As we drove to the first of two churches that Andrew was to speak at this morning, we commented at how fast this week has seemed to have gone by.  We sat in humble amazement at what God had done and in hopeful anticipation of what this weeks activities could do for the country of Romania.  When Hillsong London finally closed out their set around 9:45 tonight the festival was officially over. While some numbers may still be coming in, for all of the activities of the week and the two festival days we saw well over 14,000 people attend events and 1,755 people give their hearts to the Lord!  Praise God and thank you for your prayers. 

The weather did not cooperate with us nearly as much today as rain showers washed through the city throughout the day.  We’re quite certain the rain affected the size of the crowd today as our estimates were a crowd size of 5000 today.  The showers continued through Andrew’s message but we were thankful they we light and not a complete deluge.  The exciting thing was that while the overall attendance for the day was low, the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd was not.  Nor was the receptivity to the message of the Good News.  The total documented decisions for Christ from the KidZone, Livin’ It and mainstage gospel presentations was 442.  Amazing. 

Earlier in the afternoon our Livin’ It athletes David Resbeck, Mark Mancuso, John Andrus, Jud Heald and Tom Geilfuss gave the most energetic demonstration I’ve seen at a festival, much to the delight of the thousands gathered around the ramps.  Our BMX riders repeatedly tried to land and balance on the top rail of one of the ramps which added both a flair for the dramatic and a cringe of insurance-claim-haunted terror.  As usual, the Livin’ It area was a vital addition to the overall success of the festival and we are blessed to be able to work with such great athletes. 

The main stage activities kicked off with two local bands, Vitamin C (pronounced “che") and Catrecer.  The two bands we brought in from the UK, The Band With No Name (TBWNN) and Hillsong London, finished the evening off with the crowd begging Hillsong not to leave.  Throughout the weekend all the bands were warmly received.  The younger audience especially seemed to connect with TBWNN and Hillsong London. 

Our morning began with Andrew speaking at two Churches who were big supporters of the festival.  He encouraged the congregations to consider their priestly duties to preach the gospel to all peoples.  Following both services we were told stories of the impact of the Luis Palau Associations investment in Romania.  At the first church, Izbanda Brethren church, we met Eliazar who at a young age came to faith in 1990 when Luis ministered here following the revolution.  He introduced us to his father who told us his sister also came to the Lord at the same crusade.

At Vestire Buna Baptist, a lady who also came to Christ at Luis’s campaign in 1990 told Andrew his being here is a sweet way to celebrate her spiritual anniversary and it reminded her of the joy she has in her life.  Her two daughters are now missionaries in Spain and Mexico.  She also told Andrew that it rained in 1990 too and to not be discouraged. As we were leaving Vestire Buna a young man named Mikai stopped Andrew and thanked him as he was one of the many who gave his heart to Christ yesterday at BucurestiFest. Andrew quickly prayed for Mikai and Mikai’s girlfriend.

We were blessed to have our friend Robert Kraus from Arkansas and his friend Jeff Golden join us this week and at the Churches this morning.  They were a huge encouragement as were Eric and Grace Payne and Lady Susie Sainsbury from the UK.  Also, Mick Spratt who is a member of the LPA UK board was generous to provide the sound and lighting crew for the main stage from his company that does the same.  We are blessed to have such great friends. 

Please continue to pray for the churches that will be following up with all those who made decisions this week.  Pray to for those decision makers, that their faith and love for God would increase daily.  Also, please join us in Praising God for all that He did this week in the capital city of Romania.

Posted in Bucharest Festival