57,000 Gather for Franklin Graham Festival in Mexico

90,000 Shoe Box Gifts Delivered to Underprivileged Mexican Children

VERACRUZ, Mexico, April 14, 2003—Franklin Graham has traveled to Mexico on several occasions to deliver humanitarian aid to victims of poverty or natural disasters, but this time he returned with another delivery–this time, a message of spiritual hope.

Crowds totaling 57,050 gathered for the three-day evangelistic Festival led by Graham April 10-12 in Veracruz. The event was a partnership with more than 450 local churches in the city of 1.2 million people. By the final night of the Festival, 9,196 people had responded to Graham’s invitation to put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Each night, crowds heard Graham’s straightforward message of hope, along with inspirational music by Spanish artist Marcos Vidal, Mexican actress and musician Maria del Sol, acoustic guitarist Dennis Agajanian, the Gutierrez Brothers, and the California-based Tommy Coomes Praise Band.  In addition to the evening events, thousands of kids from the greater Veracruz area gathered for a special children’s festival called Festininos.

90,000 Shoe Box Gifts for Needy Kids
During the week, Graham and teams from Samaritan’s Purse handed out a portion of some 90,000 gift-filled shoe boxes to underprivileged children in Mexico as part of the organization’s Operation Christmas Child project. Graham visited and distributed shoe box gifts to children living amidst one of the city’s garbage dumps. For many of these kids it was the only gift they have ever received.

Gratitude from Local Leaders
Addressing crowds gathered at Beto Avila stadium, Governor of the state of Veracruz Miguel Aleman thanked Graham and the local churches for holding an event that would bring a positive impact on the local community. The next day Veracruz Mayor Jose Ramon Gutierrez de Velasco invited Graham to the municipal palace to thank him for his relief efforts in the country and for the message of hope he was bringing to the people.

Veracruz, Mexico was Graham’s first Festival in 2003. Additional Festivals will be held in Roanoke, Va., (May 2-4); Tulsa, Okla., (Sept. 19-21); and Rosario, Argentina (November).

Franklin Graham is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse. 

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