“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

The Great Commission in Ecuador

Early in the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC), one of our slogans was “Come Help Change the World.” In 1951, Bill Bright, our founder, worked with students in order to reach the world with the gospel. (In 2012, our ministry shortened our name to Cru in the U.S.)

Come Help Change the World

Fast forward several decades.

Bill Sundstrom, a long-time staff member like us, decided to look for evidence that the gospel “changes the world.” He learned about developments in a community in Guatemala.

Bill traveled to this remote valley to interview the people.

The Kekchi People of Guatemala

The Kekchi people work on plantations of Spanish landowners in an almost feudal society. (The Kekchi language is a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala and Belize.)

Twenty years ago, these indigenous people watched Cru’s JESUS Film in their native tongue. All the Kekchi in the valley became Christians after the film showing.

Here’s what Bill discovered on his trip:

The fathers had stopped wasting the family paycheck at the bar. They worked harder and their families were better fed. The fathers would even buy toys for their children. The bar had to close and is now a toy store.

The landowner was also prospering because of his hardworking laborers and was able to pay them more. With more income, the fathers fixed the leaking roofs of their homes.

The changes in the people prompted one landowner to donate part of his land for a church.

The Great Commission

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is foundational for all Cru’s ministries and staff members. The heart of Cru’s ministry has always been evangelism and discipleship. Thank you for sharing our vision to change the world through people reborn into God’s kingdom. You faithfully pray and provide the funds we need. We at Cru labor in the harvest. And God brings people into His kingdom.

We hope you are encouraged by this story of individuals and a community changed by the gospel.

If you are ever in Orlando, we would love to join you for a tour of the JESUS film ministry at Cru’s headquarters.

NOTES:

• Watch a video of Bill Sundstrom recounting his visit to the Kekchi.
• A  Kekchi translation of the JESUS film on YouTube.
• Photos:
  • The staff of Campus Crusade for Christ in 1970 at our international headquarters in San Bernardino, California.
  • A photo of two Kekchi from this JESUS Film blog post: Thank You for Taking Us into Account. (Read about the Kekchi who helped do the translation work for the film.)
• Donate securely to our ministry at Give.Cru.org.