Visits were part of evangelistic meetings where hundreds committed the Lord.
A pastoral visit to the Supreme Court magistrates and another one to high-profile inmates were part of recent evangelistic activities in the Central American nation of Guatemala. Speaker/director of “Escrito está” Robert Costa closed evangelistic efforts in Guatemala City in late February, with a public event attended by thousands. “Escrito está” is the Spanish version of It Is Written, a supporting TV ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Two Pastoral Visits
During his visit to Guatemala, Costa was scheduled to speak and pray for the thirteen magistrates of the Supreme Court of Guatemala. He and the local leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church said they were welcomed with kindness and given full attention. One of the employees of the Supreme Court who coordinated this meeting said, “We will receive them like ambassadors because they are ambassadors from heaven.”
Costa presented the president of the Supreme Court Jose Antonio Pineda an Ambassador of Peace Medallion and invited the magistrates to attend the evangelistic meetings. They were also given the book Una luz de esperanza (“A Light of Hope”), written by Costa. The pastors were delighted to learn that one of the Supreme Court judges watches the half-hour program Escrito está and enjoys listening to the daily devotional “Una mejor manera de vivir” (“A Better Way to Live”).
Another momentous activity took place on February 22, when Costa was invited by lay church member Manuel to visit a military prison to preach and pray for two former presidents of the country and former government officials who are in prison on charges of political corruption. Manuel visits this prison weekly to study the Bible with the inmates and bring them hope. “I am so thankful Elder Costa was able to come and share with them,” he said.
Impressive Turnout
On February 21, 2018, the first night of the special closing messages, almost 3,000 people attended the public evangelistic meetings. Approximately one thousand of them were visitors who were either brought by a friend or received one of 10,000 invitations delivered by the Publinews newspaper or through social media. On February 23, 2018, the baptism of 90 people marked the first of several ceremonies planned for the next few weeks.
According to Costa, another 195 people have made their decision for Christ at the meetings and now are waiting for the next baptismal ceremony.
Costa shared that a local church pastor told him about how much he enjoyed the baptismal ceremony despite being legally blind. “I’m a blind person, but tonight I’ve lived with hope,” he told Costa. “As I heard the water splashing from people getting baptized and listened to the footsteps of those coming to the Lord, I felt being blind is worth it because having hope is more important than having sight.”
The event was live-streamed by three local radio stations and Facebook Live, where thousands more had the opportunity to listen to the message presented.
Training Church Members and Pastors
The weekend’s agenda also included providing evangelism training to lay members and pastors and a professional seminar entitled “Failing Successfully,” for a relatively small group of 300.
Costa said, “I’m very excited to see what the Adventist Church is doing in Guatemala to reach people in all levels of society. They have a great team, and I ask you to please keep praying for the people who, through their ministry, have and will be reached with God’s message of hope.”
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