Over 1,300 Commit to Christ at Will Graham's Kenya Evangelical Festival
5 photos(Photo: BGEA)A Kenyan woman worships at the Will Graham Celebration of Peace event, which took place June 7-9 at the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground in Kisumu, Kenya.While speaking this past weekend in Kisumu, Kenya, Will Graham, grandson of evangelist Billy Graham, preached the Good News of Jesus Christ to over 21,000 people over a three-day period, with 1,350 witnesses committing themselves to Jesus by the end of the weekend.
Graham preached at the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground in Kisumu, June 7- 9, nearly 53 years after his grandfather, Billy, preached in the same city.
Festivities at this past weekend's Will Graham Celebration of Peace included sermons by Graham, musical entertainment by local artists, including Rosemary Ogonya, as well as performances by Mark Christian, worship leader for Will Graham events.
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The three-day festival was reportedly split into two events, one for women and one for youth, and during his stay, Graham met with local Christian leaders and attended a local youth soccer match where he handed out trophies.
Additionally, Evangelist Robert Cunville held a special sermon for the women attending the event.
Graham wrote shortly after returning from his successful event in Kenya that he believes God has bestowed a special love for this African country in his heart.
"One of the countries to which [God] has directed my heart is Kenya. He has instilled in me a huge desire to preach to the Kenyan people the message of love, hope and peace that only He can bring," Graham wrote on the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove website, which references the organization's Christian conference center in Asheville, N.C.
Graham went on to write that the location of the weekend's festival, the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground, often serves as a thoroughfare for locals commuting to and from work or the market.
The location of the event proved beneficial, as many locals passing by on their way to and from work or the market stopped to learn more about Christianity.
"You could tell there was an expectation that God was going to do something great," Graham said of the energy surrounding the event.
Graham acknowledged that he and his team answered the call of Kisumu to hear God, as it is a largely poverty-stricken place where many of the residents, including many youth, turn to alcoholism or glue-sniffing as a form of reprieve.
"We need to surround [the people of Kisumu] with our prayers, and cry out to the Lord of the harvest that a new generation of believers will grow out of this event, and the city of Kisumu will forever be changed for His glory!" Graham wrote.
A BGEA press release affirms that every bishop and Christian leader in town attended the event, and several youth, including some who admitted to previous acts of wrongdoing, gave themselves to Christ.
Additionally, Governor Jack Ranguma's wife felt so moved by the weekend's festivities that she rededicated herself to Christ.
Graham will be holding two more international evangelical events in 2013, including one in Fukushima, Japan, in September and another in Udon Thani, Thailand, in November.
