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All eyes were glued
to the screen. The crowd was silent, except for some mothers'
attempts to hush the cries of their babies. The hall was hot
and stuffy, but for the 3,000 Dusuns packed in the Kota
Kinabalu Community Hall, the discomfort was not worth
complaining compared to the novelty of watching JESUS in
Dusun. This is the first film show ever done in Dusun
language.
One-third of Sabah's
1.5 million people are Dusun/Kadazan. Statistics show that
about 40 percent of this indigenous group are Christians.
Nearly 20,000 Dusuns in Sabah have seen JESUS since the
premier screening in Kota Kinabalu in July 1989.
At Keningau, a
centre of interior timber industry set in the midst of rocky
mountains, the arrival of JESUS was a hit in town. It drew
more than 3,600 people during two nights of screenings.
At Kampung Bunga
Raya, Keningau, a huge screen was set up in an open space.
Shortly after that, a heavy downpour had the film team
worried. As the time drew near for the show, the team prayed
and trusted God for the rain to stop. People were coming in
their rain coats and carrying umbrellas. Two singers started
singing as the crowd gathered in the church building. At the
end of their singing, the rain stopped and the stars were
shining brightly in the sky. A crowd of about 600 sat on the
wet grass to watch the show.
Almost 3,000 Dusuns
flocked to the Keningau Community Hall for the JESUS show.
Villagers from the villages surrounding Keningau hired buses
and pick-up trucks to fetch them to town.
The crowd was silent
as they watched the show. At the end of the third reel, the
emcee stood up and invited the crowd to raise their hands if
they want to believe in Jesus Christ. Men, women and children
in the hall raised their hands enthusiastically in response to
the challenge. Later through a count of the comment cards, 800
indicated decisions for Christ.
A Dusun man who
walked for many hours to watch JESUS in Keningau felt it was
worth the effort, "I saw Jesus with my own eyes," he
said with satisfaction. An elderly man said, "I could not
hold back my tears when I saw Jesus nailed to the cross.
Watching JESUS brought peace to my soul."
In a small village,
in the interior, villagers watched JESUS with mixed feelings.
The scene of the crucifixion aroused cries of anger and
sadness from the crowd. A young man in his anger, rushed
forward and tore down the screen. The film team had to calm
the man and the crowd. The show was temporarily halted for the
screen to be fixed up again. The show continued and at the
scene of the resurrection the crowd let out a sigh of relief
and nodded their heads in agreement.
Pastors and church
leaders realized the potential of this film after viewing it.
"JESUS is one of the most effective tool I have ever seen
that can help reach the Dusun people," said a pastor. The
care and details involved in producing JESUS in Dusun did not
go unnoticed. "The Campus Crusade staff did an excellent
job of translating and dubbing the show," commented a
surprised observer.
"Please screen
JESUS in my area. The nominal Christians and non-Christians
need to know the truth about the life of Jesus Christ,"
requested several church leaders.
JESUS in Dusun
created an awareness in the people to know the true God. Only
real peace can be found in Him. Many Dusuns believe that Mount
Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South East Asia, isa sacred
mountain. It is a resting place for the departed souls.
Perhaps, a Dusun living in the land of the sacred mountain
will find true peace and rest because he saw JESUS.
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