A student from the University of the Pacific in Suva, Fiji, studies the Bible during and evangelism training conference. Campus Crusade's full-time ministry in Fiji began in 1975.

Nestled in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia, Fiji is comprised of 330 islands-110 inhabited. Late last summer, the 74-foot yacht Dayspring covered 14 of the islands, carrying the message of Christ.

Fiji residents Ron and Aggie Russel own Dayspring. The elderly couple joined nine fellow Fijians and two Americans onboard the ship for two separate trips, working together to show the JESUS film-a movie of Christ's life based on the gospel of Luke.

The Fiji people are "church-oriented," according to Fred Darwick, one of the two Americans. More than half are Christians, yet despite that orientation, the people are in need of spiritual rejuvenation.

"After more than 40 years of church ministry, the visit of the team has been a revival to me," says Senivasa Vuladua, a former lay pastor in the village of Waciwaci, on the island of Lakeba. "I am also now assured of my salvation."

The project team members showed the film 63 times. As thousands watched the life of Jesus, 1,744 indicated that they had prayed and received Christ as their Savior. Additional information was circulated about how to have a relationship with Jesus, and 1,331 people attended studies to process what they learned.

"It shows what is being done to reach a very responsive audience that is very difficult to get to," says Wes Brenneman, Campus Crusade for Christ's regional director for the Pacific Islands. —Elizabeth Bahe

College photo: Tommy Tosh (second from left) savored the joys of college life.

Twenty-one-year-old Tommy Tosh hunched over a piece of notebook paper to scribble four dreams for his upcoming senior year at the University of Mississippi. His last dream: He wanted his fraternity brothers in Sigma Nu to know Christ.

Four months later, Tommy died. His brother found the tattered list of dreams tucked in Tommy's Bible after a car wreck killed him. Although Tommy's life on earth had ended, the realization of his dreams was just beginning.

After Tommy died, a box holding 80 copies of More Than a Carpenter, a book about Christ, still sat in the backseat of his white Nissan Xterra. He had planned to give one to each first-year member of Sigma Nu the next week. Since Tommy couldn't carry out his plans, four Campus Crusade for Christ staff members at Ole Miss decided to hand out the books in his honor.

Then the plan got bigger. They ordered 6,000 copies and ran a full-page ad in the school newspaper telling Tommy's story and offering a free book to each student.

The next day, 50 students stood on Ole Miss' sidewalks handing out the books. Each book had a sticker that read, "In Memory of Tommy." "No one said no," says Isaac Jenkins, a Campus Crusade staff member at Ole Miss. "Everyone who walked by took a book." Within five hours, all 6,000 books had been given away to thousands of sobered students.

In the following days, Campus Crusade staff members received 34 telephone calls and e-mail messages requesting more copies for friends or more information about Christ. Fraternity and sorority Bible studies became crowded with people talking about what they had been learning from More Than a Carpenter.

The week after Tommy died, Christian students were emboldened to stand up in seven fraternity and sorority meetings to tell Tommy's story and invite their peers to trust Christ like Tommy did. Between Monday and Wednesday of that first week, 10 students committed their lives to Christ. Three of them were Sigma Nus.

Scott Marshall, who survived the car wreck, spoke to a hushed crowd of Sigma Chis that Monday. After the meeting, one tall sophomore approached a Sigma Chi involved in Campus Crusade. Several minutes of conversation later, the sophomore surrendered his life to Christ. He's now in a Bible study with eight other sophomores in his fraternity.

A few weeks later, Josh McDowell—38-year Campus Crusade staff member and author of More Than a Carpenter—caught wind of Tommy's story. He decided to pay Ole Miss a visit.

One month later, Josh stood in the Tad Smith Coliseum in front of 3,900 students and other Oxford, Miss., residents. The packed arena was completely silent as Josh began: "Tommy and I are a lot alike. We both had questions, like 'Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?'" Josh went on to tell his personal faith story and explain the gospel. At the height of his talk, Josh said, "Let's see what changed Tommy's life." He looked up as four 20-foot screens suspended from the Coliseum ceiling sprang to life with Tommy's smiling face.

For two and a half minutes, Tommy himself spoke to the multitude about his new-found faith. A Campus Crusade staff member had videotaped Tommy two years earlier, shortly after Tommy became a believer in Christ.

That night, 246 students wrote this phrase on their response card: "I prayed to receive Christ tonight."

"I know it's the most special thing that's happened in the South in a while," says Isaac Jenkins, campus director at Ole Miss. "It just happened in a way we wouldn't have expected."

Chuck and Clare married in 1973 and have three daughters: Casey, Corie and Christine. In 1969, Chuck joined Campus Crusade for Christ.

The Marxist Club at Pacific High School challenged the Christians to a debate. They rallied the valedictorian to oppose the Christians' choice: Chuck Klein.

Chuck had read several books by Josh McDowell on the evidence for Christ's resurrection. So he, a brand-new staff member with the high school ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, accepted.

At the debate, Chuck gave his opening argument. Then the valedictorian walked to the lectern. "He said a lot of things I didn't know," the Marxist said, then returned to his chair. The Marxists blasted their man and proclaimed that he had let them down.

The Christian students seized the opportunity. They explained to their peers how to know God personally. That night about 10 percent of the audience members accepted Jesus. Even some Marxists received Christ's forgiveness.

"I've found that the greater the opposition," Chuck says, "the greater the potential for 'fruit.'"

Every night that year, Chuck navigated his car into the mountains. He'd park on the overlook and pray for the young people in San Bernardino, Calif. "I would pray for kids I hadn't even met yet," he says. "I was a kid from the Dakotas thrown into the California culture; I didn't know what to do, so I prayed and fasted. During the early days, prayer is how we got started."

Chuck joined the staff of Campus Crusade in 1969 to minister to college students. During his initial training, though, every time he set out to talk to people about Jesus, he felt drawn to high-school students. So he decided to join Campus Crusade's high-school outreach.

He has a reason for focusing on that age group. Chuck grew up on a farm and understands this principle: The laborers work the ripe fields first. "High-school students are spiritually one of the ripest fields in the world," Chuck says. "That's why I still work with them today."

He doesn't just work with them; he directs Student Venture, Campus Crusade's ministry to teens. He knows teenagers better than they know themselves, and he loves them.

"My dad cares deeply for his work and does it with a passion. He is methodical and hard-working; he won't stop until he knows it's his best," says Chuck's middle daughter, 18-year-old Corie. "I've never seen him not care about even the smallest Student Venture meeting. Seeing my dad relate with kids my age makes me smile."

Chuck never runs out of ideas for how to get the news of Jesus to this generation. He and fellow Student Venture staff members have formed an alliance with 60 other youth ministries to help each other reach every student in the country with the message of Christ.

"There are so many kids willing to respond to the gospel," says the father of three, "but nobody to tell them about it. They are open because they constantly confront life-and-death issues, especially with high-school shootings. This is an angry generation. Their moms and dads are gone, a lot of them grew up in day-cares, and nobody's paid attention to them."

He does. Paying attention to teens is his life. He knows the value in that. Chuck remembers when his father passed away. His mother wanted men to invest in her young sons, so each summer she'd fan them out to their uncles' farms. Chuck's Uncle Bud mentored and loved him.

That's what Chuck seeks for students today: people to mentor and love them, so even a Marxist couldn't resist God's love. —Jennifer Abegg

Country-music legends Freddie Hart, Bill Anderson and Connie Smith have entertained fans for decades. But at this year's Fan Fair, these stars-and 18 others-took their Christian testimonies to the stage at "Sunday Mornin' Country." The event enabled Christians in country music to do more than just entertain.

Fan Fair gets country fans close to their favorite artists for souvenirs, autographs or photos, and draws almost 25,000 annually. This year "Sunday Mornin' Country" drew 1,200 to the Grand Ole Opry House. "Everyone heard a clear presentation of the gospel," says Gary Alms, a staff member with the Hollywood Ministry, Campus Crusade's outreach to the entertainment industry.

Gary has created an evangelistic presentation tailored just for country- music fans. He combined The Four Spiritual Laws evangelistic booklet with quotes from respected Christians in country music. This year 30 fans committed their lives to Christ. Those 30 fans went home with more than autographs; they went home changed forever. —Howard Hardegree


Athletes In Action
California

"Does God love us that bad?"

That inquiry from 10-year-old Isaiah followed a two-day series of questions about God and hell. Campus Crusade for Christ staff member Bon Ramos answered them, telling Isaiah what Jesus did for us.

Bon had come to Los Angeles from the Philippines. She spent two weeks reaching out to children through Athletes in Action's LA Urban Project.

In the park across from his public housing project, Isaiah and dozens of other children improved their athletic prowess at free sports clinics, then listened as the athletes told their life stories. What Isaiah heard in the park got his attention. But the unconditional love from the counselors made him want to know even more.

"Can God forgive someone who done something really, really bad?" Isaiah repeatedly asked. "Yes," Bon replied.

After she answered each of Isaiah's questions to his satisfaction, Isaiah trusted Jesus for his forgiveness, not because Bon gave clever answers, but because he had experienced tangible evidence that God does "love us that bad." —Howard Hardegree


Campus Ministry
Missouri

Christian students at Maryville University are not ashamed of the gospel; in fact, they have no shame at all. Dozens of Campus Crusade for Christ students climbed into gigantic sumo-wrestling suits to square off against their friends as a crowd of 100 people cheered them on.

"It was fun seeing people flop around," says Campus Crusade staff member Sandy Uhlig.

This sumo competition was one of the biggest events in the history of Maryville, a school of 3,000 students near St. Louis. Swarms of Campus Crusade students orchestrated the day-long event, spreading posters and writing invitations in chalk on sidewalks. The sumo idea emerged from a joke at a student brainstorming session, but became an unexpectedly effective way to ask students to become involved with Campus Crusade.

As wrestlers pounced on opponents, Campus Crusade students circulated through the crowd to strike up conversations. "I definitely would say that chatter was created," says Brian Gardner, a junior who became a Christian through Campus Crusade last spring. "People were talking about Jesus."