As Pari* made her way to the front of Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England, she was shaking with excitement.
“By coming, you are saying to God, ‘I want Jesus to take control and come into my life,’” Franklin Graham said. He was inviting the crowd of 8,300 people to come forward and pray in repentance and faith to begin a relationship with God.
“I want to trust Jesus as my Savior,” Pari repeated after the evangelist—her trembling hands lifted as she cried out at the top of her lungs.
Her mother, Mehar,* and friend, Vaish,* stood by her side, praying as well.
Forty-five years ago, Mehar came to the United Kingdom from Punjab—an Indian city on the border with Pakistan—and Pari followed her 30 years later.
They were raised in the Sikh religion, but they recently started attending a Christian church in Birmingham.
A friend from church brought them to the event.
“I am very, very happy,” Pari said, adding that the message about God’s grace touched her heart. “I feel [God’s] Holy Spirit.”
A God Who Loves
Olena* came forward carrying her 3-year-old daughter.
Her two other children—a 10-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter—followed close behind with her sister, Dara.*
Olena moved from Ukraine last year to join Dara in the U.K. With her limited English, Olena asked her young son to translate Graham’s message so she could understand.
Graham preached from Luke 19:1–10, sharing how Jesus saw a man named Zacchaeus and called him into a personal relationship—a relationship that’s still available for everyone who calls on His name today.
With her son’s help, Olena told prayer volunteer Bernadette that a friend had invited them to come hear the message. They took one of the 150 buses that area churches used to bring guests to the event.
“[Jesus] will change you tonight, but you’ve got to be willing to accept Him,” Graham explained. “Is He calling you tonight?”
God was calling Olena and Dara—as well as their mother and aunt who later joined them up front.
All four women prayed to receive new life in Jesus Christ.
“They were very happy and very genuine,” said Bernadette. “For them to come to an event like this without being able to speak the language, it took the drawing of the Holy Spirit.”
She added how much she appreciated Graham’s boldness in speaking the truth.
“I loved his directness about calling sin what it is,” she said. “People might be offended, but he spoke the Word of God and you can’t shoot the messenger.”
She prays more people in her country will be unafraid to stand up and share the Good News moving forward.
“Hopefully this event is the spark that’s going to change it.”
*Names changed for privacy
Please pray for hearts to be softened as the tour continues this weekend in Glasgow, Scotland.
