Sharing My Story

I wrote this in my July 1972 prayerletter.

"We at Arrowhead springs are still involved with the staggeringly
immense "fallout" from Explo '72. Most recently as you well know
there were the three nationally broadcast television programs
on Explo sponsored by Campus Crusade. These programs gave
an excellent capsule view of the highlightsof what went on during
the week of June10-17 in Dallas. In the next several weeks I will
have the privilege of helping to process the massive influx of mail
we receive in response to the TV programs.

Those of you who saw the programs noted the enthusiastic
(meaning full of absorbing, lively interest, lit. possessed of God)
high school and college age youngsters who were there. This
demostration of joy was not staged especially for the TV audience
but I believe was an actual moving of the Spirit of God in the
lives of each individual there. While you could see it on TV you
had to be there to understand fully the impact that this congress
had on the lives of the delegates. Often times we see pictures or
old movies of the mass Nazi rallies in the 1930s and the
Communist and New Left with their demonstrations and riots.
It is wonderfully refreahing and thrilling to see thousands upon
thousands of young Christians standing up for the Truth that
is Jesus Christ. A great army of God on the march to share the
love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ with the world! For once
the energy of so many of our youth is being channeled into a
good and constructive course, Jesus Christ wasmade the real
issue in Dallas and many people's lives were changed this week."

Some of the results were "Over 6000 people received Christ
as Savior due to the witnessing of the delegates." Also "There
were 10 million piecess of literature give out. There were over
200 Christian organizations represented in the exhibit area.
Nearly 10,000 delegates indicated a desire to go into Christian service."

I recently found this on the internet,

"Maynard Pittendreigh, who attended the event as a recent
high school graduate, did a limited study when working on
his Master of Divinity degree in which he analyzed the
long-term effects of large scale evangelistic events.
Gathering information from churches from South Carolina
that had sent youth groups to the event, he was able to
demonstrate that more than 60% of those participants
had entered the ordained ministry, were engaged in
theological training, or had become missionaries.


David Scott, writing for the May, 2005, edition of
Christianity Today, documented the effects Explo ‘72
had on Pope John Paul II. As a cardinal in Poland,
the future Pope was heavily influenced toward evangelistic
efforts by Joe Losiak, a Polish American student who
had attended Explo ‘72 and introduced its concepts to
Roman Catholic officials in Poland."

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/EXPLO-%2772