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Full
Story:
You are welcome to come. You can share your message with anyone you like and they are free to believe whatever they want,” Sudanese President Omar Bashir told Pastor Gary Kusunoki, pastor of Calvary
Chapel Rancho Santa Margarita.
Gary
also directs Safe Harbor International Relief, which has been assisting Christians in
Southern Sudan
.
Gary could not believe what he had heard. The Islamic government of
Sudan
had been fighting
Southern Sudan
for 20 years. The holy war raged as 2 million men, women, and children have perished. For seven years Gary prayed that he would some day get the opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with the leader of Sudan, one of the most fundamental Islamic governments.
Several months before,
Gary
had received an invitation from the Sudanese government to visit the capital city of
Khartoum
and meet with officials. Shocked,
Gary
had made it clear that the only reason for coming to
North Sudan
was to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His intention would be to share the Gospel with President Bashir. Even after making his intentions clear, the invitation stood firm.
As
Gary
spoke with the president, the Islamic leader listened intently.
Gary
told him that Jesus is both God and the Son of God- that He died on the cross and was resurrected on the third day and now sits at the right hand of the Father.
“We serve one God, seen in the person of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” he continued. Gary also told of his seven-year dream of sharing Jesus with him and offering the support of the Body of
Christ-doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, architects, and other Christians who would assist in the development of Sudan.
Gary
proposed airing the Jesus Film on Sudanese TV.
President Bashir told
Gary
that he would allow a 30-minute documentary produced by
Safe
Harbor
to air in conjunction with the Jesus Film on Sudanese television. It would be an unprecedented move by a Muslim government. Sudanese television is aired not only in
Sudan
, but also throughout the
Middle East
. Muslims who convert to Christianity have encountered severe consequences.
Gary
continued to stress his intentions to the president.
“Our goal is to share the love of Christ with anyone we meet. We desire that they would have the opportunity to believe our message and become a Christian, even if they are Muslim.”
Gary
presented him with an antique Arabic Bible, and the meeting ended cordially.
This encounter with
Sudan
is having an impact in the
U.S.
as well. Gary has met with U.S. congressmen and those close to President Bush. There is a growing interest by our government in the war and
Safe
Harbor
’s relationship with Sudanese officials.
 *Pastor Gary's family has been personally touched by the genocide in Sudan. The Kusunoki's have two adopted Sudanese
daughters. In both cases, the children's mothers had been brutally murdered by the Islamic militia. Visit: http://www.safeharbor.us to learn more.
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