Contact: Erik Ogren, 704-401-2117, eogren@bgea.org
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 5, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Evangelist Will Graham traveled to Papua New Guinea for the first time in July, and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the Celebration of Good News with Will Graham in the city of Mount Hagen.
Approximately 23,500 attended the July 25-27 mission in Mount Hagen, the third largest city in Papua New Guinea and the capital of the Western Highlands Province. More than 780 made a commitment to Christ after Graham's messages.
"There was only one person who stood on your behalf and died for you," Graham told the audience. "The only hope for our spiritual need is Jesus Christ. Today you can be made whole, but only if you're willing to come to Him."
Weather had been a concern going into the Celebration, prompting an urgent call for prayer leading up to the outdoor event at Queen Elizabeth Park. "It had been raining for four weeks before this, so when we got there we used social media and e-mail to ask people to pray," said Graham. "With everyone praying, it turned to sunshine and didn't rain for four days. We thank God for that!"
Graham was joined on the trip by his wife, Kendra, who spoke to a standing-room-only audience at a special service for women. "God uses our hardships in life to bring us to the feet of Jesus," Kendra shared, speaking from Matthew 8. "We are to worship God even through our hardships and infirmities." Following her message, some 100 of the 600 in attendance indicated making a decision for Christ.
While in the country, the Grahams also had the opportunity to participate in the distribution of Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse.
The Celebration of Good News was the last of Graham's evangelistic missions planned for 2014, following outreaches in Clinton, Mississippi; Broken Hill, Australia; Fukuoka, Japan; and Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
MEDIA NOTE: High-resolution photos from the Celebration of Good News in Mount Hagen are available at bit.ly/1o6K2Cp. Please credit the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association when using the images.
About Will Graham
Will is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). He also serves as vice president of the BGEA, overseeing Children and Youth Evangelism Training, and as executive director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C. Follow Will on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/WillGraham4 and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TellaGraham.
