Black Thursday (Part Two, Reflections of Becky Morales)

Winds of Adventure on an Indonesian channel.

One thing is undeniable: If you live long enough, bad things are going to happen. Sometimes these bad things are even a direct result of us doing good. The real question is what will we do when these bad things happen?

The Belgium shut-down is an excellent reminder of how to respond to trials. Such a dramatic and forceful affront from the Belgian authorities could have caused IMM missionaries to back down to avoid any more resistance. Indeed, IMM was told by the Belgian authorities to stop operations. “Preaching” was the only work to be allowed. But instead they got creative and kept going.

Urgent broadcast deadlines for Bangladesh were met using media equipment in private homes, which aired to an actual viewing audience of 50 million people that year. IMM training continued in Denmark, Russia, and Jordan, where a new media ministry center was launched. Previous projects, such as People Who Met Jesus, were licensed for translation into 11 languages to be used in the Philippines, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Iceland. The children’s program Winds of Adventure was given the rights to overdub and broadcast in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, and Pakistan. IMM’s broadcast partners continued to broadcast into North Africa.

John Merrell, IMM director at the time, explained in his 2002 summary, “It is obvious that the vast majority of ministry taking place at IMM in 2001 reached into the Muslim world. The same thing happened in 2002. I am convinced the recent events, which closed the IMM facility, are a direct result – in a spiritual sense – of this most effective ministry. There is now a clear understanding that the political crisis was used by God to redirect IMM.”

In July 2002, the Assemblies of God World Missions Executive Committee approved IMM’s relocation from Brussels, Belgium to Madrid, Spain, where media missions efforts continue today to reach into closed nations and searching populations, providing answers that point to Jesus Christ.

It is counterintuitive to be joyful in trials, but in Jesus’ hands, our weakness becomes His strength and obstacles become opportunities. We rejoice in trials of every kind because we know that God can turn every kind of evil into all kinds of good.

God’s Word for Today:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” James 1:2

Pray with us:

  • Pray for our broadcast partners who face legal and logistical challenges to keep the word of God flowing to those seeking hope.

  • Pray for the protection of IMM team members as they obey Christ and serve him with their business and media skills in Spain or virtually from home.

  • Pray that God will reveal to you a new way to see the trials in your life through the Holy Spirit.

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