Monthly Letter

Dear Partner in ministry,

I’ve been through earthquakes before, but nothing like this.

At 7:34 a.m. local time on Monday, August 10, the hotel in which our It Is Written Ibagué, Colombia, Mission team was staying began to shake. Seven floors up with the building making noises I’d never before heard a building make, I said to my wife, Melissa, as we were on a video call together, “I never expected it would end like this.” Melissa could see the hotel shaking. Fortunately, our team was safe. The building shook, there was some superficial damage to the hotel, but we were fine. No one was hurt. Yet only 40 miles away from where we were, buildings collapsed like houses of cards. Tragically, several hundred people were killed in the earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the Richter scale. We were grateful for our safety, but our hearts were heavy for the many Colombians who suffered so greatly.

We thanked God that our work was able to go forward. One man arrived at Pastor Wes Peppers’ evangelistic meeting with a story to tell. “I don’t know why, but tonight I felt like I should go for a walk. I had no idea where I was going. Then I found myself here at the church.” He entered in time to hear Wes’ message, committed his life to Jesus, and plans to be baptized.

It Is Written has a significant media presence in Colombia, and scores of people have been baptized as a direct result. For eight years, one couple who live in a remote mountain area had been listening to Pastor Robert Costa on the radio. Unable to receive television, they faithfully listen to Escrito Está. When they learned we would be having a major Sabbath baptism service, they traveled eight hours—in one direction—to be present Sabbath morning and be baptized. The husband came out of the water with his arms raised above his head in victory. Their joy was great!

In addition to the more than 1,000 people seen by our medical teams, the 1,000 water filters distributed, the hundreds of pairs of reading glasses dispensed, and the church that was re-roofed, more than 1,200 people were baptized following dozens of evangelistic meetings made possible by you. This was the largest harvest of souls the church has ever seen in the city of Ibagué. And this great outpouring of God’s Spirit has energized us as we get ready for a major series of meetings being held here at home.

In October, Atlanta, Georgia, will be the focus of a major evangelistic outreach. Meetings will be held in and around Atlanta and across the South, broadcast on television and streamed around the world. I believe that through your prayers and financial support, we will see God do remarkable things. And I have good reason to be expectant.

If what I’m about to share with you is not a modern miracle of grace, then modern miracles of grace do not exist.

To say Terry was raised in difficult circumstances is to understate the reality of his life. Caught in the grip of his parents’ turbulent marriage, Terry was neglected by his father and often cruelly beaten by his mother. After being injured in a car accident, Terry became hooked on opioids at just 13 years of age. Recreational drug use followed. After breaking his neck in another car accident, Terry became hopelessly addicted to drugs. By the time his parents separated, Terry was an angry young man who loved nothing more than to get into fights in local bars.

His own marriage was doomed from the start. When it ended, he lost contact not only with his wife but also his four children. After serving time in prison, Terry, now living in a tent, cried out in desperation to God and asked for a life partner who would love him for who he was. And as Terry had begun to study the Bible with his brother, a church member, he also wanted to find someone who was a Christian.

Kim, like Terry, was a homeless drug addict. Her own life made Terry’s seem idyllic. Having suffered abuse, indignity, and injury, she found in Terry someone who was willing to help her through her nightmares and struggles. Having had a background in the church, Kim helped Terry to lean more and more in the direction of God.

Terry’s brother encouraged them, helped them get back on their feet, and shared the It Is Written Bible Study Guides. When Pastor Eric Flickinger from It Is Written conducted his Which Way America? evangelistic series in their town, they accepted an invitation and attended.

And everything changed. They changed. The chains that bound them to their old lives, chains which had begun to loosen, completely fell away. They were married before the meetings were over and baptized when the series concluded. “Eric made everything in the Bible really easy to understand,” Terry said, “No one had really explained faith in God like that before.”

Today Terry and Kim are clean and sober and no longer living on the streets. They credit God for bringing them to where they are now, and they want to share Jesus with others. Terry and Kim would not be enjoying freedom in Christ today without you. When a family member’s patience and consistent Christian witness awoke them to the possibilities of what faith could do in their lives, your support of It Is Written brought the message to their hearts and a messenger to their community.

Your gift of any amount this month will see this story repeated in Atlanta and beyond in just a few weeks. Multiple preachers—including myself, pastors Wes Peppers, Douglas Na’a, Eric Flickinger, Robert Costa, and many more—will present the gospel. The Holy Spirit will strive with many hearts. Bible workers, church members, pastors, and others will collaborate in this great soul-winning venture. Please know your assistance is greatly needed. This is a significant commitment on the part of It Is Written.

We both know time to preach the everlasting gospel with power is running out. The last-days warning for this world must be boldly proclaimed. Please join me, the It Is Written team, and those working with us in lifting up Jesus before the world. While we are able, we must sound the good news that Jesus is returning, that all who come to Him may have everlasting life.

Thank you for partnering with me and our It Is Written team to take the final message of mercy to the world. Please pray for our Atlanta meetings and the many people across this country and around the world who will hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to their hearts. And please know that your help now will enable us to reach more people with the saving gospel of Jesus.

Thank you for your prayerful support of the work of soul-winning and evangelism.

Yours in the blessed hope,
Pastor John Bradshaw
President, It Is Written

P.S. During our mission trip to Colombia in August, the country was struck by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake. I watched the walls shake around me, but, thank God, our work was able to move forward. We rejoiced as over 1,200 souls chose Christ through baptism, and thousands more received our humanitarian aid. In October, we’re holding a major evangelistic event in Atlanta, Georgia. Terry and Kim benefited from such a series. Coming from a hard background, it was a series with Pastor Eric Flickinger that brought them closer to Jesus and helped them find sobriety and stability. With your support, we will be able to share Jesus with many more people like them. Thank you for partnering with us to lift up Jesus before the world.

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