UPDATETh e J E SUS Fi lm Pro j e c t

A Mi n i s t r y o f C a m p u s C r u s a d e f o r C h r i s t In t e r n a t i o n a l

I N S I D E

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“I created—everything. The universe. And you. I made you pure. And everyday I give you life. I love you. … But something happened. You didn’t trust Me.You sinned.”

Three white dinner plates hurl from above, breaking into scatteredshards on the sidewalk. Slam. Smash. Splinter.

“You cut yourself off from Me. And although you are still alive, you areslowly dying. So you look for other things. To fill the void. But nothing works ….”Slam. Smash. Splinter. More white plates crash onto the concrete.

After viewing less than half of the four-minute film Falling Plates, Lina steadies her eyeson the iPad Mini screen. The Lithuanian college student is drawn to the movie’s compellingseries of visual metaphors from creation through Christ’s redemption. The concludingwords in Falling Plates stir Lina’s heart: “I give you eternal life .… Will you follow Me?”

After two more interactions with members of Expedition, the Campus Crusade forChrist® digital missions team visiting her city, Lina says “yes” to following Jesus. Now she ishelping another student launch a Christian movement on their university campus. Linatold a team member about the day she first saw Falling Plates on the mobile device: “Beforeyou first started talking with me, I was just starting to think about God.”

Like Lina, individuals from diverse cultures worldwide are thinking about Godand their relationship with Him because ofintriguing short films easily accessible through the Jesus Film Media™ app, a digital platformoffering a catalog of JESUS Film® movies.

Although many of these films have no words, each stimulates conversations that leadto discussions about values, beliefs and theCreator. They particularly appeal to studentsknown as millennials—born between the early1980s and early 2000s—who are determinedlyattached to mobile technology and social media.

Falling Plates and Gold BraceletsBring Students Face-to-Face With Jesus

“Issues of

shame and

honor

ultimately point

to how we view

God. How do

you view God?”—Discussion Questionfor the Short Film,Jangled

Scenes from Falling Plates

Since September 2013, JESUS Film® has partnered with Campus Crusade for Christ’sCampus Ministries to equip seven Expedition teams to reach more than 30 citiesthroughout Eastern Europe. Each month, these small teams of primarily recent collegegraduates—American and European—enter a new city and identify local churches and keyvolunteers to help develop active evangelism and discipleship groups among areauniversities. Using iPads and mini-projectors, the Expedition teams show short films.

“We work with churches who allow us to cast vision for taking the gospel tostudents rather than waiting for students to come to church,” Expedition StrategyTeam Leader Ross Olson noted. The JESUS Film digital resources, Olsonexplained, are vital to helping them reach their ministry goals.

Other Christian ministries including Youth With a Mission (YWAM)and International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) havepartnered with Expedition teams to organize short film nights in citiesusing JESUS Film tools. At a national university in Ukraine, an Expeditionteam joined with the school’s English and Translation departments for anevening of showing the films to 25 students via the Jesus Film Media appand a portable projector. Ensuing discussions about God in Ukrainian andEnglish prompted comments such as, “We never discuss these things ….” and “Itis really great to talk about deeper things!”

“By using films like this, we shorten the time from a few days to a few minutes to arrive atspiritual topics. After people watch these films, they want to talk about them,” Brent Larson, aproducer and lead short-film scriptwriter for the JESUS Film Production team explained.“Viewers then start talking about themselves.”

Other countries also successfully use short films. In Mongolia, a “Gateways to theHeart” strategy matches segments of the JESUS film with short films as an interactive wayto connect university students to the gospel. “Gateways” include such topics as religiousholidays, cultural issues, and personal concerns. At one Mongolian outreach using“Gateways to the Heart” film tools, 390 students heard the gospel and 136 indicatedsalvation decisions.

In India, a woman who uses a number of the short films with her teens’ group raved,“… I love your short films! … I’m also using some of the movies in our training workshops for women.I loved Jangled!”

Paced with up-tempo music, Jangled depicts a young woman weighed down withhiding a stolen antique, gold bracelet. Discussion questions for the film include; Why dowe hide things from others? What might the bracelet represent in your life? Suchquestions ultimately point to how people view God. In Luke 9:20, Jesus asks essentiallythe same questions: “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Short film audiences today find answers to Jesus’ questions for themselves,sometimes through a skyfall of broken dinner plates or a wrist full of gold bracelets. n

Falling Plates continued from page 1

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Click on the short films atwww.globalshortfilmnetwork.comand begin spiritual conversationswith people you know.

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Kadir,* a follower of a dominant religion in theMiddle East, stumbled upon the Facebook pageChristiansIn (name of a Middle Eastern country). Thename caught his attention, so he proceeded to contactJohn, the creator of the webpage.

Kadir asked John a lot of questions, some aboutJesus, but mostly about life. After several discussionsJohn sent Kadir a link to the Jesus Film Media™ app, adigital platform offering a catalog of JESUS Film®

movies available in more than 1,300 languages. Johnsuggested to Kadir, “Why don’t you just watch this movieabout Jesus, and we’ll talk afterward.”

The following day John received a response fromKadir: “After watching this movie about Jesus, I now knowwho He is. There is nothing that I can do except ask Him to bein my heart.”

Within a short span of time, a man who knew little about Jesus discovered a way toeasily gain access to the gospel, all from the convenience of using an app. Sometimes, it’sthat simple. n

Happy Birthday, Ariela!As a child, Ariela experienced heartache after heartache and might have asked, “Love?

What is that?” No one ever provided her with what we consider simple expressions oflove―like a birthday cake or party. Then tragically at the age of 17, her mother sold herto a man who imprisoned her in his home. When Ariela became pregnant with theirchild, this “husband” abandoned her.

A second husband physically battered Ariela so severely she required hospitalizationfor internal injuries. He currently is serving a prison sentence while she struggles toprovide for her four children.

Believers in Bolivia are committed to reaching women like Ariela using the Magdalenafilm and follow-up materials. As a result she received a Magdalena: Released From ShameDVD, watched the movie with her children―and made a decision to follow Christ.Ariela’s sister and niece also prayed to receive Christ after watching the film.

The Campus Crusade for Christ® ministry worker who gave Ariela the DVD, shared:“When she (Ariela) saw Magdalena … she understood that Jesus loves her and can do all thingsnew. Now she is happy. She has a new hope. Every Monday she and her children attend the Biblestudy group and are part of a new family in Christ.” Praise the Lord that through Magdalena,Ariela discovered the joy of knowing a loving Savior. n

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*Name changed for security purposes.

Joy knows no bounds like a youngmother celebrating her firstbirthday party—at age 27—withnew sisters in Christ.

Exploring social media at anInternet cafe.

IThis Had Never Happened Before!

In a West African village, an ominous goddess/idol forcefully picks a member of thecommunity from time to time to serve her for life. The villager chosen must answer toeither submit to the call or face death. The people live in perpetual terror because, at anytime, the idol could choose any of them.

Pastor Margret—a local evangelist who took part in JESUS Film® training onevangelism (using JESUS Film tools), discipleship, spiritual multiplication and churchplanting—eagerly decided to implement the lessons she learned. She adopted four villages.In one of them she met a family who welcomed her into their home. They became whatthe ministry refers to as “a family of peace.” Pastor Margret learned this family and othervillagers had been seeking how to become Christians.

The family lived in the village with the forboding idol. They shared with PastorMargret what happened when, one occasion, the idol selected a Roman Catholic nun.When the nun reached the site of the idol, the idol’s priest said this choice was a mistake.When others in the community heard this, they were shocked. This never had happenedbefore! The villagers grew curious about the nun’s Christian faith that overruled herselection to serve the idol. As the villagers began to seek God’s truth, Evangelist Margretand her team arrived in the village on a church-planting mission and received awholehearted welcome.

Amazed at how God had prepared the hearts of these people in advance, PastorMargret requested versions of the JESUS film in the people’s heart languages. By God’sgrace the film showings resulted in the formation of a discipeship group of new believerswith an average of 47 adults regularly attending. n

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Joe DeSalla

The people live

in perpetual

terror because,

at any time,

the idol could

choose any

of them.

Prayer Impact

An Invitation to Pray

. Please pray for the effective use of

short films with students worldwide to

guide them toward a personal relationship

with Christ.

. Praise the Lord as He breaks the

powers of evil, fear and spiritual darkness

in West Africa.

. Joyfully thank God for how Magdalena

helps bring spiritual healing to hurting

women in South America.

. Thank the Lord for social media and

other new technologies which provide

increased global opportunities for

evangelism and discipleship.

. Brent and Darcy Larson will appreciate

your prayers for their creativity and

encouragement as they minister with The

JESUS Film Project®.

We thank you for your prayers.

For more prayer information:

Call (800) 988-7729

Email pray4@jesusfilm.org

Log on to www.jesusfilm.org/prayer

Behind the Scenes

Brent and Darcy’s ministry, like that of their fellow 260 JESUS Film® supported staffmembers, is made possible by the prayer and financial support of individuals andchurches. To learn how you can personalize your giving, please call (407) 826-2087.

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Brent and Darcy LarsonBrent Larson, who once dreamed of being an astronaut, now dreams up out-

of-this-world short films for The JESUS Film Project®. A former newspaper reporterfor Los Angeles Times affiliates, and writer for Worldwide Challenge® magazine,Darcy is currently a field information reports writer with the JESUS Film® ministry.They literally have a way with words.

Darcy distills information, stories and other data from JESUS Film frontline,global ministries—compiling concise reports for ministry partners. These reportsshow how thousands are introduced to the gospel in their own heart language andestablished in a growing faith as a result of their partnership. In addition to newfilms, “God continues to use the classic JESUS film to reach people,” Darcyexplained, “and that still excites me.”

This wordsmith couple met through Campus Crusade for Christ’s collegeministry in California at Cal Poly–Pomona and married in 1998, transferring to theinternational headquarters in Orlando, Florida, the following year. Over the years,Brent revived his interest in screenwriting and is now the JESUS Film Productiondepartment’s lead scriptwriter and a joint film producer.

“The JESUS Film is learning the current culture, how young people watch andlisten to media and how they base their decisions on media.… We are bringing thegospel message to younger people in a way that they uniquely are suited to receiveit,” detailed Brent, who co-wrote the short film, Jangled, directed another short film,Flow, and breathed life into co-writing The Zombie Blogs series.

While Brent is brainstorming creative ways to write film scripts that relate totoday’s visually driven youth, Darcy is writing about how the JESUS Film toolscontinue to make an eternal impact on the world.

“When I think about the future of the JESUS Film,” Brent added, “I am excitedbecause we’re constantly searching for and finding new ways, effective ways, toreach people who not that long ago were considered either already reached or verydifficult to reach.”

Those are life-changing words the Larsons live by. n

TThe JESUS Film Project® began posting on social media in April 2010. “Likes”—showings ofsupport—appear regularly, spanning the globe from the United States to Brazil and Ethiopia toMalaysia and Saudi Arabia. People want to know more about us, the digital ministry tools and howthey can use them. Many see the JESUS film link on Facebook and view the film for the first time.Others order resources or re-share posts and tweets. “We post on social media to Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus and LinkedIn …,” Doug Weiss, the JESUS Film® social media manager, reports. “People everywhereare grateful that we are sharing content about Jesus.” A recent campaign resulted in 8,289 views of threeshort films to spark conversations about the true meaning of Easter. n

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Judy Kirk

As sistant EditorAs sistant Editor

Sc ott Copeland

Creative DirectorCreative Director

Kevin Lin

De signerDe signer

Kevin Lin

ContributorContributor

Beth Lueders

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