An Amazing Fact: One of the most dramatic transformations in nature is found in the lifecycle of the ladybug. It begins as a small yellow egg; hatches into a black, spiky larva; becomes a yellow blob-like pupa; and finally transforms into a red-and-black spotted insect. These beetles are a farmer’s best friend, consuming 5,000 crop-destroying aphids in their lifetimes.
May I tell you a story about one of God’s mighty transformations? Carlos loved to party like there were no tomorrow. “I was doing all the wrong things,” he says. Then, a dramatic change that you made possible took place in his life: a spiritual metamorphosis.
Nothing stirs my heart like seeing the lives of young people transformed for God’s kingdom. But there are millions more living in confusion like Carlos. They need something better! “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
Carlos explains, “I thought I was having a great time, but without a real purpose, my life was empty.” After yet another night of senseless partying, Carlos hit rock bottom. He even contemplated suicide. But that’s when God reached down and began to transform this world-loving young adult into a powerful witness for Christ.
I’m so excited to share how you helped influence the radical changes in Carlos’ life.
And I’m even more thrilled about how you can now work with Carlos to transform more hearts for Jesus. Keep reading, and I’ll explain how …
Prodigal Living
Carlos was born in Brooklyn, but he moved with his loving, middle-class family to Puerto Rico when he was just ten years old—which helped to make him fluent in English and Spanish.
He was also raised Catholic, yet everything changed when Carlos was taught that God burned people in hell for eternity. That didn’t seem right. He thought, “If I choose not to follow God, then the just thing would be to simply take away what He originally gave to me: life.” He quit going to church—and he didn’t look back.
It’s an all-too-familiar story. Distorted ideas about God drive people away from Christianity. Satan’s smear campaign has been successful, so we have a responsibility to counterattack his lies by proclaiming truth. And one of the most surefire methods we have to do that changed Carlos’ life …
A Divine Appointment
While in college studying the marvels of the human brain, Carlos became convinced that there must be a supreme being. With his curiosity piqued, he read the Bible for the first time. “I’ve never been the same since.”
But Carlos faced a new dilemma: Where to go to church? A friend, José, attended a nearby Sabbath-keeping church and invited Carlos to a Wednesday meeting. Carlos was intrigued. The two then began to study the Word together. “As we got deeper into the Bible, it came to life!”
Carlos had finally found a church that answered his biggest questions—and practiced the clear teachings of the Bible. Soon, he was baptized into God’s remnant church!
That’s the real power of one-on-one Bible studies. Frontline workers who give in-home Bible studies are among the most indispensable agents for heaven. We need to train many more of them!
Training Change Agents for the Kingdom
But something more happened: Carlos sensed that the Holy Spirit was calling him to teach the gospel. One day, he watched a DVD titled The Final Events of Bible Prophecy. He shares, “I was captivated! I had discovered Amazing Facts and went online and found so many helpful resources.”
He later saw an ad for the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism (AFCOE) training program and felt impressed to attend. Carlos explains, “I learned so much and devoured the training.” One day, Pastor Jëan Ross, director for AFCOE at the time, invited him to be an Amazing Facts evangelist. Carlos leaped at the opportunity! “It’s been the greatest journey in my life!” Today, Carlos serves as the director of AFCOE!
Just as the twelve disciples listened to and practiced what Christ taught them, we must also provide outreach training to equip more Bible workers, missionaries, and evangelists who can win more hearts for heaven. This is the work of AFCOE—distilling 50 years of Amazing Facts’ evangelistic expertise into a dynamic education experience, helping students become effective missionaries. And you can multiply gospel workers just like Carlos when you invest in our training work.
Today, God is using Carlos’ energetic leadership and contagious enthusiasm! AFCOE has robust plans for 2022, and through your faithful equipping-the-saints gift, you will help to:
• Conduct AFCOE to Go weekend training events in four locations
• Launch AFCOE Amazing Sanctuary and more online training this year
• Provide AFCOE scholarships for worthy students
• Enable AFCOE graduates to give online Bible studies to new contacts from Amazing Facts’ television, radio, internet, and publishing outreaches
• Send AFCOE graduates to do international evangelism
Needed: An Army of Heavenly Forces
We are in a battle with evil forces in these last days. Christ calls for courageous, well-trained servants of truth to carry the gospel into all the world. We do not need a handful of workers—but an entire battalion of Bible warriors skillfully equipped to enter enemy territory and reclaim souls for Christ.
Will you join me this month in making possible Amazing Facts’ many evangelistic training programs? Your gift of $195 could equip one online student to learn effective witnessing skills or help provide high-quality training. A generous gift of $25, $50, or $100 will help build up scholarship funds to help worthy AFCOE students become powerful soul-winners. Your gifts also make it possible to continue broadcasting God’s message globally, planting seeds of gospel truth that trained AFCOE workers can follow up.
From senseless partying to powerful preaching, Carlos now leads an evangelism training program and, along with his wife, Sicely, travels the world as bilingual Amazing Facts evangelists to win souls. Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2). Let’s multiply more passionate workers like Carlos for the Master!
With soul-winning in my blood,
Pastor Doug Batchelor
President, Amazing Facts International