More than 90,000 people gathered at Peru’s National Stadium last weekend for the 'Esperanza Lima' Festival, resulting in over 9,400 individuals making public commitments to follow Jesus Christ.
The "Hope Light" Lima evangelistic meeting is part of Franklin Graham's global gospel outreach. In recent months, he has held evangelistic meetings in Ushuaia, Argentina; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Buenos Aires; Brussels, Belgium; London; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The entire stadium was packed to capacity both nights, with even thousands unable to enter having to participate from outside the venue. The organizing unit provided 600 free shuttle buses each night to assist believers and seekers from various places to reach the venue. BGEA partnered with over 2,400 local churches to promote this unprecedented evangelistic meeting. The festival invited several well-known Christian music ministers to lead worship, including Charity Gayle, The Afters, Christine D’Clario, and Jahaziel Band.
During the Peru Lima Gospel Festival on March 7-8, 2026, under the translation of BGEA evangelist David Ruíz, Pastor Franklin Graham shared the story of blind Bartimaeus from the Bible. BGEA evangelist Graham preached the truth of salvation with a clear and powerful message, emphasizing: "Jesus said: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.' Without Him, people have no hope. Only Jesus' precious blood can save you." Graham’s message resonated deeply with the crowd, calling everyone to repent and turn to God.
Among them, a couple, Oscar Nuñez and Karina Arcela, testified after the meeting, saying they finally found the true answer in life. Karina shared: "I feel like God has heard all of my prayers. I used to think that He didn’t forgive me, but today's message has made it clear— Jesus is my Savior."
The festival distributed Spanish Bibles and disciple training manuals to every decision-maker, and handed them over to local churches for ongoing follow-up and discipleship.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association stated that the response in Lima far exceeded expectations, showing the strong hunger of local people for truth and hope. This event not only allowed thousands to experience spiritual renewal but also brought an atmosphere of revival and the joy of faith to Peru's capital.
Peru is one of the South American countries most deeply influenced by Catholicism, with about 95.6% of the population claiming to be Christians, the majority being Catholics (about 76-81%). In recent years, evangelical Christians have grown rapidly, especially significantly in rural areas. Although Catholicism still dominates, evangelical churches such as Lutheran and Baptist are thriving, showing a trend of spiritual revival.
Since 1989, Pastor Franklin Graham has followed in his father Pastor Billy Graham's footsteps, holding over 345 evangelistic events in more than 55 countries. The next stops will be Madrid, Spain, and Manchester, UK.
