This kind of creativity and optimism seemed to spread across Argentina Nov. 17-19 as Christians invited friends, relatives and neighbors to watch the evangelistic programs.

Emilio Mileti, an 80-year-old man from Córdoba, invited his friends and family to watch the broadcast at his home on Friday–after he received Christ at a friend’s home on Thursday. All of his guests received Christ. On Sunday, Mileti and his family attended church for the first time.

“At 80 I’m coming to know something as beautiful as this,” Mileti said. “How could I have not seen this before?”

The young Christians of Argentina were just as excited.

One young man from a rural area near Córdoba was going to invite all of his friends, but he had no way to transport them to his home. Instead of giving up, he rented a horse-drawn cart, went to the nearby fields, picked up eight friends and took them to his house where they all accepted Christ.

In the same region, a young woman called her family, who lived hundreds of kilometers away in the capital city of Santiago, and invited them to watch Mi Esperanza. After the broadcast she called them again. Through tears of joy and conviction, 12 of her relatives prayed with her to receive Christ.

Throughout Argentina, some 180,700 Christians eagerly invited people to their homes, answered calls at the call center and proclaimed the Gospel to any who would listen. The following testimonies are a sample of the 269,393 who made commitments to Christ in Argentina.

Salta Province

• Ricardo Mones Ruiz, an employee of the Salta Province House of Representatives, hosted Mi Esperanza in the meeting room of the House. Six people accepted Christ on the first evening, and he was expecting another 15 people to attend the following day.
• In an apartment building, five units were opened up for Mi Esperanza. Because one Christian noticed that his neighbor always looked depressed, he invited the woman and her four children to watch the program at his apartment. At the end of the broadcast, the woman began to cry. She had no hope in her life because she had had a disastrous affair that resulted in her husband’s death. Since then, guilt had taken away all of her ambition. But she found hope and peace when she put her faith in Christ after watching Mi Esperanza.

Buenos Aires Province

• The owner of an auto repair shop set up a television at his business. Twenty-eight people met at the shop to watch the broadcasts–and all of them accepted Christ.
• Katia Porto invited 12 people to her home on Friday. Her guests seemed to sense God’s presence, and they all responded to the invitation to receive Christ.
• Two retired neighbors watched the program at Juan Carlos Chevriau’s home. They didn’t want to leave. “Finally we can watch something that brings a message of life,” they said. “We always go to bed worried and angry because of the bad news, the violence, the theft, the old people who are beaten and robbed. [Mi Esperanza] should always be on.”

Córdoba Province

• Pastor Enrique Cechini and his church’s youth went to the streets with a survey that asked people, “Where is your hope?” Each person surveyed was invited to watch the programs, and more than 200 of them surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ during Mi Esperanza parties. And the salvation responses continued to mount the following week when the youth went out with another survey asking people what they thought of the programs.

Call Center

• On Thursday, phone center volunteer Gabriela Boianelli was surprised to hear a child’s voice on the line. The 12-year-old girl had watched the program and felt prompted to call. Boianelli explained the love of Jesus to the girl, who then prayed a salvation prayer. Boianelli asked if anyone else at the home wanted to speak to her. The girl’s 10-year-old brother got on the phone and also prayed for salvation. Then the children’s father, who had turned from God after his wife left the family, spoke to Boianelli about the bitterness he felt. Boianelli prayed with him, and he recommitted his life to Christ.