The Godman film comes home to Madagascar
Last year in one week’s time, more than 66,000 children
and youth saw The GodMan film.
By Rob Hoskins
Nearly half the children can’t read.
A book won’t help them.
“What about Madagascar?”That’s what OneHope’s ministry director wanted to know.
OneHope had sent the scripture book, the Book of Hope, for the children, and he was grateful, but ...
What about the 45 percent of Madagascar’s children who can’t read and may never have the opportunity to learn?
“The Book of Hope itself is a very useful tool here because the printed page is such an amazing thing to so many people,” says missionary to Madagascar Nate Lashway. “Yet there are so many more people here who don’t have the ability to read.”
This was the beginning of The GodMan film.
Today, this dramatic video has already touched the lives of over 19 million children and youth in host showings worldwide, and has been broadcast to millions more on TV.
The film is available in more than 45 languages and nine versions, each with culturally-relevant, live-action introductions and conclusions to tailor to specific cultures.
Last year, The GodMan came home to Madagascar.
“From January through December our OneHope teams and partner churches pursued a systematic program of reaching children in the schools with the Book of Hope and reaching illiterate children with The GodMan,” says OneHope Regional Director for Southern Africa Jacques von Bommel.
For instance, in just one week, teams from local churches simultaneously blitzed 13 communities with God’s Word. They gave the Book of Hope to 124,300 children, and they showed The GodMan film to 66,530 children. About half of all the children in those 13 communities saw the film.
“The GodMan film is such an effective tool here!” Nate Lashway commented. “The combination of computer animation and live-action totally captures the children as well as adults. You see thousands of people just fixated on the screen, hearing the gospel and understanding the plan of salvation, often for the first time.”
A boy named Faly received his Book of Hope at school. He’d been having a hard time in school because he’d previously been in jail on drug charges. Everyone in his neighborhood knew about it, and he felt like a failure.
But the Book of Hope introduced him to a whole new life — in Christ. Today, Faly says, “There is hope for my life and future, despite the past, because God has forgiven me through a personal relationship with Jesus. I am ready to face the future with Jesus as my Lord and Savior.”
For Faly, the other young people of Madagascar and the next generation all over the world, OneHope is committed to sharing this good news.
To learn more about The GodMan film, go to www.onehope.net.