AEUSA Newsletter - Summer 2022

Stephen Has Found His Father — Thanks to YOU!

Street Evangelism in Rwanda is Changing Lives . . .

Despair is a word Stephen of Rwanda knows well.

Not because he grew up poor or often went hungry or had little opportunity — though all those things added to his situation.

“I grew up in despair because I did not know my biological father,” said 17-year-old Stephen.

The Hole in Stephen’s Heart

Stephen grew up believing his father had abandoned his mother right before he was born. They had been married for

just a short time, and he left without ever knowing Stephen.

“I grew up in that rejection,” he said.

As Stephen got older, he yearned to know more about his father. Who is he? What is his name? Where does he live? Why did he leave?

“My mother refused to tell me who my father was,” said Stephen.

Rescued From the Streets

Stephen Learns a Heartbreaking Truth

“As I got older, I kept wondering why she would not reveal who my dad was,” he said. “Eventually, I learned that my mom used to engage in sexual immorality and did not know who my biological father was.” (Stephen’s mom’s husband, the man Stephen grew up thinking was his father, had discovered this, which is why he left.)

This news crushed Stephen.

“I was desperate and still am,” said Stephen. “I was very depressed and low in spirit.”

The HOPE You Sent to Stephen

One day, Stephen was walking along the street in Kayonza. It was about 10 o’clock in the morning.

“Two men approached me and asked if they could speak with me for a few minutes,” said Stephen. With nothing else to do, and nowhere in particular to be, he agreed.

“The two men [whom Stephen later learned were African Enterprise evangelists] shared with me about God’s love,” said Stephen. “I came to know how I am sinful and God’s judgment is upon me. It was all very touching, and I felt the need for repentance of my sins.”

Right then, the two evangelists led Stephen to Jesus!

Jesus!

“I now know God’s love through Jesus Christ!” he said.

“I thank God for the day I met these preachers,” said Stephen.

Today, Stephen is going to church, being discipled by AE evangelists and growing in his faith. But the best news: he finally has a Father who will never leave nor forsake him!

Through your support, AE evangelists are taking the Good News to women and men like Stephen, changing lives — and eternities — forever! Thank you!

The vibrancy and energy of Foxfires attract large crowds of youth and engage them deeply in the Gospel of Jesus.

The Firefox Program Is on Fire!

New Countries. New Opportunities.

For more than 40 years, you have helped AE equip young Christians to develop their ministry skills and experience a year in the Foxfire youth empowerment program. Through your support, they have learned how to evangelize, disciple and counsel their peers through preaching, drama and music.

This year, the Foxfire program is expanding into Zambia from its

historical bases in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Next year, the Foxfires will expand yet again into Ghana and South Sudan to reach even more young people in crisis!

Thank you for helping to reach the next generation in Africa for Christ — the fastest-growing and most youthful population in the world!

“I Now Know God’s Love” — Thanks to YOU!

Stephen (left) encounters an AE street evangelist who led him to

60 Years of Sowing Seeds

60th Anniversary Celebration Ministry Across Africa, Thanks to Key Partners Like YOU!

Sixty years ago, Michael Cassidy and four fellow seminarians carried out the first mission to Pietermaritzburg in South Africa.

As you read this, AE friends and staff from around Africa and across the world are gathering in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, to celebrate the Lord’s faithfulness these past six decades. The Lusaka Mission will aim to reach 300,000 people with the Gospel and include a National Prayer Breakfast with the presidents of Zambia and Malawi.

This event will launch AE forward into the next decade of ministry across Africa and feature the launch of the new South Sudan Team and the AE International Institute of Evangelism.

God has worked through your support to bring AE to where we are today — and where He is taking us tomorrow. Thank you!

South Sudan Update

Expanding into South Sudan New Ministry YOU Make Possible!

Over the past decade, your support has made it possible for AE to reach out into war-torn South Sudan through our Kenya Team in Nairobi. They seek to bring government leaders into reconciliation with one another and to help heal the trauma of adults and children who have been left emotionally scarred from too many years of fighting and conflict.

Exciting News YOU Are a Part Of . . .

This year, through your support, AE is excited to officially launch a new team in South Sudan, based in the capital city of Juba. This will enable much more ministry of evangelism, discipleship, leadership development and continued trauma healing.

This ministry is made possible only because you and other faithful friends give so generously. Thank you!

Michael Cassidy, Founder

As we celebrate 60 years of ministry with you as a key partner, I’m overjoyed to report that AE is both looking back to give thanks for all the Lord has done through us, while also moving forward into new challenges and innovations in order to bring more people to discipleship in Jesus Christ.

When we started in the early 1960s, I did 98 percent of the evangelizing. Now, I do less than one percent! AE has become rooted in African soil, with our African brethren running with the ball so capably and impressively. Their Gospel passion and skill are winning literally thousands of people to Christ each year.

I marvel at Jesus’ words in Matthew 13:31-32: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it . . . becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Sixty years ago, I was a weak and inexperienced seminary graduate who stumbled around Africa and dropped a Kingdom seed in the African soil. By the grace of God, and with your prayers and generosity, AE has grown into a mighty force for the Gospel across the continent over the last 60 years!

May the Lord richly bless you!

Michael Cassidy (circa 1962)

Hunting for Treasure

While a treasure hunt may seem exciting to some, there’s a form of sleuthing no one wants to do — sifting through a loved one’s estate without a will.

Here’s how to avoid it:

1. Create or update your will.

2. Create a “love drawer.”

3. Communicate your plans to those you love.

Not sure what these steps mean or how to tackle them? Request our free bulletin, “A Treasure You’d Never Want to Hunt,” to find out by checking the box on the enclosed reply card.