Page 1 - ReachingaGiantContinentForChrist.indd

REACHING A

Giant Continent FOR CHRIST!

November 2015

An Amazing Fact: Measuring in at 11,677,239 square miles,
the continent of Africa is larger than China, the United States,
India, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland Eastern
Europe, and Japan … combined!

Dear friend,
Sometimes the vast size of Africa can be mind-

boggling. So are the enormous needs on this diverse
continent, where 1.1 billion people across 54 countries speak over 1,500 different
languages. Yet recently the Lord has been impressing me that Amazing Facts should,
and can, be doing more to reach the ginormous challenge of Africa.

In the 18th century, Europeans looked upon Africa as “The Dark Continent.” They
saw it as a massive, mysterious, and dangerous land full of savage people. But this was
a distorted notion. While Africa did have some primitive tribes with bizarre customs,
it also spawned some of the world’s most advanced civilizations. Early Christianity
was well established in countries like Egypt and Ethiopia; however, in the 17th century,
Islam began to spread and eclipse Christianity and, at the same time, many of the
remaining Christians mixed their beliefs with tribal spiritualism, steeping much of the
continent into spiritual darkness.

For centuries now, African countries have experienced all the gigantic extremes
of suffering caused by war, slavery, famine, genocide, political corruption, and
hyperinflation. With the highest rate of poverty and the shortest lifespan, Africa has
also been the epicenter of deadly diseases like Ebola, malaria, and HIV.

Today it remains a place full of spiritually starved souls. But you and I can make
a difference. Together we can bring them spiritual food, eternal life, and real riches.
With the gospel truth we can even improve their lives in practical ways right now.
New Opportunities

In spite of the many challenges faced when working today in Africa, there are some
bright windows of opportunity opening. Even in poor villages, more people have
access to satellite, the Internet, and … believe it or not … 80 percent of sub-Saharan
Africans have cell phones!

(over, please)