A group of volunteers from a small town in South Dakota made headlines for showing up to the Winter Olympics ready to share the word of God with tourists, spectators, and even athletes themselves. In a short clip from a street interview, the men from the church expressed their endless love for Christ and their gratitude for being able to speak to so many different people about Him.
Writing on X, the account IMB, which states in its bio that it exists “ to solve the world’s greatest problem” and “send missionaries to the nations to share the gospel.” In true form, it found a wonderful cadre of believers excited to talk about faith in a foreign land.
“Volunteers from Connection Church in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, had 50 gospel conversations with people from 10 countries. Their message to us: You don’t have to be at the Olympics to share Jesus. If God gives you the opportunity, talk to someone about Jesus today!” IMB posted alongside the video of Belle Fourche’s Connection Church congregants.
Speaking into the camera, one of the men introduces himself and the group to describe the success of their trip. “Hi, we’re from Connection Church in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and yesterday was our first full day, and we were just humbled by what God is doing in this area,” he began.
Continuing, he revealed what he accounted for as a huge accomplishment. “We got to share the gospel to around 50 people. We counted up between the four of us. We got to talk to people from 10 different countries, and to our surprise, they were so open to have conversations, and we were humbled by what God’s doing. It’s absolutely amazing.”
He went on, saying that his group interacted with people from all backgrounds. “We talked to some Olympic athletes, we talked to atheists and cultural Christians and all kinds of people. I’m just I’m so blessed to have this opportunity, and I’m telling you, if you have a chance to just be intentional and talk to someone about you. And talk to someone about Jesus today, amen, God is good. God is good. Amen.” Watch the South Dakota group below:
As part of the Connection Church vision and mission, their trip aligns with some stated goals to spread the word of Christ and multiply the number of His disciples. Writing on their website, two pillars of their overall values express a mission to “Maximize and Multiply Jesus Followers” as well as “Amplify Jesus Online and Globally.”
“Jesus commanded believers to “go and make disciples,” or followers. We connect people to Jesus at our physical gatherings so they can grow in God and then help others experience the new life of Christ. As our existing campuses grow with healthy believers, we ask God to spread His work to additional communities where people need Jesus,” the website writes under the subheading of maximizing and multiplying followers.
“We’re constantly creating new and better tools to help you follow Jesus on your phone and in your daily life. We also support global missions generously, sending out more than a dozen trips each year to help our 26 missionaries around the world,” the other subheading about amplifying the word of Jesus globally says.
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded video