Newsletter of David Wilson
JUNE 2024
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Dear Friend,
One day the final generation will fulfill the Great Commission of Christ as the Gospel is preached to the whole world. Then the end will come (Mt. 24:14). Until then, we must be busy about our “Father’s business,” sparing no effort until every last soul has heard the Good News.
JAMAICA In 1981, I landed in Kingston on a Russian airliner from Peru. My purpose was to see if this “island in the sun” had the potential for a new OAC branch. A hurricane was passing by, and heavy rain was falling. I found a cheap hotel and the next day walked around downtown. Many people’s hearts were open, and were easy to witness to. A lady in the Straw Market quickly cut her price in half for me, but not all wanted to save the foreigner money, and soon I was jumped and my wallet taken before I hit the ground. None of the contacts I had been given worked out until I reached the last one. It was a Bible College, and they invited me back to teach open air evangelism. A few months later I took their students to where I had been robbed and preached. A crowd immediately gathered, and the students were soon surrounded by people responding to Christ. Then a pastor, who was a counselor in public schools, arranged school assemblies, and soon I was preaching to thousands. It was harvest time in Jamaica.
When I returned again, sadly I found no one that I trained had continued. While continuing to visit Jamaica and reaching many more souls, I needed to find the man truly called by God to this frontline ministry. In 1984 I was introduced to Keith and Bev Phillips. After taking Keith into the schools, I soon realized that God had given me His man.
A Canadian evangelist was having a crusade at the time and invited us onto his stage to introduce OAC to the 7,000 present. They roared their approval. The Governor General then said that the crusade was good, but the gospel was needed downtown (Kingston has a very high murder rate). I registered OAC Jamaica and started the branch. This year we celebrated the 40th anniversary.
We estimate that over 2 million have been reached during this time. Our evangelists in their blue and white vans are known everywhere as Uncle Keith and Uncle Eddie. Some of the children reached for Christ in the schools have become youth leaders, teachers, even a principal and a pastor. It is always a joy to preach in the schools. God continues to work through this ministry on the “island in the sun” as people come to know the Son.
ECUADOR: International Conference. They came from 19 countries, over 70 representing their national branches, for a time of fellowship, sharing, encouragement and ministry in the open air and schools. Only our evangelist from the Congo was blocked from boarding his flights 3 times with visa problems which we had been assured would not happen. Our evangelists from Russia and Kenya were also stopped, but we were able to buy new tickets on different routes. Arranging this International Conference, held every 4 years, was David & Monica Proaño (on the photo, front center, David next to me with Monica behind him). David is now the OACI President.
In 1988, David was trained when I was invited to Ecuador to teach our method of open air evangelism to pastors and Bible College students. I had been told that the police would stop any open air meeting. A large crowd gathered as I preached in a plaza. I saw two policemen were watching. After finishing the gospel message, people began responding for decision booklets. I noticed two arms stretched out were in uniform. They belonged to the policemen. Each had come for a booklet and thanked me! Every meeting we did showed Ecuador was a harvest field.
For 11 years I heard nothing from these pastors until Monica wrote me an email. She told of her youth pastor who was taking them out and having wonderful open air meetings in the plazas. He was David Proaño. She invited me to return, which I did, and we had tremendous outreaches. David & Monica married, and I began to start OAC in Ecuador with them. I was told that it was impossible to register an evangelical mission in this strongly Catholic country, but with God, all things are possible, if we believe. Monica’s mother was a lawyer with a doctorate, and she said with God it could be done. Together we wrote the constitution. When she went to the government office, she saw that her classmate worked there. Our application was put on top of the stack. Within a few weeks we were registered. That was 23 years ago, and this branch has reached multiplied thousands in the plazas, schools, military bases, villages, etc. Now, along with their daughter Isabella, son David, and other staff, they organized this staff Conference.
We went to the Equator near Quito and stood with one foot in each hemisphere. Then we went to Puyo, and stayed the week in a hotel right beside the jungle. As we gathered each morning for prayer and singing praises to God, staff would sing in their own native language (Swahili, Guarani, Hindi) making it like a taste of heaven. Seeing their 3 minute video reports set to music, and hearing them answering questions, we received a new vision for frontline evangelism around the world. Also, we remembered our colleagues in prayer facing danger in Ukraine, Congo and Asia. Evangelism was also done in villages & schools.
One special visitor was Miniwa, a member of the Auca (Wadani) tribe that killed five missionaries in 1956. At 16, I listened to this event as it happened over short wave radio beamed to New Zealand. These missionaries had flown in a small airplane to a river near the Auca village, and not far from where we were staying. The Aucas killed anyone who came near them, but the missionaries had made friendly contact with them from the air. They met on the beach, but after one Auca lied about their motive, they came back and speared them to death. The sister and a wife of these martyrs were later able to enter the tribe with an Auca woman who had escaped. Through her they communicated the real motive of the martyrs, and shared the gospel message. God worked and conversions took place. Now the grandson of one of the murderers is “born again”, and shares this wonderful story of God’s grace. He guided us around the martyred pilot’s house and the untouched room where his wife kept radio contact. Many were challenged by the deaths of these martyrs and have become missionaries, including me.
SEWING SCHOOLS IN SOUTH ASIA For security reasons, we cannot mention the name of the country, but in order to send in money for our evangelists, we must provide a service for the poor. In each branch we teach poor women to sew, and graduates find work or even start their own little sewing shops. This year there are 117 students, and 51 sewing machines will be given to the poorest of them. Every year some come to faith in Christ. The schools are free, but it costs us about $15 per student per month. Gifts may be designated for SEWING SCHOOLS.
PLEASE PRAY
THANK YOU to you who are standing with us in this frontline ministry of evangelism. Thousands are being reached every month in 11 countries by our national evangelists. Gifts to “Where Most Needed” go to our evangelists with the greatest needs. We thank God for your partnership in this ministry.
Donations can be made online by clicking here.
Compelled by His Love,
David Wilson