World Impact Ministries / Peter Youngren

I have always known that joy is a distinguishing mark of the Gospel. All religions carry with them a sense of sobriety rooted in uncertainty of whether or not we are accepted by God. There is fear that maybe our offerings or prayers were insufficient to please a supposedly displeased deity. The Gospel will have none of this. It is the liberating truth that we are accepted, not on the basis of anything we have done, but only because of what Jesus has done. Well, last night that joy was evident here in Kalimantan. It broke out all over the stadium.

Hello from Kalimantan,

Tonight our theme was “The blind can see again”. I love this service. I openly tell the people that I ask God for three things: that blind will see, that many other sickness will be healed, and most of all that spiritual blindness will fall from people’s inward eyes and they will see Jesus.

Twelve years ago, in early 1998, my heart was heavy with sorrow, because after 18 years of fruitful gospel ministry in India and more than 40 campaigns, our ministry there had come to an end. A political party, with an agenda to make India a religious state, was gaining ground, and I was charged with the “crime” of “mass conversion”, and was to be banned from the country.
Last week was a great come- back, and you made it possible. Our strategy in conducting our first gospel campaign after the return to India in Orissa was that this is the state known for its anti-christian persecution. By conducting a successful outreach here, we will be able to break down any walls of fear, because if it can happen in Orissa, it can happen anywhere .

Nathan Thurber has been with me here in Orissa, and he wrote a report that I think will inspire you. -Peter

Peter is distributing the magic of God’s love.

The local newspaper in Bhubaneshwar continues, “the blind are seeing, the lame are walking and the deaf are hearing at the Orissa Gospel Festival.” This is an astounding headline in a strict Hindu region of India rocked by religious violence in 2008 that left many dead and countless more homeless. A reality not soon lost on the psyche of the Orissa population.

Bhubaneshwar, a city in India’s eastern region known as the city of temples, has a population that is over 95% Hindu. It is called the “temple city” and boasts more than 600 Hindu temples, many of which are massive, beautiful works of ancient art.

Hello from Orissa, India.

After many twists and turns, including untold negotiations with federal authorities in New Delhi, India, the State government in Orissa and the Indian Consulate in Toronto, I was finally granted permission to preach the Gospel here.

The backdrop to this campaign is that for the past 15 years Orissa has been known for communal violence, highlighted by the brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in 1999. As late as August, 2008 there were thirty-five attacks on Christian institutions in one night.

The 15-city Grace Canada Tour is over, and 1,133 Canadians have responded to Christ. When the idea for this outreach, St. John’s Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, was birthed, the number one priority on the agenda was to see people come to Christ.

It’s been rewarding on our Grace 2010 tour to be able to announce that as of March 15th we are now available on Shaw Cable, channel 166. That in itself is an answer to prayer. I knew from the onset when we took over The Christian Channel now Grace TV, that to be really effective we would need Shaw Cable, which is so strong in the four western provinces.

Our campaign is in full swing, and every day has been filled from morning until evening. First we held a press conference to get word out through the media. I particularly stressed that we have peaceful intentions towards the large muslim population. My mission is to reveal Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, and now the Living Savior. Beyond this I don’t discuss religions - Jesus is our message.

I cried on my way to the meeting tonight. Nathan Thurber, who is with me here told me a story that moved me so much. I will let him tell it.

Nathan: From 2002 to 2009, I was involved in Gospel Festival set up and preparation for World Impact Ministries (WIM). For the past year my role has changed with WIM’s purchase of Grace TV. However, I had the opportunity to return to a Gospel Festival in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, this week in the role of a journalist interviewing those whom are healed each day at the Festival. Along with Kyle Sweitzer, another member of our media team at Grace TV, we visit the homes of those who were healed the previous day.