Songs of praise resounded throughout the Saint Phila Convention Hall during the Christmas of Love Festival in Vientiane, Laos. Christians were overjoyed that the government had allowed the meetings to be held, and the rejoicing only increased after hundreds responded to the Gospel and put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“There is an explosion of blessing from God that happened in Laos,” said Rev. Sichanh Keosavang, senior pastor of Phonesomboun Church. “All of this happened not because of our strength but because of God’s leading. I’m thinking about how we will lead the new believers who received Christ at the event.”

He explained that his church, which typically has drawn about 75 people on most Sundays, received the names of more than 80 new believers to follow up with as a result of the meetings.

Well before the two-day Festival began, it was clear that God was moving in people’s hearts. Many put their faith in Jesus through the Festival’s I Am Andrew program, in which believers pray for friends who don’t know Jesus and invite them to hear the Gospel. Some had already received Christ and been baptized.

Even a simple invitation to attend the Festival gave Christians a chance to lead people to Christ. “When people are sharing about the evangelistic Festival, a question that follows is, ‘What is the Gospel?’ And that is the opportunity for sharing,” said Rev. David Hopkop, senior pastor of Saisavang Church.

Kok Pheung Church saw God work mightily. “After my church members and I learned how to be ‘Andrews’ and we wrote out the names, there are so many people who came to accept Christ,” said the church’s senior pastor, Rev. Ser Keomanivongsa. He said he personally led 50 people to the Lord, and he was able to plant a house church in a village that had never had a church before.

“It is the time of God,” Ser said. “It is not me; it is the time of God. Because in our district in the past, this is a very difficult area to reach. I feel like it is a special year, the year of the Lord’s favor.

“I’m 64 years old. But my passion, my heart for Christ, I feel like I’m still young. The passion of Christ still burns inside my heart. I’m grateful that God still uses me, even as an old man.”

The Lao Evangelical Church began the process of applying for a permit for the Festival in May. In late November, the government granted permission to hold the meetings at a church. 

“When I first read the permission for us to do the event, I was like, ‘Oh, praise the Lord!’” Pastor Sichanh said.

But no church building in Vientiane could safely hold as many people as organizers were expecting, so the church leaders asked if the Festival could be held instead at the Saint Phila Convention Hall—a world-class facility that hosts many weddings and banquets and can accommodate thousands of guests. The government agreed to the use of the larger venue on the day before the event was scheduled to begin.

Word spread quickly that day. This would be historic—the first time that people in Laos would have the opportunity to come together publicly in such a way to hear a message from the Bible about God’s love.

The following morning, Rev. Kingphet Thammavong, senior pastor of Cornerstone Church, relayed what he was hearing from the churches.

“They are so excited to come,” he said. “They are asking for buses—asking for vehicles to come and pick them up.”

On both evenings, the Saint Phila Convention Hall was brimming with people who had come to hear the Good News of Christ.

Believers unleashed their praise with fervor. Singing at the top of their lungs, they glorified God, led by a Laotian praise team, guitarist Dennis Agajanian, the Tommy Coomes Band and Charity Gayle.

On the first evening, Franklin had the crowd stand and pray aloud for the country’s leaders at all levels—many of whom were in attendance. Then he preached a simple message that clearly explained the Gospel and the need for repentance. At the invitation, so many came forward that there was not enough room at the front of the auditorium; many had to stand in the aisles.

“I know that Jesus Christ is God,” one woman said, explaining that she was struck by the message that everyone is a sinner and needs a Savior. “Many people have told me about the Gospel, but tonight, I feel love.” She and her two daughters, 11 and 6, accepted Christ on the second night, after hearing Franklin preach about a blind man named Bartimaeus who called out to Jesus for mercy.

A 59-year-old man also accepted Christ that evening. He and his wife had come on a bus from a village about an hour and a half from Vientiane. “My hope,” he said, “is that if I am not in this world anymore, I will be with God.”

After the Festival ended, Pastor Ser reflected on what had happened. In the mid-1990s, he actually spent a year and a half in jail for preaching the Good News. Now, he had seen thousands hear the Gospel and hundreds receive Christ in a public meeting.

“This is God’s timing,” he said. “God prepared this event so that people could come to Him.” ©2025 BGEA

Photo: Thomas J. Petrino / ©2024 BGEA