Buenos Aires Festival 2008 - RESULTS!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

BUENOS AIRES FESTIVAL WITH LUIS PALAU 2008 … A TRULY HISTORIC EVENT!

(A message from Luis’ personal assistant - Jay Fordice)

• Never have we seen such media coverage and attention.
• Never have we seen such unity and cooperation between churches and denominations.
• Never have we seen such openness and excitement in all areas of society.
• AND never have we seen such incredible crowds.

Saturday’s events just ended a few hours ago. Cards are being counted, final articles are being written, news reports are being prepared, and newspapers filled with stories about the festival are being printed. We couldn’t have asked for a better response.

After more than 300,000 flooded “9 de Julio” Avenue last night, we were amazed, floored, and incredibly blessed to once again blast the city with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And the crowd did not disappoint. Although final numbers are not in, several festival staff as well as secular reporters were convinced that the crowd had doubled from the night before – stretching the full 7 blocks of the 20 lane avenue.

Both Luis and Andrew shared the Good News from the main stage tonight, and the response to both messages was incredible.

CONTINUED PRAISES:

• Stories about the festival appeared in more than 5 of the daily newspapers in town, including cover stories on the top 3 most read papers.
• A cover story appeared in “7 Dias” magazine, Argentina’s equivalent to Newsweek.
• News channels ran stories about the festival all day.
• More than 40,000 individuals saw the festival through the Internet.
• And the entire Spanish-speaking world was reached through live broadcast on Enlace TV.

Above all, PRAISE GOD for the thousands of individuals that gave their lives to the Lord through this campaign. With so many incredible opportunities to share the Good News (television, radio, Internet, and print) we may never know how many we truly reached. But God knows.

Thanks again for all your prayers this week. It has been a battle, and the Latin team has done a wonderful job. But none of it would have happened without your support from back home.

Praise God for the great harvest in Argentina. And praise God for the work He will continue to do through the unity, partnership, and excitement started in Buenos Aires because of this festival.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST WAS LIFTED HIGH!

(A message from Luis’ personal assistant - Jay Fordice) -- Luis is on the cover of the “7 Dias” magazine this
morning, the “Newsweek” of Argentina! Every news outlet in the country covered the festival.

I’m hoping you tuned in to the television station (www.tn.com.ar) to get a glimpse of the
festival on Friday night. The news stations here in Buenos Aires covered the festival
almost exclusively for more than 8 hours straight. From the point the
streets were closed and the festival started to the point it ended, helicopters
and news reporters from several television stations tuned in with
minute-by-minute reports on the events. And when I returned to my room at
1:30am (Saturday), one of the larger news programs was re-running Luis’ Gospel
message! THESE ARE SECULAR NEW CHANNELS, TRANSMITING THE GOSPEL AND
SHARING THE GOOD NEWS!!!

The official crowd size was estimated at 300,000 people. All I know
is that the streets were packed! Decisions are already in the thousands as well.
Cards are still being collected and counted. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR PRAYERS. THEY ARE VERY MUCH
NEEDED.

Start praying for Saturday’s festival RIGHT NOW! The crowd is expected to be even bigger, with people coming
from the entire province to take part. And with both Luis
and Andrew sharing the Good News from the main stage, decision numbers (God
willing) should be even higher as well.

We thank the Lord for what He is doing here! Already
the Good News has reached millions (through the television programs, through
the festival, through the dinners and gatherings, and through the
interviews). In addition, add 75 decisions for Christ from Andrew’s
event at one of the prisons in town, and the keep in mind the number of
pastors and businessmen trained by Luis, Andrew, and several others through the
conference on Wednesday. THAT’S SOME HARVEST!

God is moving! And He’s not done yet.

Friday, March 14, 2008

What an incredible week!

PRAISE GOD:

• Media coverage for the festival has intensified. Radio stations have been talking about the festival for the last several days, television stations are asking for more interviews, and articles are popping up in all the national newspapers.
• The dinner for businessmen proved to be a huge success on Tuesday night with more than 1,150 in attendance and more than 180 recorded decisions for Jesus Christ!
• The unique conference for pastors and businessmen on Wednesday was a great success as well. Some of Argentina’s most successful Christian businessmen (there aren’t many) shared their stories and encouraged church leaders to support their businessmen. With more than 1,500 church and business leaders in attendance, it was a challenging but well-received message.
• An historic gathering took place Thursday evening with more than 50 of Argentina’s top union leaders. These highly influential men and women, who represent MILLIONS of Argentine union workers, have never been approached by the church community to meet, talk, or build relationships. But because of Luis’ unique role in Argentina, he was able to bring these two groups together, share the love of Christ, break down barriers and stereotypes, and make a powerful statement for the love, unity, and power of the Gospel. By the end of the evening, a majority of them indicated decisions for Christ!

AND NOW … THE FESTIVAL!

The stage is set, the artists are ready, people have been invited, and Luis’ messages are prepared.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• PRAY for those who have already accepted Christ this week. Pray that the follow-up process connects everyone with a local church. Pray that they take the decision they made seriously, and that they begin growing in Christ.
• PRAY for all the last minute details for the festival.
• PRAY for Luis and the team, that God continues to protect all involved.
• PRAY for those who are ready to accept Christ this weekend, that nothing gets in the way of their plans to attend.
• PRAY that God uses this festival to FLOOD AREGENTINA with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The excitement is increasing in Buenos Aires as we move toward the festival this Friday and Saturday!

Some of the latest updates from the campaign:

• Women’s Tea: More than 1,100 women were in attendance
• Businessmen’s Dinner: A great event in a room overflowing with people
• Luis met with the vice president of Argentina this morning and several media outlets covered the meeting
• Media continues to be strong, with television programs re-airing interviews and specials (read more under the Sunday update below) and some of the country’s top newspapers are also running stories

Prayer requests:

• For the team on the ground right now in Buenos Aires
• For Luis, that God continue to give him wisdom, strength, and the words to lift up the name of Christ at every opportunity
• For Andrew Palau, who will also be sharing on Wednesday at the conference for pastors and business leaders. Also pray for him as he shares the Good News at a prison on Thursday
• For the unique gathering of union leaders on Thursday night. More than 100 individuals are expected to be in attendance. With many serving in very high levels of leadership throughout Argentina’s union groups, this gathering could have a major affect on the country
• For the weather this Friday and Saturday night

Sunday: March 9, 2008

Luis arrived in Buenos Aires last Friday, March 7, and hit the ground running. Since then, great opportunities have unfolded with the media, building off the strong publicity campaign and tremendous support from thousands of churches throughout the region.

Tonight was especially exciting. Two of the most popular television personalities in Argentina (Chiche Gelblung and Mariano Grondona) ran programs about Luis over a three-hour stretch. The Gospel dominated Argentine television on two different nationwide channels! One program recorded on Friday night included incredible questions from the reporter (Chiche Gelblung), such as: “How do I ask Jesus into my heart? What does it feel like to have the Holy Spirit come into my life? What differences should I feel? How will Jesus Christ affect my life?” It was powerful … and on one of Argentina’s most watched television programs!

On another popular television program entitled “23 Minutos,” Luis was not only asked to be the focus for the entire show, but in the middle of filming they decided to extend the program to be a full hour, spending the entire time talking about the festival, Christianity, sin, and Jesus Christ. IN ADDITION – The interest in the program encouraged them to air it three more times in the day following, reaching who knows how many more!

Other updates from Buenos Aires:

• Luis met with 30 of the top pastors in town yesterday. These pastors represent more than 100,000 people throughout Greater Buenos Aires. They are all on board and doing all they can to promote the festival.
• The stage is being constructed in the middle of town. It is already making a powerful impression as it is erected in the heart of the city.
• More than 22,000 “Friends of the Festival” (counselors) have been trained to date. Several more trainings are taking place in churches throughout the city in the next few days.
• Luis’ latest book, A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian, is being well-circulated throughout Buenos Aires (and talked about much throughout the media). Not only is this book available on nearly every street corner of Buenos Aires at small newspaper stands, but they are also selling two other titles – Where is God When Bad Things Happen and Whom Shall I Marry. Each one sold is one more opportunity for someone (or many people) to hear the clear Gospel message.

God is clearly at work here in Argentina through the media, in the churches, on the streets, and most importantly, in people’s hearts. But we can’t let our guard down yet. There is still much work to be done.

PRAYER:

• Women’s Tea – Monday, 5:00pm
• Businessmen’s Dinner – Tuesday, 9:00pm
• Pastors Conference - Wednesday
• Union Leaders’ Dinner (a first for the team) – Thursday, 9:00pm
• THE FESTIVAL – Friday and Saturday

PRAY THAT GOD USES EACH ONE OF THESE EVENTS TO PROCLAIM HIS NAME CLEARLY!

February 1, 2008

Buenos Aires, Argentina – Setting a record as the largest festival in Luis Palau Association history, the Buenos Aires Festival of Hope in January 2003 opened the door for Luis and the team to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with more than 800,000 people who attended the two-day evangelistic event. The outreach was a milestone for the team and for Latin America.

Now, with a network of more than 3,500 churches in Buenos Aires, the Palau Association will launch a major campaign once again in this Latin American capital city. Using the festival slated for March 14-15, 2008, as a catalyst for training and outreach throughout the region, we will encourage, challenge, and expand our ever-growing network of churches and ministries.

Join us in praying for thousands of leaders trained, thousands of churches and ministries equipped, and millions of individuals reached with the Good News.