DAWN Fridayfax 2000 #17

Colombia

13 of 17 Medellin drug cartel members become Christians

Some even missionaries

Maria Estrada is a Colombian. While living in New York, she became a drug dealer with the infamous Medellin drug cartel. She was arrested, and became a Christian while in jail. Following her release, she travelled to Medellin with the aim of bringing the gospel to the cartel members, starting in the Bellavista jail. Based on their positive experience with evangelical Christians, the government allowed her to plant a Christian church in the jail; it is the first officially recognized evangelical church in a Colombian jail, and now has over 300 members. Maria wrote a book about her prison ministry and dedicated it to Pablo Escobar, one of the cartel's most dedicated members, who was also imprisoned. To her surprise, Pablo reacted, and asked her to visit him. In the end, he decided to pray with Maria and give his life to Jesus. Only a few days later - in 1993 - he was killed by a special military unit. However, Pablo was only the first of the 17 members of the Medellin cartel to give his life to Christ; today, another 13 have taken the same step. All have confessed their crimes and been convicted; two of them have been released and become missionaries outside Colombia. Other cartel members will soon be released, and have also decided to become missionaries.
Source: Maria Estrada; via Berna Salcedo; Dawn Ministries, 5775 N.Union Blvd., Colorado Springs CO 80918, USA

Bomb victim forgave Escobar and prayed for him

"I am an ex-missionary who used to work in Colombia," writes Lori Burns. "In 1992, my apartment was damaged by a car bomb aimed at a police march. The Medellin cartel was responsible for the bomb. I was able to return to my apartment only a few days later, but had to overcome a considerable trauma. One of the things which I knew God told me to do was to forgive Pablo Escobar, and to pray for his salvation. Just today, I read in a newspaper report that Escobar gave his life to Christ only days before his death, and only half a mile from where I used to live. I thank God for answering my prayer, and Maria Estrada for being obedient to what God called her to do."
Source: Lori Burns L.A._Burns@telus.net

Northern Africa

Witness to Jesus even in his sleep

Zora (name changed) is a Bible translator for her people, North Africa's Berbers. Bible translators like her work in secret, and live dangerously: if they are caught, the punishment may even be death. Once, when a Muslim fundamentalist called and threatened them with death, one of the team members said "Watch out! Our telephone is being bugged by the police." The caller quickly hung up, and has never called since. On another occasion, one of the team members was close to exposing the whole operation because of pressure from the authorities, so Zora and her friends hid their work for a week. Over a period of three years, they have translated the whole New Testament, the Jesus Film and children's videos into their language. Zora says that God's timing for her people, the North African Berbers, has clearly arrived, and reports that many underground churches have started. Some time ago, Zora underwent surgery. The doctors accidentally gave her a double dose of the anaesthetic, and she slept for 7 hours after the operation. When she woke up, the hospital staff told her that she had worshipped Jesus for hours - in her sleep! If Muslim fundamentalists had heard it, her life would have been in danger. Instead, the two Muslim nurses who had looked after her asked her how they could accept Jesus into their lives!
Source: Partners International, www.partnersintl.org

Africa

Indigenous churches accept the Great Commission

"In 150 years of missions, a huge indigenous church has been built up which has taken over the task of evangelizing their surroundings from the Western missionaries," reports Manfred Schiller from the Deutsche Missions-Gemeinschaft (German Mission Association). "The number of African Christians has grown eightfold in the last 40 years. One of our partner churches, Nigeria's ECWA, has sent out and finances 1,000 missionaries of its own. In one Ugandan city alone, one hundred Muslims have become Christians in the last five years."
Source: Manfred Schiller, DMG; e-mail DMG@DMGint.de

Romania

Swiss woman healed after dog bite

"Jeanette Keller has been visiting Cluji Naboca for years, to help set up a clothes business for women in the jail," reports Verena Balmer. "When she went in March this year, a dog bit her hand so badly that the flesh hung off. Despite treatment, the wound did not heal, but got worse and began to fester. She had planned to remain in Rumania until the end of April, but because of the wound prayed to God, 'If you don't do something now, I will have to go home tomorrow.' The wound healed completely within two hours of her prayer, leaving only a scar."
Source: Jeanette Keller (in Romania direct: +40-6431-2896), or Mrs. E. Peter (Jeanette Keller's daughter) in Switzerland, tel. (+41)-032 396 34 72, or Verena Balmer, e-mail: v.balmer@freesurf.ch

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