During the first weekend of July, the city of Mérida in the Andes Mountains of northwestern Venezuela welcomed a two-day evangelistic outreach in which tens of thousands of people heard the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ at the Guillermo Soto Rosa Stadium.
Festival de la Familia began with a special outreach event for children on Saturday morning. David Ruíz, guest speaker and associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), followed with two nights of proclaiming the Good News to all ages.
Since 2019, the Evangelical Council of Venezuela has taken Festival de la Familia to different cities of this tropical country—most recently in Puerto La Cruz, Isla de Margarita, and San Fernando de Apure.
“Our vision is for Venezuela to be reached for Jesus Christ,” said César Mermejo, president of the Evangelical Council. “We strongly believe that the only way a country can be changed is by first knowing the truth about our spiritual condition. … This is why we want to take the Gospel to all regions of Venezuela through these events.”
Located at an altitude of 5,384 feet, Mérida is famous for its historic Los Andes University, its colorful colonial buildings, and for being the highest and coldest city in a country that stays warm year-round.
But despite the physical charm of the city, its inhabitants have great spiritual needs and lack eternal hope. Local pastors believe that only 3% of the population has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and witchcraft and sorcery have become prevalent in the last few decades.