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CATCHING UP by WAYNE BRISTOW Evangelist Wayne Bristow is once again back on the road for Jesus following a year of intensive cancer treatment. He pauses to bring us up to date on what God is doing while he prepares to minister at CBC again later this year. Few people have preached the Gospel to as many people as Wayne Bristow. He is the founder and president of Total Life International Ministries. Before beginning his work with this world evangelism organization in 1993, he had served as the pastor of a local church for three years, spent 19 years in an itinerant ministry of evangelistic preaching, served for five years as an associate director of the Volunteers in Missions Department of the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (with the responsibility for evangelism and church growth projects around the world), and almost eight years as the director of the Evangelism Department for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. HE & HIS WIFE ROBBIE WILL BE WITH US AT CBC FOR A WONDERFUL WEEKEND OF OUTREACH AND INSPIRATION IN NOVEMBER. After sharing with students at Golden Gate Seminary in the San Francisco area for a few days, and will travel northward bringing a blessing with him. He pauses to catch us up on his fruitful ministry. August 14-September 1, I was in Port au Prince, Haiti. I had the privilege of working again with Duane and Deanna Hunt. Duane is the international director for Larry Jones Crusades, and Deanna directs women's ministries. We were joined by Berry Handley and Ron Waterman of Team Impact. Larry Jones arrived on Sunday, August 24, for a week of television filming and the weekend gospel celebration. It was a very special delight to renew fellowship and work with a team that I have grown to love and respect. Berry, Ron and I had the joy of being in many of Haiti's most elite private schools. Two of these, Providence and Union, are completely secular, but they afforded two of our best experiences. At both schools, we were given absolute liberty to share testimonies and to make clear the way of salvation. At Providence, the school's director and three faculty members were among those making professions of their faith in Christ. At Union, the largest private school in Haiti, we saw 138 students and faculty members indicate that they were placing their trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior. Many graduates of these schools go on to such universities as Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Their lives have awesome potential. Pray for God's protection on them as they grow spiritually. Our Haiti experiences ranged from the top to the bottom of the social/economic scale. One afternoon, we were on a soccer field in one of the most depressing slums that I have seen in the world. We saw over 1,000 people, primarily tough young men, gather to watch Berry and Ron do feats of strength, and hear their testimonies. On another morning, we were with Larry Jones in another center of poverty and hopelessness. We shared with over 2,000 children and then had the joy of seeing them receive warm, nutritious meals. My church experiences in Port au Prince were on a level beyond anything that I have experienced anywhere in the world. On my first Sunday evening, I preached to about 1,500 people, primarily teenagers and young adults, and saw 148 of them indicate that they were receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior. At 10:00, on a Thursday morning, I preached at a church that was packed beyond its capacity with over 4,000 people. On my final Sunday in Haiti, I left the hotel at 5:15 a. m. to preach to over 2,000 people at a 6:00 a. m. worship service. We saw 290 people openly profess their faith in Christ. The spiritual hunger and response to the gospel were overwhelming. During the school of evangelism, Duane and I had the joy of sharing for two days with 610 pastors and church leaders. At the conclusion of my teaching regarding the evangelistic invitation, I actually gave an invitation. Forty-eight men and women came forward, saying that for the first time in their lives they were turning from everything else and trusting only Jesus for their salvation. In venues where I shared and gave invitations, I had the joy of seeing 1,303 people publically profess their faith in Christ. Altogether, our team saw 4,429 people make decisions for Christ, with 2,896 saying that they were receiving Him as Lord and Savior. Over 100 churches participated in the gospel celebration. We shared the good news about Jesus with 35,515 people and distributed 24,509 pieces of literature. Join us in praising our Lord, and giving Him all of the glory for every victory! Four days after returning home, Steve Shirk and I were in Paducah, Kentucky, for a Total Life Festival with Pastor Larry Lewis and the folks at Reidland Baptist Church. In a follow-up letter, Dr. Lewis wrote that this was his best evangelism event experience, and that many of his people had indicated that it was the best revival experience in the history of the church. Again, all the glory and praise goes to our faithful Lord. We rejoice because of the 57 people who registered decisions during our five days in Paducah; 14 professing their faith in Christ, 37 reaffirming their faith in Him, three saying that they feel called to vocational Christian service, two joining the church by transferring membership, and one seeking to join by baptism. Pray for Dr. Lewis and his people as they nurture these inquirers. On Thursday, September 11, I drove to Nashville to meet my wife, Robbie's, flight. We then went to Franklin, Kentucky, just north of Nashville, for a recording session. Friday and Saturday, I was in the studio with Tom Miller, an outstanding musician and recording engineer. Steve Shirk was on hand to lend his expertise as production director. I recorded TOTAL LIVING, DISCOVERING YOUR FULL POTENTIAL IN CHRIST, and the presentation which I do at school assemblies in the United States. TOTAL LIVING will soon be available on two audio CDs with an accompanying book. The school assembly recording will go to youth pastors with whom I work. We are praying that it will help them in securing even more sharing opportunities with students. Soon, we will be telling you how you can secure these ministry resources. En route home, Robbie and I had a delightful Sunday evening with Gary Taylor in Jackson, Tennessee. We worshiped with him at Englewood Baptist Church, and the next morning had a good breakfast with him and his pastor, Dr. Phil Jett. Today, they are together in Brazil. Remember to lift them up. Many of you have asked about our beloved friends Rudy and Lucy Hernandez. E-mail from Rudy this past week indicated that he is engaged in a battle against cancer that is much more difficult than the one I faced. He has been faithful in continuing to seize preaching opportunities, but after returning from a recent trip to Mexico, he was forced to undergo his fourth surgery. This one included the removal of his gall blander. He is continuing chemotherapy. Here are words from Rudy's heart: "No, it has not been easy and God has not seen fit to hand us healing on a silver platter, but He has assured us of His presence each step of the way. My family has been very strong, especially my dear wife of 58 years, one of His great gifts to me and my ministry. I will be 76 on October 19. It will be a month or so later before we complete the Chemo program. Thank you for your continued prayers for all of my family. Going through the valley has certainly made getting to the other side more acceptable. Through the thickest of the experience we have felt His presence and especially as I am able to share with each who ministers to me in my Hospital rooms the wonder working power of our Lord." CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR WAYNE AND ROBBIE, AND FOR RUDY HERNANDEZ AND HIS FAMILY DURING THESE DAYS. |
