One day is all it takes to radically change a nation. So says Missions.Me founder Dominic Russo.
On July 20, one of the largest foreign missions teams ever assembled—2,000 missionaries and medical professionals—will work to touch 1 million souls with the love of Christ in an initiative known as 1Nation1Day. Missionaries will congregate at the largest stadiums and plazas in each of the 18 state capital cities of Honduras, a country known for pristine beaches and violent prisons.
“1Nation1Day will be historic and unprecedented in global outreaches, marking a new era in missions,” Russo told Charisma. “There have been great one-time events before, but have there ever been 18 evangelistic ministries coming together?”
The vision was birthed by the prophet Isaiah’s question, “Can a country be born in a day or a country be brought forth in a moment?” (Is. 66:8, NIV). Russo answers with a resounding yes. The foundational Scripture of Russo’s ministry inspired him to ask Honduran President Porfirio Lobo-Sosa, “What if Isaiah is speaking to Honduras at this moment?”
The rest is prophetic history in the making for this 29-year-old man, who wrote about his passion in Do Not Say, I Am Too Young. The spark first ignited about a decade ago, when Honduran pastor Misael Argeñal of La Cosecha (The Harvest) Church told Russo he’d be used to significantly touch his nation.
Argeñal was right.
Nearly 10 years later, those prophetic words fuel Russo’s evangelistic vision for Honduras, which he believes will materialize once his massive team leaves Miami in a fleet of 747s.
“All 8 million in Honduras will call on the name of Jesus,” Russo anticipates, noting that the crusade will be broadcast live nationwide via the Internet, the government channel, shortwave radio and Enlace, the largest Christian Hispanic network.
What innovative concept has helped Missions.Me revolutionize international outreach? Russo explains it in a single word: synergy. “We’ve achieved this by collaborating with multiple ministries,” he says. “We don’t want their projects to have ‘Missions.Me’ all over them, but rather something they can own for themselves. Many participants just know this crusade as ‘1Nation1Day.'”
Russo’s campaign utilizes five key strategies, the first of which is partnership with the government, having spurred the president and Congress to declare 1Nation1Day a national holiday. Lobo-Sosa will open the event, promote it on international television and direct the ministers of education, tourism, security and youth to fully support the crusade.
Next, Russo has concentrated on assembling one of the largest foreign missions teams ever, which will aim to reach out to every student in the nation from July 15-19 to prepare for the historic one-day event. Youth leaders will host a “festival of values” at nearly every high school, complete with dramas, one-on-one prayer and schoolwide calls to salvation.
Third, medical brigades will distribute life-saving aid worth millions of dollars. The week before Saturday’s main outreach, hundreds of medical professionals will provide thousands of impoverished families with medical care. An 18-container shipment includes 5 million meals, plus medical supplies and equipment.
“After significant work with both medical and non-medical outreaches, it’s abundantly clear that wrapping a physical arm around the people melts their hearts,” says Hannah Bahlhorn, Missions.Me medical director and dentist. “When we tend to a physical need, the spirit is exposed for God to move in extraordinary ways.”
As a fourth step, 1Nation1Day will mobilize local congregations on July 19, when church leaders will train 30,000 pastors and leaders at two massive stadiums in preparation for the July 20 event, supplying them with 1 million books, discipleship plans and commitment cards to distribute to every household nationwide.
Finally, 1Nation1Day speakers will preach on July 20 at 18 state capital venues that hold 40,000 to 50,000 people each, and their messages will be broadcast globally to hundreds of millions and shared via Facebook and Twitter. Lobo-Sosa can’t wait, proclaiming, “It’s going to be an extraordinary day for Honduras!”
John Bevere, Tommy Barnett, Kari Jobe and Myles Munroe are among the leaders involved with the event. Munroe, senior pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries International Fellowship, says he’s speaking at 1Nation1Day “because it’s going to be one of the most historic events. An entire nation will stop everything to focus on spiritual needs.”
