On Saturday and Sunday night, the Saint Phila Convention Hall in Vientiane, Laos, was filled to the brim for the largest Christian gathering ever held in the country—the Vientiane Christmas of Love Festival.
At the invitation of local churches and with permission from the government, Graham shared the hope of Jesus Christ during a two-day outreach in the capital city over the weekend.
Worship leaders, including Charity Gayle, the Tommy Coomes Band, and the Lao Evangelical Church Worship Team kicked off each night, followed by a message from Graham about God’s love—the meaning of Christmas.
See images from the Christmas of Love Festival.
Mali* and her two young daughters—Sunya,* age 11, and Ying,* age 6—were among the sea of people who gathered at the front of the building for a prayer of salvation with the evangelist.
“Many people have told me about the Gospel … so that’s why I came,” Mali said, explaining that someone from a church near her home invited her to the event. “I know that Jesus Christ is God. I just believed!”
She added that she is excited to share her newfound faith with her husband who is not a Christian and stayed home from the event.
“Franklin Graham said that everyone is a sinner and they need help—they need a Savior,” Mali said with a smile. She placed her hand over her heart as she remembered the words that touched her. “Tonight, I feel love.”
‘I Want to Be With God’
“I believe that there is Jesus—Jesus is true,” said Som,* who came with his wife from a village over an hour away.
A local church member invited the couple to the event, and told them that they could ride to it for free on a bus provided by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The venue parking lot was filled with over 60 such buses packed with church members and their friends and family.
“If you can’t remember anything else, you remember tonight: God loves you,” Graham told the crowd.
Som and his wife received Jesus Christ into their hearts together on Sunday night.
“Before I came here, I dreamt that I met God,” said Som who has worked in agriculture his whole life.
“As I believe Christ, my hope is that if I am not in this world anymore, I will be with God,” he added. “I want to be with God.”
Laos Government Welcomes Graham at Pre-Event Luncheon
“I am grateful to the Lao Evangelical Church (LEC) and Mr. Khamyad Radsavong, head of the Religious Department of the Lao Front for National Construction, as well as the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all of the other government departments and officials who gave me such a warm welcome,” Graham said on social media.
Friday’s meeting included cultural performances and gifts from the government and local church.
The evangelist also expressed his appreciation to the president of the Lao Evangelical Church (LEC) for inviting him to share a message about the blessing of God’s love for the people of Laos.
Please pray for new believers in Laos to continue to grow in their faith by getting involved in a local church. Pray that many more opportunities for the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be available in the future.
*Names changed for privacy.
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