Thousands of colorful umbrellas shielded people from the hot Ethiopian sun as the crowd pulsed with energy. They sang and danced—children, grandparents, and even the blue-vested ushers at the venue.
Sixty-five years to the day that Billy Graham preached in Addis Ababa, Franklin Graham was back for the first day of Encountering God, an evangelistic outreach that drew 117,000 people to Meskel Square, the largest open-air gathering place in the country.
Currently on his 11th visit to Ethiopia, Franklin Graham wanted everyone there to know how their hearts could be free and fulfilled through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Through an interpreter speaking Amharic, Graham told the story of a blind beggar in the Bible named Bartimaeus as a sea of people sat in plastic chairs or on concrete steps.
“Have you ever been to a place that was very dark?” he asked. “Outside of Jesus Christ, you’re spiritually blind. … It doesn’t matter what you have or who you are, you are spiritually poor without God.”
Bartimaeus, when he heard that Jesus Christ was passing by, reached out and asked for mercy. Seeing his great faith, Jesus stopped and healed the man.
“Tonight, Jesus is here. He is in Addis Ababa,” Franklin Graham said. “Will you reach out for Jesus tonight? … Are you willing to say, ‘God, have mercy on me?’”
Seventeen-year-old Darik was ready and willing. He used to follow Christ, he said, but with influence from his peers, had stepped back from his faith over the past three years.
Saturday, it was time to come back. He took a bus to the event and was touched by the story of Bartimaeus who immediately responded to Christ’s call and followed Him. Darik said he’d like the same for his life—to fully trust Christ and not look back. Holding a Bible he received Saturday night, he said he wants to be serious about his faith.
‘What Christ Did on the Cross’
Ayana,* 20, also clutched a Bible after responding to the Gospel. She missed the bus to Encountering God, but took a taxi with her older sister. She had been interested in following Jesus in the past, but her parents were against it.
Saturday, however, her father allowed her to go to the event. Ayana was struggling with worry and anxiety, but she was happy to give her burdens to Christ and surrender her life to Him. She used to read her sister’s Bible, she said, but now she rejoiced that she has her own.
Moments earlier, Franklin Graham had explained how he was raised in a Christian home, went to Sunday school, and grew up having family prayer.
“My parents could not choose Jesus Christ for me. My church could not choose Jesus Christ for me. I had to make that choice,” he said. “I didn’t want to turn from my sins. I wanted to have fun.”
At 22, though, he told God he’d made a mess of his life and asked Him to put it back together.
God forgave him, he said, “not because I’m a good person—I’m a sinner—but because of what Christ did on the cross.”
He told each person listening that they could experience the same kind of forgiveness if they put their trust in the One who died for their sins.
“Tonight, you can be forgiven. … Whatever problem you face, will you give it to Him tonight?”
Worth the Walk
Temesgen decided to do just that. He had walked three miles to the event with a couple of friends. At 40 years old, with a wife and three children, he said it was time to repent of his sins and seek a new life centered on Jesus.
Four children standing nearby were decades younger than Temesgen, but they were ready to make the same decision. The kids, ages 9 to 13, heard about Encountering God from a church and walked to the event since they live in the area. All four surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ.
The young friends soaked in the powerful music and message and received a Bible after speaking with a prayer volunteer. Three of them have never had a Bible before, but now all four have a brand new copy of their very own, in Amharic.
What are they going to do with it when they get home?
“We’re going to read it!” the 11-year-old shouted with a big smile.
*Name changed for privacy.
Give To Where Most Needed
