The Olympics & Beyond

By Steve Mayo

ABWE began planting churches in Sydney, Australia, 30 years ago. The churches experienced their greatest test of maturity during the Summer Olympics when 10,000 athletes from 200 countries-many from places missionaries cannot go-assembled in Sydney. Estimates state the crowds numbered three million people including athletes, officials, and spectators.

Another group from many races and languages converged on Sydney, not as spectators, but as participants in Eternal Gold, the evangelistic outreach sponsored by Gospel Literature Services (GLS).

The sheer scale of such an endeavor was daunting. How could this unprecedented opportunity be met? Local Sydney churches would have to shoulder much of the responsibility. Could the churches rise to the challenge?

The answer was a resounding, "Yes!" Sydney churches successfully initiated and hosted volunteers from six continents, proclaiming the gospel in Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and other languages. God brought in an international harvest. Through these efforts, 100 people from every corner of the globe were saved.

In one instance, my son, Seth, and I had the joy of leading Akur, an Egyptian woman, to Christ. We sat across from her on the train and noticed that she was looking at our "wordless book" bracelets on our wrists. I asked if she wanted one, and she was quick to say, "Yes." After explaining the meaning of the colors, I asked if she had ever heard the gospel before. She had not, but was eager to learn more. We went through the Eternal Gold booklet and invited her to be saved. She gladly put her faith in the Lord Jesus.

Adherents of non-Christian religions challenged a few of our team, but members of the Chinese track team were happy to receive booklets in their own language.

GLS provided 400,000 booklets, and Answers in Genesis gave 20,000 specialized books. Financial contributions came in from all over the world. Most importantly, a host of people prayed daily. Continue praying for these new believers that the witness given during the Olympics will impact Sydney and beyond.