It doesn’t happen every day. In fact, Sean Campbell can count on one hand the number of times he’s seen it.
“I’ve seen Franklin Graham cry twice.”
As senior director of strategic initiatives for Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan’s Purse, Campbell has traveled the world with Franklin.
For years, they’ve worked together to meet the needs of people who are suffering in the midst of natural disasters, war and extreme poverty. But in all their travels, Campbell can only remember two times he’s seen his friend wipe away tears.
One was in a McDonald’s in Thailand in November 2013, after Franklin treated a group of about 50 joyful, rambunctious orphans to lunch.
The second time happened that same week, when a small group of Christians from neighboring Myanmar (also known as Burma) formally invited Franklin to come to their country and preach about Jesus.
At the time, BGEA was holding a 3-day evangelistic Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The group from Myanmar, one of the poorest countries in Asia, gave a generous gift to support the Thai Christians in spreading the Gospel.
“[The Burmese Christians] don’t have a ton of money, but they had made a collection in their churches to bring a gift to a much wealthier church in Chiang Mai,” Campbell said. “And it moved Franklin. And he said, ‘By God’s grace, we’ll do a Festival in Myanmar in 2016.’”
It was an idea that would have sounded crazy to many people familiar with the country’s politics.
At the time, Myanmar was still a military dictatorship—and had been for five decades. Christians faced government interference and seemingly insurmountable barriers when it came to holding a large-scale event in the predominantly Buddhist nation.
In short, a number of roadblocks stood between Myanmar’s Christians and their dream of seeing the Gospel preached openly.
But, one by one, the roadblocks were demolished, culminating in Myanmar’s landmark 2015 elections. For the first time in more than 50 years, the military began to cede some of its power, making way for gradual but significant changes.
By 2016, God had turned a seemingly impossible idea into reality, to the delight of the small but faithful group of Christians who had been praying for this kind of breakthrough for years.
“There is no way this could have come together—no way this could have come together—without God’s hand in it,” Campbell said.
On Nov. 18-20, the “Love Joy Peace Festival with Franklin Graham” will take place in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon. People from all over the country—including remote, mountainous areas a two-week journey away—will converge in Yangon, where Franklin Graham will openly preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Given the obstacles Burmese Christians have faced—and continue to face—this is an historic event that has mobilized the church like never before.
Campbell said local, regional and even some national government officials have expressed interest in attending. More than ever before, parts of the government seem to have an openness when it comes to Christianity, likely due in part to the work of Christian ministries like Samaritan’s Purse. The global disaster relief organization has been there to help the people of Myanmar in the aftermath of catastrophes like the 2008 cyclone and this year’s hail storms and floods.
In the midst of disasters, persecution and ongoing violence between the military and parts of the population, the Christian community has only gotten stronger.
“When times get tough, we draw close to Christ,” Campbell said. “The strongest Christian communities I’ve ever seen have been in countries where the church has been oppressed.
“Because by oppressing the church, the church is forced to come together and put aside their differences.”
Campbell says various Christian denominations within Myanmar have been working side-by-side to get the Festival off the ground in record time. In fact, there was so much enthusiasm surrounding the Yangon Festival that BGEA agreed to hold an additional event in the city of Mandalay, about 400 miles to the north.
In October, more than 18,000 people attended a 3-day pre-Festival led by BGEA associate evangelist Robert Cunville. As the Gospel was proclaimed, 1,500 people indicated making first-time decisions to follow Christ.
Around the same time, thousands of children attended an evangelistic event in Yangon, despite torrential downpours. It’s estimated that about 1,400 children responded to the invitation to accept Christ.
Believers in Myanmar are praising God for such an amazing response, as they pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to move powerfully during the upcoming Festival in Yangon.
Campbell said it’s been humbling to watch Myanmar’s Christians walk by faith, believing God would give them a miracle when the odds were stacked against them.
“It could have been stopped at any stage,” Campbell said. “But God was in control all the way along.”
Now he’s asking believers around the world to pray for the people of Myanmar to be transformed by the love of Christ—something that already appears to be happening across the nation.
“One of my great prayers in all of this is, ‘Lord, help us not to get in the way of what you’re doing,'” Campbell said. “‘Help us just to be a part of what You’re doing there.’
“Because I’m so convinced, more and more … that all we are is an answer to somebody else’s prayers.”
Will you ask God to answer the prayers of brothers and sisters in Christ in Myanmar? Pray for an amazing move of the Holy Spirit before, during and after the Nov. 18-20 Festival.
