As part of a collaborative effort with a half-dozen partner evangelists, Andrew Palau shared the Good News of Jesus Christ with thousands in Dajabón, a western city in the Dominican Republic on the border of Haiti. The festival was part of a larger campaign to the border region called “Buena Vida!” and included a second evangelistic festival in neighboring Ouanaminthe, Haiti.
Each day, several thousand people packed into La Calle de Ancha (the broad road), a main street in the city which was closed down to make room for the evangelistic event. Music, drama performances, action sports demonstrations, and other activities for families and children were some of the highlights of the festival each day. Popular local musicians, along with ministry partner Dave Lubben, prepared the crowd each evening for the message.
The first night of the festival in Dajabón included a message by evangelist Alan Greene of Lifelight Ministries. Palau shared the second night and played a short video greeting from his father, evangelist Luis Palau, who is well-known in the region as a result of years of his radio ministry and outreaches. Each evening, there was a spirit of rejoicing across the crowd as festival-goers were invited to give their lives to Christ. By the end of the second evening, approximately 2,500 people had made public commitments to follow Jesus for the first time.
Palau also partnered with several other evangelists, including Greene, Reid Saunders, Harry Thomas, Bob Lenz, Josh Brewer, John Andrus and Vic Murphy—all of whom are members of the “Next Generation Alliance,” the Luis Palau Association’s coalition of evangelists—to help lead outreaches in prisons, local schools, medical clinics and several local churches. Hundreds of decisions were recorded through those events as well.
“It was a great privilege to serve the churches, pastors and the body of Christ in a town that—as is true of many border towns—has the unique pressures that come along with being a major connecting point to a neighboring country,” Palau said. “There is a tendency in these places for there to be less input or assistance as they dream of how the gospel might impact their city. I’m so grateful for Reid Saunders and his team for their investment into this region.”
Following the conclusion of the festival on Wednesday, the stage equipment was quickly transported across the river to Ouanaminthe, Haiti, where Bob Lenz and Reid Saunders worked with churches and ministry leaders in the area to hold a second evangelistic festival on Feb. 6-7 for the Haitian community.
Dajabón and Ouanaminthe face each other on the northern edge of the 230 mile border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Cultural and racial tensions on the border have intensified in recent years due to immigration and deportation disputes, including as recently as 2015 when the Dominican government tightened immigration policy between the two countries. Acting as a powerful statement by the church, this campaign helped both communities set aside their differences and share a message of hope and love in the midst of difficult days.
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