When Tatiana Soares decided to become a Christian at age 15, her mother grounded her for a week.
The move backfired. Holed up in her bedroom, Tatiana dove into her Bible and spent more time than ever talking to God.
“My mom sometimes banged her hands and punched my door,” Tatiana said. “She was so disturbed, so agitated. She started to persecute me. I think I had five bad years with my mom because I had Jesus.”
That was 20 years ago, in 1995. At the time, Tatiana lived in Campo Grande, Brazil.
She tried to explain her newfound faith, but her family wanted no part of it.
Mixed Messages
Tatiana and her brother and sister grew up with a mix of religious beliefs—something Tatiana says is common in parts of Brazil.
Her parents called themselves Catholic, but only “as a title.”
“My mom was involved with witchcraft and spiritism,” Tatiana said. “Weekly, we needed to go with my mom to those meetings.”
Her father was also involved in dangerous spiritual practices and tried to get his daughter to join him.
“I remember I ran away from there,” Tatiana said. “I felt like this is not for me. I know Jesus at that time was taking care of me.”
One place she felt safe was the local Baptist church where her aunt and uncle attended. The only Christians in the family, they would invite Tatiana to spend time with other kids her age and sing in the choir. She started going when she was 13.
Her aunt was always telling her about Jesus, but Tatiana couldn’t reconcile the Christian faith with opposing ideas she heard at home.
“I didn’t want to be called a believer,” she said.
‘Something in Me Unlocked’
That changed in 1995 when Tatiana learned of an international telecast coming to her town. Billy Graham’s Greater Puerto Rico Crusade was being broadcast live to 175 countries—an unprecedented technological step for global evangelism.
The church Tatiana attended was a host site for the broadcast. She still remembers watching Billy Graham via satellite, preaching from nearly 3,000 miles away.
“I remember when he was preaching, something in me unlocked,” Tatiana said. “I felt like, I need Jesus now.”
One Bible verse in particular seemed to crystallize everything she had seen and heard from her aunt and uncle.
If you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).
“I was thinking, That’s it?” Tatiana said. “Yes, I need Jesus in my life. I accept Him as Savior and Lord.”
First the Siblings, Then the Parents
Tatiana’s first language is Portuguese, but her aunt gave her an English Bible after the Billy Graham Crusade.
“She said, ‘Tati, study English,’” Tatiana recalled. So that’s what she did.
As she learned to read the Bible, she prayed fervently for her family, even as they made life difficult because of her decision for Christ.
“I was praying for my mom, my house, my family’s salvation,” Tatiana said. “They didn’t understand, but I knew Jesus had a calling for my house, and I was going to keep praying about this.”
Tatiana’s sister was the first to accept Christ. Her brother followed two years later. Thus, all three siblings joined forces to pray for their parents.
For eight years, they prayed and fasted together. They also signed their parents up for a marriage retreat with the church. It was a watershed moment.
“I was in Sao Paulo, and I received a call from my mom crying and saying, ‘Tati, please forgive me for all those things I made you do. I just came back from the church. Your father and me, we accept Jesus.’”
Tears were flowing on both ends of the phone line.
“I think my parents at the time had many issues in their marriage,” Tatiana said. “During this retreat they gave forgiveness and mercy and grace to each other. We were crying because I was waiting eight years of my life praying for them, and it was not easy.”
Today, Tatiana’s parents serve in the same church where their daughter accepted Christ.
“They serve families and couples,” Tatiana said. “God is good.”
From Campo Grande to Charlotte, NC
That English Bible Tatiana received in 1995 served her well—in a lot of ways.
In 2011, she moved to the United States with her husband. They have a 2-year-old son and a production company in Charlotte, North Carolina, which happens to house Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s global headquarters.
“About Billy Graham, I feel like he had a big influence in my life to make this decision for Christ,” Tatiana said. “I didn’t know one day we would end up here in Charlotte.”
She’s planning to volunteer with BGEA’s Internet Evangelism ministry. It’s her way of giving back to the ministry she says gave her so much.
Festival Comes to Brazil
Though Tatiana’s immediate family is saved, she prays often for extended family members who don’t have a relationship with Christ.
Many of them live in the coastal city of Fortaleza, where Franklin Graham will preach the Gospel at the end of October—20 years after his father’s message reached Tatiana in Campo Grande.
“I think this could be perfect for Brazil,” Tatiana said.
“After the Crusade I believe many things will change. I’m thinking of my family, too, and I’m inviting them to go. Through Billy Graham I accepted Jesus Christ, and everybody knows my life and sees my parents’ life—everything that Jesus did in our family.”
As she prays for her relatives, she has every reason to be hopeful. God has answered her prayers before. But Tatiana knows nothing will happen by her own power.
“The Bible says you need to come to Jesus the way you are,” she said.
“Only Jesus can bring repentance. We cannot do it. We talk, we pray, but only He can make the difference.”
See photos, videos and stories from the Festival of Hope in Fortaleza, Brazil, where more than 80,000 people heard the Gospel on Oct. 23-24, 2015.
