Vacationers Get 3-Day 'Jail Ministry' While Witnessing to Indonesian Muslims

Girl reading tract

Most of us use our vacation to "get away from it all" and unwind. For Bert Craft and Joshua Rogers it didn't quite work out that way. First they volunteered to join a team of soulwinners going to Bangkok, Thailand. There they helped distribute over a quarter million gospel tracts to the visitors and team members at the Asian Olympics.

After the games were over, they still had some time and a burden for the Muslim people. So, they boarded a flight to the island of Madura, one of the most fanatically Muslim areas of Indonesia. There they took to the streets with handfuls of gospel tracts, witnessing whenever they found someone who spoke English.

Crowd They found the common people eager to take the literature. Most were respectful and curious, burdened with trying and failing to fulfill the Islamic law. Never knowing if they have ever pleased their god, they are very open to the idea of the sure cleansing of the blood of Christ.

In order to get a better scope of the area, Craft and Rogers rented mopeds. When they stopped to walk along a beach, one of the mopeds was stolen. They rushed to report it to the police, but were themselves arrested for the "wicked and sinister act" of distributing anti-Muslim literature.

By this time their backpacks were almost empty of tracts but had some left in their pockets. The authorities took the packs but nothing from their pockets. They decided to follow the example in the Acts of the Apostles and began to sing hymns, memorize scriptures and rejoice that they were worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ.

Jail ministry This caught the attention of the other prisoners and their "jail ministry" began. For three days and two nights they continued witnessing to the other prisoners with tracts and Bible teaching. Finally they were released, hungry and dirty, but unharmed. They figured that God had someone (or several) in that prison who needed the gospel and He couldn't reach them any other way.

They continued several days in the area placing more tracts in the eager hands that reached for them and witnessing where language allowed. Craft and Rogers said that the experience with the police showed just how much Jesus and Christians are hated, but when they talked to the common people there was an honest hunger for the peace and joy found in Christ.

Besides the moped, they lost a wristwatch and camera to thieves but in the process planted thousands of paper gospel missionaries. These will remain for years, quietly testifying to the power of the blood of Christ to free from sin.


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