|PIC1|Brazilian football superstar and Fifa world player of the year, Kaka, will tell his home country of the love of God in a major televised outreach by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Kaka will share his testimony of hope and faith in Jesus Christ in a series of programmes to be broadcast during prime time hours from Thursday to Saturday in one of the largest evangelistic efforts ever to hit the country.

My Hope Brazil is inspired by Matthew 9, in which tax collectors and sinners gather at Matthew's house to have dinner with Jesus.

The "Matthews" are Christians who will invite friends and relatives to their homes to watch the special broadcasts before sharing their personal testimonies of God's love. They will also invite those present to accept or rededicate their lives to Jesus.

More than 48,000 churches and 850,000 homes across Brazil, the largest country in South America, have received resources and training to take part in the massive campaign.

"My Hope Brazil is one of the most exciting projects BGEA has had the privilege of facilitating," said Bill Conard, vice president of international ministries at BGEA.

"The churches in Brazil have put an enormous amount of time and energy into reaching their loved ones with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we expect God to do powerful things through their faithful efforts."

In addition to Kaka's testimony, Thursday's broadcast will include a message from renowned evangelist Billy Graham dubbed into Portuguese, whilst Friday's broadcast will feature a message from his son and head of the BGEA, Franklin Graham. Christian singers Paulo Baruk and Aline Barros will perform during the broadcasts.

The BGEA evangelistic film, "A Vow to Cherish", will round up the broadcasts on Saturday.

The next BGEA My Hope campaign will take place in Singapore from December 12 to 14.