Dear Friends,

On the outside you could pick up your choice of heroin, meth, or weed, and on the inside it was a café and theatre. To say anything about God was forbidden.

This was a serious place. It wasn't unusual to be robbed and held at needle point with the threat of AIDS if they didn't like you, or wanted your money. So, the idea of going there wasn't something we took lightly. But we didn't want to just talk about how we were willing to bring the Gospel anywhere, but when it came down to it, run away.

When we arrived, you could feel a sense of death and depression everywhere. There were bright lights flooding the place, and a crowd of people in little huddles cooking heroin and dealing drugs. All the dealers were at the top of the stairs, but there was nobody really in charge.  We felt we should just walk in and talk to people first. So as I walked up to all the people sticking needles in their hands, my interpreter and I asked them if they wanted to see a Marionette show.

Some thought I said "a Marijuana show", not a "Marionette show". I thought that was funny, but quickly explained the misunderstanding.
"What's the show about?" one of the drug dealers asked,  "Hope." I said, "You want to tell all of us junkies about hope?" he exclaimed. "Yes," I replied.   But inside I struggled because looking around, all I could see was that nobody here wanted to think, or even live. They just wanted to die.

The general consensus was, "Sure, do the show, I don't know if I'll watch it, but what ever..."

So, as soon as we found a spot where there weren't as many heroin needles scattered across the ground where we'd be kneeling, we set up.

"This is a story about a murderer!" I said. "A bad man, one who was feared by many, but the story doesn't stop there, it is also a story about forgiveness, hope, and love!" Then I continued to explain that this story had changed my life, and that I hoped it would change theirs. And we showed the story of Saul and his conversion.

We cranked the volume so that those still doing drugs could hear it, even if they were far away. For the most part, it went well, no major issues. I waited for a glass bottle to come screaming my direction at certain parts, but it didn't. Our friend even stood behind us, just to keep watch. But nothing happened.

There was only one moment when someone came running towards us screaming "I don't believe in this," about ten feet from the stage.  But he suddenly stopped and sat down to watch the rest of the show. Afterwards, I came out to explain it more in depth that God loved them and that they didn't have to allow the world to destroy them any more.  That they were all created with a purpose. I closed by asking if anyone wanted to know more about Jesus, to come and talk to us.

By the end of the night we had prayed with a number of people and started good relationships with them.

We just praised God for protecting us!  Our hope is to return, because just like all the drugs are centralized in that city, so is the prostitution. Next time we want to bring the show to the prostitutes as well.

This is just a small portion of a report from Philip Shorey, one of the radical evangelists God has raised up in Steiger International. Jodi and I believe that Jesus wants us to believe God for a huge multiplication of radical church planters, artists and evangelists like Phil who will not be afraid to tell people being destroyed by the worlds' lies, how much God loves them.

Pray for our upcoming Radical Missions and Leadership Training School which begins in a few months. Pray that God moves powerfully on all of those who come. That God will give us a bigger piece of His broken heart for the world.

For the lost,
David & Jodi Pierce
Steiger International

Something Broken, Something Extraordinary
A new book by Jodi Pierce is now available by Steiger Press!

In this book, Jodi shares the struggles and victories of her spiritual journey and how she was able to live the life God called her to. The book reveals the lessons God has taught her along the way and explains what it means to accept the extraordinary life God offers us all.

New editions of Rock Priest and Rat Cage by David Pierce are also available! If you would like to order a copy of any of these books, please fill out the form below.  Steiger uses these books as valuable evangelistic and teaching tools, and as such we often distribute them free of cost.  If you would like to help cover the costs of publishing and/or make these books available to others, please send your tax deductible gift to: Steiger International, PO Box 480, Huntington, MA 01050.