Last night, at Festival por la Vida, God exceeded every expectation our team had!  First, there was a better than expected crowd.  In addition to the festival, Xela’s soccer team had a home playoff game; and there was a holiday event in downtown Xela with free beer and fireworks.  Despite the other events in Xela, locals remarked that they had never seen any crowd like the one at Festival por la Vida!  Local pastor, Juan Pablo Avelar – while looking from the platform – asked, “is this really my city?”

There was also a better than expected response to the Gospel!  Mike Silva delivered an impassioned message to a captivated audience.  By sharing the story of David and Goliath, He encouraged the audience to overcome giants (hardship and adversity) and to overcome fear by finding courage in turning to Jesus.  The message brought many to tears, including some from our own team. 

When Mike gave the invitation to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, the entire festival grounds grew completely silent.  What seemed like the whole crowd raised their hands to heaven.  In fact, the response was so great, we still do not know how many decisions for Christ were made in Xela because the team is still counting the decision cards that were turned in!