She believed in this work with all her strength and followed details of your work with avid enthusiasm. Somewhere along the way, she had obtained a large bookmark which gave guidance for praying for the work of the JESUS Film. Every day, without fail, she prayed through the steps of that bookmark. It got to the point where she didn't need to take her copy with her to the hospital; she had it memorized. There were times when I would call her and she would inform me that she wasn't ready to go on to other activities yet, because she still hadn't prayed for the JESUS Film.

All too soon, she was called Home and is no longer on earth to continue this ministry. But I know she is an advocate in Heaven for your work. She was truly one of a kind. I was blessed to be her child."

You too can be a Partner in God's Harvest by praying, giving or going! To receive our weekly Prayer and Praise e-mail, go to our web site at www.JFHP.org to sign-up, or if you would like more information on how you can become involved, call (913)768-6500 or e-mail us at info@JFHP.org.

Guidance on how to pray for the JESUS Film Ministry.

PRAY...

...that God will lead and protect film teams from harm.

...that people who see the film will accept Christ.

...that acting authorities will be open to film team ministry.

...that new believers will begin discipleship and enter the Body of Christ.

If you would like to give JESUS Film Harvest Partners a monetary gift in Memory of or in Honor of a loved one, contact Trish at 913-768-6500 x101 or e-mail tblount@JFHP.org.

Upcoming World Challenges

June 2, 2006
Lynnwood/Everett, WA
Event Hosts:
Sue & Darrell Leber

June 23, 2006
Lancaster, PA
&
June 24, 2006
Chambersburg, PA
Event Hosts: Richard & Eveyln Vandervort
Dave & Lorraine Burkholder

September 29, 2006
Charleston, WV
Event Hosts:
Mack & Margaret Bailey

If you would like to attend one of the upcoming World Challenges, please call Trish at (913)768-6500 x 101 or e-mail tblount@JFHP.org.

JESUS Film Showing in Honduras

JESUS Film Partner Trip to Honduras...

On January 7, 2006 a fourteen member team from four different states arrived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for a Jesus Film Assessment Team. Led by Chuck Watson of Jesus Film Harvest Partners, the U.S. team joined with the Maximum Mission and the Jesus Film team already there. The teams met and started their week with a service of consecration and worship, placing the week of ministry in the hands of the Lord.

During the week, the U.S. JESUS Film team joined the Maximum Mission team of local young people and leaders, from both Honduras and El Salvalvador, to participate in compassion projects, construction, and evangelism. Each day the teams went to different communities around the capital city and ministered in meaningful and practical ways, and shared the message of the Gospel. Construction projects included building a new cafeteria in a care center for the elderly and rebuilding a family home near the city dump. Parks in the various communities also received some special attention as participants picked up trash, raked leaves, cut grass, and painted fences.

The teams joined forces for Bible School activities for the children in the community near the city dump with skits, clowns, Bible stories, and songs. As the children were divided into groups, members of the U.S. team and the Maximum Mission team shared the EvangeCube with each small group. The afternoons found many participants heading to the local parks or going door to door to share the EvangeCube and Holiness Cube. Working in pairs to have assistance in translation, some wondered if the language barrier would be an obstacle in sharing the message of God's hope and love. The Lord's presence was evident as He worked through the words of both languages, allowing His life-transforming messages of Salvation and the Fullness of the Spirit to be heard by many.

Each busy day closed with a JESUS Film showing in communities where new work for the Church of the Nazarene would be started. From the opening service on Sunday night to Friday's afternoon's closing service of thanksgiving and celebration, the Lord blessed the ministries of this JESUS Film Partner Team and Maximum Mission team. The Kingdom of God grew that week in Honduras as 466 people accepted Christ as their personal Savior and four new missions were planted for the Church of the Nazarene. As the U.S. team returned to their respective homes at the end of the week, they each took with them a piece of Honduras and a first-hand experience of the life changing ministry of the JESUS Film at work in the MAC Region.