'I'm ready to go,' says evangelist Luis Palau

Luis Palau speaks to the crowds at Inverness' Bught Park as part of the two-day Highland Festival, Friday 19 June 2009.Christian Today

Evangelist Luis Palau, who has been battling stage 4 lung cancer since 2018, says he feels the "peace of the Lord" and is "ready to go".

The 85-year-old, whose evangelism ministry spans half a century and 75 countries, told CBN News that he has few regrets after passing on the mantel to his sons, Andrew and Kevin. 

"The only sad thing is leaving my wife and my kids and the team and a few of my best friends," he said.

"But really, I'm ready to go. I have the peace of the Lord."

When his cancer was diagnosed in January 2018, he was given only months to live.  But he has defied doctors' expectations, with the ongoing treatment keeping the tumors "at bay". 

"One of the tumors actually shrank slightly!" he wrote in a recent update to supporters. "I'm actually feeling quite well." 

Palau's last large-scale evangelistic event was in Spain last year but he has continued to share his faith in other ways. 

Palau the Movie, a biopic of his life and ministry, came out last year, followed soon after by his memoir, Palau: A Life on Fire.

Speaking about watching his sons take over his ministry, he said he had come to feel that he was "somewhat in the way". 

"You got to make room for the next generation to freely minister – freely do," Palau said. 

He added that he was excited about his sons and other Christian leaders continuing on his ministry in America, Latin America and Europe. 

"My boys are men, middle-aged men, and they walk with God," he said. 

"They live for Christ. They live for the lost. So, that's what gives me hope and excitement about the team and the association. Generation after generation proclaiming the Good News."