TERRORISTS TRANSFORMED

Bruce and Jan, long-time missionaries in Peru, showed the 'JESUS' film in a village high in the mountains. After witnessing the power of God's living Word to change the hearts of people, they left rejoicing. But, unwittingly, they were driving directly into the hands of terrorists. Bruce carefully drove down the narrow mountain road, deep in the Andes. Coming over a hill, they pulled to a stop just behind a seemingly stalled truck. Instantly, scores of rifle barrels were thrust in their direction by a band of radicals. The missionaries were taken back to the village. The 45 heavily armed men proceeded to interrogate and threaten them and the townsfolk. Before they released them, the radicals went through their belongings. They found and confiscated all the projection equipment, intending to use it to show revolutionary films. Out of frustration, Bruce also handed them the film reels saying, "Here, you may as well take these too," silently pray-ing, "Lord, do not let Your Word return void." A year later, back in the city, Bruce received a visitor. One of his captors had become a Christian! It was a man named José, a seasoned radical who had killed many people in cold blood. Bruce listened as José told his incredible story. "The day we captured you, we intended to kill you. But each time we talked about it, something stopped us. After we released you and returned to our camp in the jungle, we were bored and began to watch the film. At one point there were 700 of us on the ground before the screen. We saw that Jesus was a true revolutionary. Many in the movement were so moved by His life that they wanted to lay down their arms and leave then." He told Bruce how he subsequently had been arrested and sent to jail, and gave his life to Christ. He then asked Bruce to forgive him. José is now a pastor and the Director of a major Bible School in Argentina. He is also actively sending out missionaries around the world! Source: Jesus Film Project via JNI 616