Children gather to watch a film team set up for an earlier JESUS-film showing in Uganda. Karamojong is the eighth Ugandan language with a film translation; nearly half of all Ugandans have seen it in one of them.

Mike Kessler and Nathan Green stepped out of a single-engine plane in northeastern Uganda to record the JESUS film in Karamojong, little knowing this language would mark a major milestone.

Most of the 370,000 Karamojong speakers had never seen a movie. In fact, until JESUS premiered, no film had ever existed in their language.

The Karamojong fight to protect their families and to "retrieve" cattle from neighboring herds--in their worldview, all cattle belong to them. Many cut intricate patterns into their skin, put sand into the wounds, and allow the cuts to heal over. Villagers believe the decorative bumps thus formed bring healing and keep away evil spirits.

Script translation began in June 1997, and ended the following November. Mike and Nathan recorded the voices in July 1998. This past April the completed film became the JESUS film's 500th language, slipping between Moru, spoken in Sudan, and Gonia, spoken in Ghana.

The Karamojong film premiere drew about 3,000 people in the village of Moroto. When the film team invited those interested in receiving Christ to come forward, hundreds began moving. Not believing the response, the team repeated the instructions twice. Still the surge continued. More than 400 people indicated decisions to trust Christ that night, the first fruits of Mike and Nathan's completed work. —Mark Winz

For more information about the JESUS film, see www.jesusfilm.org online.

Sung Duk Cha, a visiting scholar at the University of Washington, had moved his family from Korea to study international relations. Specifically, his studies focused on the division of North and South Korea. But like Korea's boundaries, Sung's soul was also divided--he clung to Buddhist tradition, yet longed to know God.

During an international-student orientation at the university, Sung signed his name to a list of 60 others, requesting more information about Campus Crusade for Christ's Grad Resources ministry at his school. When Grad Resources staff member Gary Ramm called Sung and asked to meet, the slender Korean heartily agreed. During their first meeting, Sung's eager interest surprised the 25-year veteran of Campus Crusade.

"I always ask four questions," Gary explains. "'Who am I? What is my purpose? Is there a God? If so, what is He like?' When I asked the third question, Sung answered, 'I think about "Is there a God?" all the time. How do I get to know God?'"

Sung, Gary later learned, had married a Christian woman. Because he had been raised Buddhist, Sung had forbidden his wife, BuYeon, to attend church for 10 years of their marriage. For at least twice that long, BuYeon had prayed for her husband to meet Jesus, and just recently, she was beginning to see signs of answers. For example, he allowed her to return to church.

When Gary offered to meet Sung each week to discuss spiritual concerns and questions, the curious and intense scholar couldn't pass up the chance. "I look at my wife, my kids, my research, my family, my work," Sung told Gary, "and I have no purpose in life. I come to meet you and find purpose."

For a little more than five months, the two men met together, formally studying the uniqueness of Jesus and informally discussing Sung's questions. "We had his whole family over to our house quite a few times," says Gary. Gary's wife, Charlene, taught BuYeon to drive, and Sung's two children developed a friendship with the Ramm kids.

"We were very open and transparent with them," Gary says. "[Grad students] want to hear the facts and the hard data, but ultimately they are just watching your life."

Nick Repak, who directs Grad Resources, calls this "process evangelism." Graduate students--even those who are spiritually hungry like Sung--average one to three years of spiritual searching before surrendering to Jesus Christ. The ministry addresses the total needs of graduate students, providing articles, support groups and seminars like the one Sung first attended. But staff members combine these services with an aggressive model of Christ's love--the truth of the gospel. This need for perseverance perhaps explains why only nine staff members serve with the ministry in the United States, despite the strategic nature of their focus group.

Gary didn't give up, but continued to meet with his friend each week, and Sung's spiritual search escalated. "His interest was so intense to learn about God," says Gary, "he started to go to church every morning at 6 a.m. to pray with his wife, and he was not a Christian yet."

In late February, five months after first meeting Gary, Sung finally committed his life to Christ. "Now I want to live for God," Sung told Gary.

"He views his faith as a holistic thing," Gary explains. "Receiving Christ meant he was going to dump Buddhism, and as the oldest son in his family responsible for carrying on his family heritage, this was a big deal."

Sung has changed dramatically since trusting Christ, according to Gary. Besides more patience, and a deeper love and respect for his family, Sung knows his purpose. Though they continued to meet, Sung doesn't look to Gary to find purpose anymore. "Someday," Sung told Gary, "I am going to go to China, because there are millions of Koreans in China. I can go there and talk to them about God." —Erik Segalini

For more about Grad Resources, go online to gradresources.org or call 1-800-867-0188.

As executive vice president of Campus Crusade, Steve Douglass oversees all the U.S. ministries.

Steve Douglass stood in the great courtyard of MIT looking up at the names of notable scientists etched in stone--people like Aristotle and Galileo. What am I doing here? the freshman thought. Then Steve's father turned to his teenage son, shook his hand, wished him luck and walked off to his waiting car and the thousand-mile drive home.

Standing alone and afraid, Steve thought of two options: retreat (Hey Dad, take me with you!), or resolve (I'm going to prove to Dad that I can succeed; I can make myself happy by accomplishing my objectives).

Fast forward four years. Same courtyard. Same scientists. Same Steve. But now the senior stands before thousands, about to receive MIT's highest award, the Carl Taylor Compton Prize. He has chosen to make himself happy by accomplishing his objectives for success: fraternity president, class officer, basketball letterman.

Climbing the concrete steps, however, Steve experienced one of the most hollow moments of his life. "Those steps seemed like they had turned to wood," Steve remembers, "and in the echo of that wood, I could hear the words, 'So what? Big deal.' Good grief, I thought, if even in the moment of success it's no big deal, then this is going to be a long, long life."

That summer, after graduating from MIT and before beginning Harvard Business School, the 6-foot-4-inch Rockford, IL, native began attending a Campus Crusade Bible study. "I went because a girl I was dating went, and she was cute," he says, "and because they played volleyball every week, and I loved volleyball."

But soon Steve heard that he could have a personal relationship with God, and that he could walk with Him in the power of the Holy Spirit. One night that summer of 1967, Steve sat up in bed and had a conversation with God: "I want what I see modeled in the lives and eyes and faces of these people involved with Campus Crusade. Now, God, this is a real contrast to the many efforts that I have put forth to experience satisfaction in life. But I can see that it is only available through You and a relationship with You through Jesus Christ."

Fast forward two more years. Another awards event, this time honoring the top two percent graduating from Harvard Business School. Steve sat with 13 other students, as each announced in turn what venture they would pursue following graduation. World-class consulting firms. Fortune 500 companies. Family empires. Each proudly declared their futures while the Harvard faculty grinned, congratulated one another and nodded their deep approval. As God designed it, Steve was the last to announce his impending plans: "I am joining the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ." Silence.

That is, until the forks dropped and people began uncomfortably clearing their throats and coughing. "I knew what was going through their minds," says Steve, now 54. "Does this young man not realize he's about to graduate from the high temple of capitalism? And then go to work for a not-for-profit? It's unethical; it's unheard of."

But 31 years later, Steve has no regrets. As executive vice president of Campus Crusade for Christ and director of its U.S. ministries, he knows himself well: "I knew that whatever I chose to do, I would do wholeheartedly; there is no middle ground for me. I would either be sold out to a business and have little time left to serve Jesus, or I would dedicate myself to giving Him everything I have."

Fast forward 100 years. Angels in heaven rejoice with Steve at the sight of thousands of people worshipping God--people whom Steve touched because of his obedience as a young graduate student. —Judy Nelson

Fasting and Prayer 99 | Christians from across the United States plan to gather at Houston's Astroarena from November 11-13 to pray and fast for the nation and the world. This is the sixth such gathering sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ and Mission America. For more information call 1-800-888-FAST (3278) or visit the Web site at www.fastingprayer.com.

The JESUS Film | October 19 marked the 20th anniversary of the JESUS film. It opened in 250 U.S. theaters on that date in 1979. Since then, 822 organizations have shown the film to more than 2 billion people in 230 countries in 542 languages.

Campus Ministry | Students worldwide gathered around their flag poles last September 15 to pray for their schools at the tenth annual "See You at the Pole--National Day of Student Prayer." Students participated from South Korea, Sweden, Bolivia, South Africa, Indonesia, Kenya and Germany, in addition to many schools in North America. But what happens now? To learn more and to be part "See You After the Pole!" log in at http://www.ccci.org/pole/ or call toll-free at 1-800-789-LINC (5462).



Campus Ministry
Tijuana, Mexico

When Campus Crusade staff member Matt Booker found out that no Christian organizations worked at the University of Baja California in Tijuana, Mexico, he took several students in San Diego for a prayer walk in Tijuana. They surveyed spiritual interest on campus, met the teacher who runs the foreign-language lab, and set up an informal English club.

Twenty students from six San Diego campuses began going to Tijuana every Saturday morning to help Mexican students with English. Each week, after discussing language, they invited the 30 students to join them for lunch in hopes of building bridges to present the gospel.

The first fruits of this ministry came when Matt met Lupita, a third-year student, at a taco stand. Lupita committed her life to Christ. "There are 20,000 students in Tijuana with no religious groups on the four campuses," says Matt, "and that's where I want to be."

San Diego State sophomore Matt Delaney hopes the trips influence the California students, too. "Mission trips changed my life," Matt says. "I wanted to give [other] students a chance to experience ministry in another country." —Lisa Master


Crescendo
Basel, Switzerland

As Steinway's chief technician emeritus, Franz Mohr knows pianos. Franz has tuned for legends like Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein, and once joked, "I'm playing more in Carnegie Hall than anyone else, but nobody listens to me!" Martha Stewart devoted an entire TV program to the beauty and elegance of the Steinway, including a talk with Franz.

Franz also knows Christ as his Savior and wants other musicians to hear about Jesus' love and forgiveness. With a passion for music and evangelism, Franz combines his two loves by serving with Crescendo, an international ministry of professional classical musicians. Based in Switzerland, this Campus Crusade ministry proclaims God's love through concerts, media, and ministering to musicians. Founded in 1986, Crescendo has established contact with about 1,000 musicians in more than 30 countries.

"Franz is a wonderful door-opener for the gospel among top musicians," says Crescendo director Beat Rink. "We open doors for him as well by organizing lectures, and writing and translating his books." —Susie Hilsman

To learn more about Crescendo's ministry, visit their web site at: www.crescendo.org.


FamilyLife
Japan

Japan's divorce rate may be lower than the United States', but statistics don't tell the whole story. "People are enduring their marriages," says Andy Meeko, director of FamilyLife in Japan. And the number of divorces has grown each of the last nine years.

Okinawa, once a World War II battleground, has Japan's highest divorce rate. Now couples there fight for their marriages. Last June, 35 couples gathered at a FamilyLife conference to learn marriage-strengthening skills.

The same week, conferences in Kobe for missionaries and in Tokyo for U.S. Navy personnel helped couples learn to maintain their marriages amidst the stress of living far from home.

Among the 250 people who attended the three conferences, five indicated decisions to trust Christ, one-third renewed commitments to Christ, and half of the couples renewed their commitments to their marriages.

"Studies show that the main reasons for divorce are not things like abuse or addiction, but mere lack of communication and affection," Andy said. "A simple problem to attack, and the conferences help rekindle both." —Mark Winz