Over 3,000 people made commitments to Christ during the Festival of Hope event led by Franklin Graham this past weekend in Latvia.
Graham preached about the story of Zacchaeus from the book of Luke and the story of the rich young ruler in the book of Mark in the capital city Riga.
He told thousands of people that everyone faces problems, but only God can solve the problem of sin.
“Only Jesus Christ can solve the problems of the human heart,” said Graham Sunday night, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
One person who committed her life to Christ during the festival shared that she was at a desperate point in her life when she came to the Festival of Hope. The young woman had lost custody of two of her three daughters, according to the BGEA.
“Tonight I felt Christ come over my whole body and I feel so much peace,” said the woman, identified as Erena. “I know I still have problems to overcome, but now I have hope and God’s help.”
During a press conference in Latvia ahead of the festival, Graham said that every country was different but that the human heart remains the same.
People, regardless of where they live, ask the questions, 'Is there a God? If there is a God, does He know who I am? Am I important to Him with the world being such a big place and I’m just one person? Does God know my name?'
Graham declared that God does know and loves every person on earth.
“Latvia is a beautiful country. You have a rich history. There have been wonderful things that have taken place in this country, wonderful people that have come from this country that have come to America,” said Graham.
“But there’s a sense of hopelessness with many Latvian people.
“Whatever expectations they have, for whatever reason, life hasn’t turned out as they thought it would.
"I want the people of Latvia to know that God knows their name and God loves each and every one and that Christ died for our sins.”
More than 500 churches in Latvia participated in preparing for the festival across denominational lines. Grammy-award winner Michael W Smith participated in the worship sessions of the festival and wished Billy Graham, who turned 92 on Sunday, a happy birthday.
About 36 per cent of the Latvia’s 2.2 million people are Christian. The Baltic nation was formerly a part of the Soviet Union.
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