CHARLOTTE, N.C. /Christian Newswire/ — Equipped with evangelism training and filled with a passion for the Gospel, Christians across the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico this year opened their homes for meetings and witnessed a combined total of 69,188 make commitments to Jesus Christ. The gatherings were a part of My Hope, a ministry of [...]]]> CHARLOTTE, N.C. /Christian Newswire/ — Equipped with evangelism training and filled with a passion for the Gospel, Christians across the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico this year opened their homes for meetings and witnessed a combined total of 69,188 make commitments to Jesus Christ. The gatherings were a part of My Hope, a ministry of the Charlotte, N.C.-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). The projects were the largest evangelism outreaches in the history of both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

“These faithful Christians took a bold step in inviting their friends and neighbors to their homes, and God truly worked through their efforts and prayers,” said Bill Conard, director of international ministries for BGEA. “Projects like this show that evangelism is not only for pastors, but for anyone who longs for those around them to experience the hope and love found only in Jesus Christ.”

After months of preparation, the programs culminated in a combined total of more than 59,000 home events in March and April, which included a TV program featuring a sermon from Billy or Franklin Graham and a personal testimony from the host. In the Dominican Republic, 55,391 people made commitments to Christ, with 13,797 doing so in Puerto Rico. Altogether more than 5,500 churches from across the evangelical spectrum were involved in the projects.

“Collecting results from all churches often takes weeks, and we just recently received the final numbers from Puerto Rico,” said Conard. “During that time follow-up efforts were made to help new believers become involved in a local church body and thereby grow in their faith.”

“We’ve been so encouraged by the stories we’ve heard,” he continued. “One small, 70-member church in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, held 11 home meetings as part of My Hope. Of the 71 who attended the gatherings, 62 made commitments to Jesus Christ – most of them first-time decisions.”

Since My Hope began in 2002, such projects have been implemented in 50 countries. Upcoming projects this year will take place in Malawi and four sensitive countries in Asia. Preparations are beginning for 2011, for potential My Hope outreaches in Portugal, Spain, Haiti and select African countries.

For more stories, please visit bit.ly/ccstQl. Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico project announcement releases can also be found at bit.ly/bbM4HY (D.R.) and bit.ly/cZjHW1 (P.R.).

About BGEA
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which is celebrating 60 years of ministry in 2010, proclaims the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world by every effective means available. From its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., the BGEA directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including: large-scale festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; Dare to Be a Daniel, a youth evangelism training project; My Hope World Evangelism Through Television; the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team of crisis-trained chaplains; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.billygraham.org. Get BGEA news updates on Twitter @Twitter.com/BGEAMediaPR.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. /Christian Newswire/ — Proving that space flight is not the highest calling for a pilot, astronaut Patrick Forrester is taking a bit of missionary history onboard space shuttle “Discovery,” which is scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in the early morning hours of Aug. 25. The aim of [...]]]>

Astronaut Patrick Forrester

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. /Christian Newswire/ — Proving that space flight is not the highest calling for a pilot, astronaut Patrick Forrester is taking a bit of missionary history onboard space shuttle “Discovery,” which is scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in the early morning hours of Aug. 25. The aim of the two-week orbital mission is to equip the International Space Station.

The item comes from martyred missionary pilot Nate Saint’s Piper PA-14, which is on display at the headquarters of MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) in Nampa, Idaho. Saint and four other missionaries were martyred on a sandbar in Ecuador on Jan. 8, 1956, by a tribe of Waodani Indians.

The incident sparked international news coverage and renewed interest in missionary service. Several of the tribesmen that killed Saint and the others were later converted to Christianity by relatives of the slain missionaries.

“Bringing attention to and renewing interest in missions would be a great result of this experience,” said Forrester, who was born in El Paso, Texas, the year after the martyrdoms. “My deepest intent is to honor Nate Saint, the Saint family and all missionaries around the world.”

The piece is from the Piper’s battery box and has received approval for the flight from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after conforming to strict size and weight restrictions.

Forrester, who will be making his third shuttle flight, has logged more than 4,500 hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has been with NASA 16 years. In addition to his time at NASA, he spent over 26 years as an Army aviator. Yet his dream has been to assist with the high calling of missionary aviation.

“I’ve always had a heart for missions,” Forrester said. “When I visualize what I might do after I end my career at NASA, always in the back of my mind is going into the mission field in some way. If I could go tomorrow and be a pilot with an organization like MAF, I think that’s what I’d do.”

Whether you are an astronaut, a missionary or something else, Forrester has a simple approach to discovering what career journey you should take. “There are so many needs out there,” Forrester said. “People need to figure out where their passion and their talents intersect with God’s plan for the world.”

Forrester heard about Saint and the other four missionary martyrs while attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. “He told the story of the missionaries who had gone down and had lost their lives,” Forrester recalled. “That story just fascinated me, and through that I heard of the book ‘Through the Gates of Splendor.’ That’s when I really first understood about MAF.”

Forrester asked MAF to provide a part of Saint’s plane for the shuttle mission. When the mission is completed, Forrester will return the piece to MAF, providing a certificate confirming its presence on the space flight. MAF plans to display the battery box part and certificate at its headquarters. Forrester noted that Saint “could have never imagined that we would have the opportunity to take it to a space station.”

As for himself, Forrester sees missions in his career flight plan. “We are all called to serve God in some manner,” Forrester said. “I have had the opportunity to participate in several short-term mission trips to Uganda, Canada, Puerto Rico and South Africa. Each time I have developed a heart for the people we served. I believe my wife and I will continue to serve in the mission field for the rest of our lives – whether it is at home or overseas, short-term or full-time.”

Founded in the U.S. in 1945, MAF (www.maf.org) missionary teams of aviation, communications, technology and education specialists overcome barriers in remote areas, transform lives and build God’s Kingdom by enabling the work of more than 1,000 organizations in isolated areas of the world. With its fleet of 130 bush aircraft, MAF serves in 55 countries, with an average of 242 flights daily across Africa, Asia, Eurasia and Latin America. MAF pilots transport missionaries, medical personnel, medicines and relief supplies, as well as conduct thousands of emergency medical evacuations in remote areas. MAF also provides telecommunications services, such as satellite Internet access, high frequency radios, electronic mail and other wireless systems.