Revival in the Egyptian desert

Revival is spreading across Egypt, reports Open Doors USA.

Last month, a Christian youth festival gathered 10,000 young people in the desert 60 miles north of Cairo.

Just weeks later, an even larger event drew around 45,000 people to the same place.

They had the chance to hear a Gospel message and commit their lives to Christ.

The historic events took place against the background of uncertainty with reports of persecution intensifying following the election of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi.

One Christian leader involved in the second event estimated the number of people who gave their lives to Jesus at 25,000.

The leader reported that around 8,000 cards had been filled out by people requesting follow-up visits by churches.

Another two million people around the world tuned into live satellite television broadcasts of the festival.

The Christian leader said: "The view of thousands of people, standing up each of the four nights, proclaiming their desire to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour is hard to describe in words. This is when I could not hold my tears.

"Most of the attendees were from the Coptic Orthodox Church, and one of the nights a Coptic Orthodox priest was the main speaker for the meeting. Have I seen an Orthodox priest preaching from an evangelical pulpit to such a big crowd of people before? Never."

The Christian leader thanked believers worldwide who prayed for the success of the event.

"We are grateful to Him for His great work among us and for you as our partners in the Kingdom of God," the leader said.

"We are so thankful to God for His protection over this large event and the large number of people who attended. Grateful for the smooth administration of so many logistics and for the spirit and attitude between all the believers who worked together to make it possible.

"We are overwhelmed by His goodness and His heart of mercy towards Egypt, and are expecting more and more signs of revival in the coming days."