“I want to trust Jesus as my Savior, and I want to follow Jesus as my Lord,” Nguyen said to God on Tuesday evening.
The frail 60-year-old stood at the front of Cần Thơ Stadium in Vietnam, her thin hands raised high. With confidence, she repeated a prayer in response to the invitation from Franklin Graham to begin a new life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Graham is sharing God’s hope and love during a two-day outreach in Cần Thơ, the fourth-largest city in the country.
Tuesday night, 13,800 people from across the region gathered in the stadium—including many who had come after a long day at work in the rice paddies or markets.
See photos from the Season of Love Festival.
The decision to follow Jesus was over 40 years in the making for Nguyen, who grew up Buddhist.
She shared that she has lived through much suffering. In her late teens and facing deep financial debt, she felt hopeless and wanted to end her life.
“I cried out, ‘God, help. God, help,’” she said.
That night, she dreamed God was smiling at her. A few weeks later, a relative from Canada sent her money to pay her debts.
At that moment, she knew God was real, but she went on with her life and didn’t seek Him anymore. In her 50s, difficult life circumstances once again drove her to call out to the Lord.
She had another dream, and this time she saw Him on a cross with nails in His hands and feet.
“Ever since I was a teenager, I avoided making a decision to follow Jesus because Buddhism was familiar,” she said. Nguyen explained that she still went on with her life without trusting in God.
But tonight was different.
“If you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you can have a new life,” Graham explained, emphasizing that the only way to know the Creator is through His Son, Jesus (John 14:6).
Nguyen had waited long enough to know the God who met her in her time of deep need—twice.
“I heard every word Franklin Graham said. I listened very carefully when he said if I seek [God], I will find Him,” she said with a smile.
She explained that she is excited to tell her husband—who is agnostic—about her newfound hope.
A God Who Answers Prayer
Hong came to the Festival to serve as a prayer volunteer, connecting with those who came forward to give their lives to Jesus.
Nam,* a young man she spoke with, told her that several weeks ago he was struggling in his relationship with his girlfriend.
He told a friend about his relationship problems, and his friend’s advice was to go to a local Christian church for prayer.
“Their God is good at answering prayer,” his friend said.
Although Nam was not a Christian, he went. While there, some members of the congregation told him about the upcoming Festival, and he decided to go.
On Tuesday night, he realized that he needed much more than help in his relationship. He needed to be made right with the One who created him.
“The whole world is guilty of sin, but whoever believes in [Jesus Christ] shall have everlasting life,” Graham said Tuesday night.
Hong met Nam on the field of the stadium, welcoming him into the family of God after he prayed to ask for forgiveness of his sins and to surrender his life to Christ.
The beautiful moment reminded her of last year’s Spring Love Festival in Hong’s hometown of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, where she also volunteered. This week, she made the 3½-hour drive to Cần Thơ to serve again, and she had been praying for months that many like Nam would come to faith in Christ.
God is indeed good at answering prayer.
*Name changed for privacy.
