“I want to trust Jesus as my Savior, and I want to follow Jesus as my Lord,” Nguyen said to God on Tuesday evening.
The frail 60-year-old stood at the front of Cần Thơ Stadium in Vietnam, her thin hands raised high. With confidence, she repeated a prayer in response to the invitation from Franklin Graham to begin a new life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Graham is sharing God’s hope and love during a two-day outreach in Cần Thơ, the fourth-largest city in the country.
“This is my first opportunity to come to this beautiful city, and we have been looking forward to this for a long time,” Franklin Graham told the crowd. Through a Vietnamese interpreter, he shared that “God’s Son, Jesus Christ, came to Earth to save sinners. He shed His blood on the cross for each and every one of us—that’s how much He loves you.”
Tuesday night, 13,800 people from across the region gathered in the stadium—including many who had come after a long day at work in the rice paddies or markets.
The decision to follow Jesus was over 40 years in the making for Nguyen, who grew up Buddhist.
She shared that she has lived through much suffering. In her late teens and facing deep financial debt, she felt hopeless and wanted to end her life.
“I cried out, ‘God, help. God, help,’” she said.
That night, she dreamed God was smiling at her. A few weeks later, a relative from Canada sent her money to pay her debts.
At that moment, she knew God was real, but she went on with her life and didn’t seek Him anymore. In her 50s, difficult life circumstances once again drove her to call out to the Lord.
She had another dream, and this time she saw Him on a cross with nails in His hands and feet.
“Ever since I was a teenager, I avoided making a decision to follow Jesus because Buddhism was familiar,” she said. Nguyen explained that she still went on with her life without trusting in God.
But tonight was different.
“If you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you can have a new life,” Graham explained, emphasizing that the only way to know the Creator is through His Son, Jesus (John 14:6).
Nguyen had waited long enough to know the God who met her in her time of deep need—twice.
“I heard every word Franklin Graham said. I listened very carefully when he said if I seek [God], I will find Him,” she said with a smile.
She explained that she is excited to tell her husband—who is agnostic—about her newfound hope.
Thousands gathered for the Festival in the bustling city of Cần Thơ—many searching for answers as they dealt with suffering, darkness, and inner turmoil.
Watch the wrap-up video below.
