There was much rejoicing in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Saturday night as thousands of people stood up from their seats to publicly share their decision to follow Christ.
Félix Capriles Stadium held the largest evangelistic event of its kind in this Andean city, where more than 31,000 people gathered for Esperanza Cochabamba with Will Graham.
After lively worship, Will Graham presented the Gospel through the story of Cain and Abel. These two brothers in the Bible brought offerings to God, but Cain lashed out against his brother when Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and his was not. Through Spanish-speaking interpreter and pastor David Ruíz, the evangelist explained that all of us are sinners before God and that we can’t draw near to Him on our own terms like Cain did.
Will Graham shared that we can only come to God “through Jesus because He said: ‘I am the way.’ There is only one God and only one way. … You have to come through the cross to get to God.”
There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. — Luke 15:7, ESV
These words pierced the heart of Luis who had never been a religious man. Though he was invited to church a few years before, he “didn’t take it seriously” and moved on with his life.
The 26-year-old initially had no interest in attending Esperanza Cochabamba, but when his younger sister insisted, he accepted. Little did he know that God was going to change his heart.
“I am very impressed by this Good News,” he shared as he placed his hand over his heart and smiled excitedly. “I decided to hand everything over to God, and that leads me to believe that He will bring something new into my life.”
Luis had been carrying the burden of his sinful past and thought it was something he’d have to deal with the rest of his life. Saturday night, he was released from that burden and found freedom in Jesus Christ.
“I feel that I finally got it,” he said. “I understood that I am a sinner, and I wanted to repent of all my sins and start following Him.
In 2020, Pastor José Luis Rivera had a vision of young people like Luis coming to Christ during an event like this. So, he began to pray in faith for his dream to come true.
A long season of political unrest, a global pandemic that claimed the lives of nearly 400 pastors in his country, and a polarized society made him see that Bolivia needed a Gospel revival more than ever. He remembered how, at the age of 13, his life was changed forever when he heard an evangelist proclaim the Good News.
That’s when God put in his heart that Cochabamba needed a large-scale evangelistic event to begin the revival his heart longed for. “I wanted to see young people come to Christ like I did,” he shared.
A few months after he began praying, Rivera heard that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) was bringing an Evangelism Summit to Quito, Ecuador, in August 2022. He used his savings to purchase a ticket to the neighboring country, and—as president of United Evangelical Churches of Cochabamba—brought along a letter inviting BGEA to hold a Gospel outreach in his hometown.
Three years later, more than 800 churches came together to bring Esperanza Cochabamba to life. They saw the fruit of their faith-filled prayers when over 7,900 people gave their lives to Christ over the weekend through FestiKids in the morning and the main gathering at night.
“This is a dream granted by God,” Rivera said. “It has taken more than four years of prayer, and seeing this event become a reality, I can see the faithfulness of God.”
Rivera was particular touched to see the younger generation find peace with God.
“I am filled with joy to see so many coming to live the full life that God has designed for them.”
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