CMA HeartBeat September 2020 | Page 9

Ministry Partner NO LONGER ALONE Central Asia—Ministry leaders organized a women’s conference to encourage local Christian women in their faith and to equip them to share Christ with others. The following are testimonies from this project. Bahar* is a woman from the northern part of the region who has endured continuous suffering throughout her life. For many years her husband has beaten her. She has also needed to care for her sickly child, and her household regularly struggles financially. Somehow, she made it to the women’s conference, and the others in attendance saw her change in a matter of days. By the end of the conference, the women cried and praised God because Bahar had a sense of hope and joy shining in her eyes. The Holy Spirit had strengthened and renewed her faith. Her problems have not disappeared, but now Bahar does not face them alone. She looks to the Lord, trusting and believing in His promises. Another woman who attended the conference, Sholah, had lost much due to her faith in Christ. Her father cursed her, and her mother and other relatives turned away from her. She felt so alone. Under the love and care of her sisters in Christ at the conference, Sholah absorbed Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:29. She understood that though she was forced to abandon her family for the sake of the Gospel, Jesus promised her eternal life. She was not alone. Throughout the conference several sisters in Christ agreed to support her in prayer. Sholah left so encouraged, desiring to work with other young women facing the same difficult situation. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29, English Standard Version). *Some identifying details may have been changed for confidentiality. LIFE AFTER BROKENNESS South Korea—College students attended an evangelism training to learn to share Christ with others on their campuses. The following is a story from this project. Do-yun* scoped out the campus, looking for the next student he could have a conversation with. He and other South Korean students had been attending this training for the last few days, learning to use the smartphone app to show short films and clips from Jesus Film Project® and then have spiritual conversations with their peers. Now it was time for him to practice. He spotted a lone student, Jun-seo and decided to approach him, asking if he could show a short film on his phone using the Jesus Film® app. Junseo agreed. Their conversation afterward went well, so Do-yun ended up showing Jun-seo another short film titled Falling Plates. He also shared the Gospel with him. (If you would like to watch this short video, type #FallingPlates into your internet browser.) Jun-seo opened up about his life. He had grown up in a very poor family that had always struggled with finances. His father was an alcoholic and often physically abused his mother. The two kept in touch, and Do-yun even introduced Jun-seo to the local Campus Crusade for Christ® movement. Eventually Jun-seo indicated he had accepted Christ. Soon after, he started attending Bible studies and other campus ministry activities. Within the same year, Jun-seo’s mother passed away. Communicating with his father has since become even more difficult. His relationships with other family members are strained as well. Yet Jun-seo credits his ability to get through these hard times to his newfound relationship with Christ. Despite the challenges, he continues to minister to his father and the rest of his family, hoping they will come to know Jesus soon. Jun-seo is also now mentoring other new believers on campus, and he would like to one day work in full-time ministry. *Some identifying details may have been changed for confidentiality. Through your faithful giving, God is changing lives as His Gospel reaches throughout the entire world. People are encountering Christ through film and are being encouraged in their faith. Communities are experiencing transformation and ongoing spiritual growth as a result of projects you’ve funded like these. Thank you for partnering with us for the past 23 years. Your gifts are reaping eternal rewards. Written by Caleb MacDonald and Jeannette Melvin. Edited by Lindsay Burt. Please do not reprint, republish, or post the contents of these stories without written permission from Jesus Film Project®. 09⎪SEPTEMBER 2020⎪www.cmausa.org