Raul was 21 years old when he attended a Luis Palau campaign in San José, Costa Rica in the 1970s. He lived in a household of poverty, sadness, and problems. Not one of his family members knew Jesus Christ. But one day, walking home from work, he read an advertisement for one of our festivals. Something in his heart told him he had to be there.
“As I sat listening to the message,” Raul remembers, “all I could think was, ‘Luis, someone told you about my life! Who told you? How do you know these things?’”
As Luis gave the invitation, Raul gave his heart to the Lord. The campaign lasted three weeks. Raul was there each and every night. He quickly got involved in a church and started to be discipled.
God began to open doors for Raul. He received a good job and began to work his way out of poverty. He started testifying about Christ wherever he was given the opportunity. His family quickly followed in his faith—all 70+ of them.
Three years later, Vargas had started his first church. He focused on discipleship and teaching and worked diligently to raise up new believers in godly service. Today, Pastor Vargas is still working just as diligently. The church has grown to be 10,000 strong, one of the largest in the nation. And they have planted dozens of churches in multiple nations. Changed lives that go on to change lives! That’s what we live for. Let's keep participating in God's mission, and let's keep doing this together!
For more than 50 years, Luis Palau was known for his commitment to the Word of God and for his clear teachings.Today the Palau Ministry His legacy lives on through his sons Kevin and Andrew, and Andrew’s wife, Wendy. They are bringing the same Good News to a new generation, even though the methods may change.
Andrew and Wendy have dedicated their lives to serving churches around the world through city-wide evangelistic outreaches. They are the heart and voices behind Hope with God. Hope with God is a global online Christian community dedicated to helping individuals find hope and grow in their faith through Jesus Christ.
The platform sees 107,900 visits a month and fosters a community of 20 million users sharing their faith journey and encouraging one another.
Market Data:
Missions & Evangelism —
A large percentage of Christian teens (68%) shares that they have never had training specifically for evangelism, with another 13 percent saying they are “not sure.”
Overall, roughly 1 in 5 Christian teens (19%) has had this sort of training, with that number rising just slightly to 23% among teens who have had a faith conversation with a non-Christian within the past year.