Contact: Bethany Burge, Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, 404-809-4086

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 23, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- As Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, continues to mourn the death of at least 28 victims of a collapsed mine disaster, Dr. Michael Youssef offered the gift of eternal life in Christ on the first evening of a three-day mission at the Istora Stadium tonight.

Thirty-eight workers were initially trapped last week when part of the tunnel caved in at Freeport's Grasberg, one of the world's biggest gold and copper mines high in the mountains of remote Papua province.

Ten people were recovered alive soon afterwards, but rescue efforts were hampered by the narrow tunnel and the unstable situation, with rocks continuing to fall from the roof.

In the face of this tragedy, Dr. Youssef preached a powerful message on the value of the individual soul to thousands in the stadium and to countless others on live TV across Indonesia via the IndoVision network and hundreds came to the platform to receive the security of new life in Christ.

In a country with a staggering population, the value of an individual human being was a compelling message.

Although the arena had 15,000 seats, the message was broadcast to millions via broadcast and online media -- impacting untold numbers with the hope of the Gospel.

Tomorrow, Dr. Youssef and his son, Jonathan, will be ministering at a local church for Iranian refugees. In addition, Dr. Youssef has been working with local pastors and ministry leaders to train them to take this message to all of Indonesia because he believes a three-day evangelistic campaign is not enough in the face of mounting challenges to the Christian faith.

"We must train local pastors and ministry leaders to extend this message to a nation hungry for the Truth," said Dr. Youssef.

He added: "This is just one small element of Leading The Way's ministry. Our commitment to proclaiming Truth in a world of competing voices has never been more important. Now is the time for taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ directly to the people who need it most."

The meetings over the next two days will continue to be streamed live each day 12-3pm UK time, May 24rd - May 25th on www.LeadingTheWay.org.

About Dr. Michael Youssef:
Michael Youssef, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Dr. Youssef was born in Egypt, lived in Lebanon and Australia before coming to the United States. In 1984, he fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an American citizen. He holds degrees from Moore College in Sydney, Australia, and from Fuller Theological Seminary in California. In 1984, he earned a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Emory University. He has authored more than 29 books, including "Blindsided: The Radical Islamic Conquest." He and his wife reside in Atlanta and have four grown children and seven grandchildren.