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‘Thousands Turn To Christ In Malawi’

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – Tens of thousands of people in Malawi indicated their decision to follow Jesus Christ at a massive evangelism campaign by preachers Andrew and Wendy Palau, organizers say.

The “Love Malawi Festival,” held from September 19 through October 3, was organized with more than 2,250 local churches across several cities in the East African nation.

The “clear Good News” led “more than 37,922 people to indicate a decision to follow Jesus Christ,” said the Luis Palau Association (LPA) in a statement.

In total, more than 50 evangelistic events took place throughout the region during the two-week campaign, the LPA added.

“In addition to those who attended the events in person, many more were reached through an extensive media campaign,” the group explained.

There were also “national television broadcasts of Andrew Palau’s messages from a few local prisons” and “the final weekend’s evening messages, on one of Malawi’s top national television networks,” the LPA explained.

MANY PASTORS

While in Malawi, Andrew and Wendy Palau also gathered with more than 1,000 local pastors and church leaders. They said they were “encouraging them in the Word, focusing on continuing in unity, and inspiring them to keep evangelism a top priority.”

Organizers said local evangelists and believers also helped spread God’s “Word in prison outreaches, eyeglass clinics, school assemblies, sports tournaments and visits to orphanages.” They also held “evangelistic dinners for key groups of individuals.”

And “Andrew and Wendy also invited eight partner evangelists – from seven nations – to help spread the Good News throughout the surrounding area. [They were] partnering with local churches to hold evangelistic festivals and gatherings in the cities of Mulanje, Luchenza, and Balaka,” the LPA said.

The campaign marked five years since Andrew and Wendy Palau held rallies in Malawi. The campaign in 2016 reached thousands of people face-to-face in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.

It also included a historic outreach in the significant refugee city of Dzaleka. This year’s campaign followed suit with similar efforts and outreaches around the region, according to organizers.

The outreach came as the impoverished nation was still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as social turmoil and church and tribal divisions, participants noted.

TRULY REVIVED

“Some of us whose spirits were perhaps smoldering have been truly revived. Hopes shattered by COVID and economic malaise have been revived,” said Jimmy Lapunga, a local business leader. “A nation divided along tribal and denominational lines has rediscovered what true love and unity entails. Prisoners in despair have seen their souls being encouraged, and God has certainly deposited something in their spirits with amazing grace,” he added.

The culminating festival, taking place over three days in the heart of Blantyre, featured Malawian artists as well as international performers Don Moen, Zenzo Matoga from Boston, and Brandon Burke, a young rapper from Atlanta.

“It also included a family fun zone, stunt demos from professional skaters, BMX, and FMX athletes in partnership with The Stunt Dudes [group] and presentations of the Gospel,” the LPA recalled

During the evenings, Evangelist Andrew Palau “shared the Good News of Jesus from the main stage and offered an invitation of hope to the masses. Thousands of local believers (who were trained by the Palau team) helped counsel and follow up with each new believer at the festival,” the organization added.

While local leaders continue in this effort, the Luis Palau Association said it would “move on to support similar campaigns in cities across the globe.” Upcoming events include evangelism campaigns in Argentina, Egypt, Pakistan, Connecticut, Britain, and Ghana.

Over the last 25 years, Andrew Palau has played a vital role in the LPA, which was started by his late father, evangelist Luis Palau.

GUIDING CAMPAIGNS

He guided campaigns and was involved in training thousands of believers “in friendship evangelism.”

Andrew Palau has proclaimed “the Good News of Jesus Christ” in person to hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world through evangelistic campaigns, the LPA estimates.

The evangelist and the LPA are working with tens of thousands of churches in cities throughout Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, and the United States.

Millions reportedly hear his weekly radio broadcasts of people on radio outlets around the world.

He is also the author of multiple books, including ‘The Secret Life of a Fool,’ a retelling of his journey to faith in Christ, and ‘What is Christmas?’, an evangelistic book published in China in 2012.