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SING HIS PRAISES!
Well, LET'S DO IT! Come on everybody sing--
I have told you some of the good reports on Behind The Scenes, but, dear Partners, another song, please -- "THE HALF HAS NEVER YET BEEN TOLD!" You better keep the old songbook out; we may sing another one or two before this newsletter is done! We have "thrown the big switch" for many new stations and satellites, but NEVER have we received such immediate or far-reaching response! Last November, on my way back from our Holy Land tour, I stopped through London to finalize the contract for a new DBS ("devil bustin' satellite") that the Europeans call DTH, direct-to-home satellite. We knew this was a powerful satellite that covered all of Europe, part of Russia, all of the Middle East and North Africa. We also knew it had been broadcasting the CNBC signal for some time. Because CNBC is a very popular program source, we knew that about 20 million households were receiving it on the small DBS dishes. What we did NOT KNOW was, not 20 million, but 120 million households could receive it, and that most of the hotels, bars, and business establishments were also receiving it -- Praise the Lord! I reported this briefly to you in last February's newsletter, but we could not have dreamed the response that has been pouring in from virtually every country under the massive footprint of this most popular satellite! Eutelsat is the official name, but the Europeans call it "HOT BIRD"! Come on Del, LaVerne, Purkey or someone -- write me a song about "HOT BIRD"! So who is watching, and from where? I am so glad you asked! One of the first to catch my eye was from Iran. Mohammed wrote: "I understand you Christians try to absorb people. [I think he meant convert people.] I am a Moslem. What do you think of my religion? Please send me information about your faith." Another e-mail came from Saudi Arabia: "Please send information about Christianity and do you know of other Christians in my country?"
A viewer in Morocco wrote asking for a Bible and how to contact other Christians in his country. One of the most thrilling e-mail messages came from Egypt. The viewer thanked us for the inspiring programming and then reported that in the city of Asyut, in upper Egypt, great revival is falling with mighty signs, wonders, and miracles! This is remarkable, since Asyut has been the hotbed for anti-Christian terrorists in Egypt! It also touched my heart since my parents were missionaries to Egypt, and my brother Philip and his wife Hazel spent 20 years there as missionaries, many of them in Asyut with the legendary "Nile Mother," Lillian Trasher. Lillian Trasher was a missionary who gave her life raising up the Asyut orphanage, with thousands of children being reared through the 50 years of her ministry! Ah, dear Partners, it is Harvest Time all over the world! Precious seed, planted with great sacrifice and many tears, is bringing the great harvest promised by the Lord. Another great song must be sung:
Time and space do not permit me to tell of all the new countries from which reports are pouring in! Hundreds from England, also from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Bosnia, and on and on! Dear Partners, the glorious news is: WE HAVE A SATELLITE STATION IN EUROPE covering over ONE BILLION SOULS in all of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Praise be to God Most High! Yes, let's sing --
And now, an urgent prayer request: Last month, I reported my meeting with the ambassador from the People's Republic of China. On February 28, I returned to Washington D.C. and enjoyed a wonderful dinner meeting in the ambassador's home. We have set a tentative date in this month of May to meet with officials in Beijing to discuss a possible exchange of TV programs, which would bring closer and more cordial relations between China and America. As I reported, the Chinese are reaching out for a better understanding of the Christian faith. Let us show them the blessings that true faith in Jesus Christ brings to any nation! Sing it again --
Finally, keep praying for our Miami court decision.
I attended the trial, or oral arguments, on February 29 at
the Federal Court in Washington. We will have a decision perhaps
by June or July, according to our attorneys. I literally felt
your prayers in that court room. The power of the Holy Spirit
was so very strong. Several of us were praying silently in
the Spirit. All I can say is the arguments went well, and
the case for Miami rests with the Lord and the honorable three-judge
federal panel. Keep praying and PRAISING!
Dear, dear Partners, how can Jan and I ever thank you for your love, prayers and support? We really can not, but GOD CAN, and will! The 27-year journey has been brutal and thrilling! Signing on a new satellite one day, and fighting for our very life the next! What a ride! So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TBN one more time! Yes, on May 28, 1973, that first little snowy picture sputtered ON THE AIR! I need one more song --"DESPISE NOT THE DAY OF SMALL BEGINNINGS." Praise God, in 27 years, God has given us over 1400 stations, 15 satellites, shortwave and long wave radio, cable, DBS, DTH, MMDS, SMATV, the Internet, and on and on! Yes, "HELLO WORLD," INDEED! Could that be yet another song? Go for it, someone! We love you -- please write!
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