An Amazing Fact: Online learning in the United States has grown by nearly 900 percent since the turn of the millennium. And by next year, half of all college students will be enrolled in at least one online course. But today, India, China, and Malaysia are the nations where e-learning is being adopted at the fastest rate.
Manuel was devastated. While his fiancé, Sashka, was attending the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism (AFCOE), she suddenly broke off their engagement. Stay with me, this love story has a happy and miraculous ending!
It’s been 50 years since Joe Crews began taking young evangelists under his wing to teach them the art and science of soul winning. Over time, that informal training became more deliberate and refined—until we finally launched AFCOE 17 years ago. As a direct result of your support for this vital training program, tens of thousands are being reached for Christ each year.
Yet it’s still not enough; as 70 million new souls are added to the world’s population each year, we need to build a surging army of evangelists to reach the globe with the real good news!
But first, let me tell you about the miracle of Manuel and Sashka …
A Double Life
Sashka was born in the former Yugoslavia. When she was just three years old, her mother and two older brothers joined a Sabbath-keeping church. She regularly attended church with them and was eventually baptized as a youth.
However, worldly friends began to exert a strong influence over her during high school. She began to smoke, drink, and go to drug-fueled parties. She explains, “The whole time I kept attending church, keeping my sins secret.” But God knew she was living a double life.
When Sashka turned 21, she met Manuel. Even though he was an atheist with a different worldview, they fell in love and soon got engaged.
Sometime later, Sashka’s brother suggested that she attend AFCOE to improve her English for university. She agreed, but she continued to live a double life—until something amazing happened. As Sashka studied her Bible for AFCOE classes and participated in giving Bible studies, her heart was transformed. The Holy Spirit took away her worldly desires, and she surrendered her life to Christ. Praise the Lord!
Sashka was led back to God while learning how to guide others to Christ. Isn’t the Lord amazing? God also convicted Sashka that she should not be in a romantic relationship with an unbeliever, so she broke up with Manuel.
Two Miracles
Devastated, Manuel could not understand what would lead Sashka to make such a radical decision. Hungry to understand this “AFCOE business,” he began watching my sermons online to see what she believed.
That’s when God performed two miracles. The first is that even though Manuel didn’t speak a word of English, he was able to understand every word I spoke! (I assure you, I do not speak Croatian!) The second miracle is that Manuel attended a Bible prophecy series as a result of watching Amazing Facts online—and he gave His life to Christ.
After Sashka finished AFCOE, she went on an AFCOE mission trip to the Dominican Republic. She shares, “Manuel waited for me to return and was baptized in the Adriatic Sea.” Today, the couple have a beautiful family—and Manuel is a pastor!
Can You Imagine?
I believe the Lord is calling us to do more with AFCOE. Time is running short—but the list of souls who need to hear the three angels’ messages is growing longer by the minute. How can we train enough people to reach more of the 7.5 billion people in the world? Imagine …
• If every training program could reach 50,000 people—instead of just 50!
• If every believer in the world could get effective discipleship training—regardless of their language or location.
• If we could lower the cost to receive evangelism training by 75 percent!
When Amazing Facts conducted our live Amazing Disciples AFCOE program last year, we were blown away by the response—4,000 online viewers! (Thank you for making it all possible!) Millions today are learning online because it’s convenient and cost-effective in any place with Internet access.
That’s why Amazing Facts, with your help, is planning to open the doors for evangelism training to thousands who aren’t able to physically attend AFCOE. Students who sign-up for Amazing Disciples will focus on Jesus’ method of evangelism, becoming confident, effective soul winners in their communities and wherever God wants to use them. That means you too!
Amazing Disciples will include video presentations, print materials, personal teacher interaction, access to witnessing resources, Bible worker networking, and live training sessions with myself and other Amazing Facts evangelists.
Preparing for Launch
Our online education will help thousands of hopeful Bible-workers and evangelists be the light of the world for Jesus. And just like for Manuel and Sashka, it will be life-changing for those who simply want revival in their lives and a deeper understanding of God’s Word.
Will you please give sacrificially this month, knowing that every dollar will make an eternal difference?
Finally, Sashka shares, “If it wasn’t for AFCOE, I would still be a lukewarm Christian living a double life.” But because you care, Sashka’s whole family is now serving the Lord!
Making an army of soul-winners with you,
Pastor Doug Batchelor
President, Amazing Facts
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