Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada with a story about the Joni movie.
That’s right, some of you may remember many years ago when the Billy Graham Association produced a movie about my life … they called it Joni. It was made back in the late 70’s and shown in movie theaters across the country in 1979. I was only in my early 20’s when I took part in that movie that depicted how I rose up out of depression after the accident in which I broke my neck. And when I played my part in that film, never – never did I imagine that God would use it in so many lives, honestly. The Billy Graham people have told me that more than 250,000 individuals prayed to receive Christ as a result of that movie. And actually, now that it’s in DVD in eight languages, our Wheels for the World teams even show it as an evangelism tool when we distribute wheelchairs.
Believe me, I am always, always touched and inspired when I hear from people who have come to Christ from watching that film. In fact, just the other day I met a small-town pastor from up in Oregon. Pastor Chuck—that was his name—Chuck told me that back in 1979, he helped distribute the Joni movie in theaters in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He described Klamath Falls as kind of a cowboy and logger town with a small Native American population—I gather there’s an Indian reservation on the edge of town. Well, Pastor Chuck told me that, back then, a significant percentage of the Indians struggled with alcohol. And there was even one Indian woman named Sally who was labeled as “the town prostitute.” Although this pastor had tried to befriend Sally, everyone else in town knew who she really was—and like any prostitute, she was pretty much scorned and ridiculed.
Well this is what Pastor Chuck told me. He said, “One night I had a call in the late night from Sally because one of her clients was tripping out on drugs. I went to her little house and helped get the man steady and on his feet. After he left, I turned and told Sally about this movie that was coming to town, the Joni movie. I even gave her a flyer for the film and invited her to come to the first showing.”
Apparently Sally did not come the first night that the Joni movie showed, and Pastor Chuck was worried that she had forgotten his invitation … or maybe she would be embarrassed to show her face … or maybe she had invited a man into her home that night. Whatever, Sally didn’t show up. However, on the second night of the showing of the Joni movie, he got quite a surprise. The theater was full, and after the film was over, Chuck stood up at the front and gave an invitation for people to receive Jesus Christ as their savior. You can imagine his amazement when he looked up the aisle and saw Sally, all cleaned up and sober, coming down front to accept Jesus Christ. She told Pastor Chuck up front that “If that white girl up on the screen could overcome so many obstacles, so could she.” The next night Sally was back at the Joni film with three big tough Klamath Indians (some of her former clients) and at the end of the film, they responded to the altar call, too. In time, Sally got a job as a waitress and joined a small Assemblies of God Church; what’s more, she led many of her people to Jesus over the next few years.
Sally's story proves that more scenes are always being added to the Joni movie. And if you'd like to know more about the ministry of this film, then visit our store at joniandfriends.org. Share the DVD of Joni with a friend … show it to your children … God's ready to write many more happy endings, like Sally's.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends