Two Muslims come to Christ in Senegal--through stories!!

Dear friends,

Last week Rhiannon and I were in Hemet, California honing our skills as Bible story tellers. I was with Rhiannon for the first two days of the workshop and then I flew to Eugene Oregon to promote my book "Alone with a Jihadist" at the Society for Pentecostal Studies annual conference. When I returned to California, I was happy to hear that Rhiannon had shared a story and led a small group discussion. This was a big step for Rhiannon and from what I hear, she did an excellent job with the story of the floating ax head (II Kings 6:1-7). Way to go Rhiannon!

As one of the co-instructors, I got the chance to share the story of Mary and Martha to the entire group (Luke 10:38-42). Afterwards, a man came up to me and said, "I want to tell you that you did an excellent job presenting that story. And I ought to know. I have 62 education credentials!" I know that the power was not in my presenting, but in the story itself.

Another quick testimony: There was a man at the workshop who came from a church background that de-emphasized the miraculous for today. Growing up he was taught that Jesus did miracles only because He wanted to prove to people that He was God, not because of any particular desire on His part to heal sick people. But when the man heard the story about the one leper that Jesus healed (Mark 1:40-45) he noticed that the story says Jesus was "moved with compassion." It was then that he realized Jesus healed people because of His compassion, not just to prove to people His deity. So he decided to be like the leper in the story and He prayed to Jesus, "Lord, if you are willing, I know that you can heal my back." At that moment the man was instantly healed and he was able to bend over like he couldn't do before.

Isn't it amazing how one story in the Bible can undo an entire lifetime of wrong teaching?

Let me give you another example. This one really hit home for me. For those of you that have been following our ministry for a while you know about Jean Pierre, our disciple in Senegal. Jean Pierre has been working very hard as an evangelist in his nation, often traveling from village to village and sowing the gospel through whatever resources that are available (our ministry supports him on a monthly basis). Two weeks ago, Jean Pierre told me that he and a colleague were going to be traveling to two different villages to share the gospel together. I suggested that they share the story of Jesus turning the water into wine at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1-11) and the story about Jesus coming to his disciples in the middle of the night walking on water (Mark 6:45-52). Well, just last week Jean Pierre wrote to me and told me that 5 people came to Christ from hearing these two stories. And two of them were Muslims! And then two days ago I talked with Jean Pierre on Skype and he told me that one of the men that received Christ is already sharing his testimony about God's love to his friends and his family.

Friends, this is real fruit, and I want to see more stories like this happening around the world. Henry Blackaby, a noted Bible teacher, says that when it comes to discerning the will of God for our lives and ministries,the best thing to do is to find out where God is working and join Him! Clearly God is working in the oral Bible story movement, and I honestly think that we're barely scratching the surface for what He wants to do. Which is why I'll be co-teaching another workshop at the end of this month in Lake Charles, Louisiana, traveling to Nigeria in July to teach missionaries working throughout all of West Africa, and then making a trip to Haiti (date not yet set) and another trip back to Senegal in October.

I'm also working on a model for radio and television, but that's in the very early stages right now. I've been working with Dorothy Miller, one of the most respected leaders of the oral Bible story movement worldwide. Dorothy has been working with me one on one to hone my skills and, to be quite honest, it's been very frustrating. I'm the kind of guy that likes to jump head first into things (ready, shoot, aim!) and Dorothy is a perfectionist to the nth degree--which is exactly what I need. I know that I'm going to need a lot of practice before I can take this to the airwaves, so between Dorothy's meticulous mentoring, your prayers, and some patience and perseverance on my part, I believe it can happen.

Thank you for your continued love and support.

Aaron

P.S. Some of you may have noticed that our Great Commission Society website is down. I'm creating a world-class website, (which will be found at www.aarondtaylor.com when its up and running) that will incorporate the details of the Great Commission Society ministry. For now, if you'd like to make a donation to our ministry you can send it to

Great Commission Society
P.O. Box 400
Arnold, Mo 63010